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Homeschooling takes place in the intimate domain of the home and family, and any changes in the family naturally also change the school. One big change many home educating families go through is the addition of a new baby.
Infants demand Mom’s attention almost exclusively, and many parents feel stretched thin trying to keep up with the baby and help the older children with their studies. However, because everyone is together in the home, caring for a newborn is happily compatible with home education.
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Breastfeeding is a natural fit for many homeschooling families, so here are 5 tips for integrating feeding the baby with teaching the children.
Put a comfortable chair near your school area.
Or, move the lessons to the couch or rocker. Home schoolers don’t have to be tied to a desk, so take advantage of the situation to try out a change of scenery. You won’t be very effective if you are crouched on a bar stool trying to feed the baby while your second grader demands help with her spelling words.
Have supplies at the ready.
Your children still need your presence as they do their schoolwork. Too often, when teacher’s away, the kids will play! It’s distracting if Mom is always jumping up to find a burp cloth, grab a new onesie for the little one, or running to the nursery for a blanket. Instead, get a hand basket or tote bag with a handle, and put all of your necessary breastfeeding supplies inside. Carry it with you from room to room and you’ll have everything nearby.
Make room for baby.
If your children do their schoolwork at the kitchen table, make sure there is a comfortable spot for the baby to rest in there, too. Wear your baby in a sling, find a spot for the swing, get a travel bassinet, or even tuck her infant car seat in the corner. That way, after nursing you can put a content or sleeping baby down and seamlessly move to teaching multiplication – while still keeping a close eye on your newborn.
Hold off on field trips.
Many homeschoolers also car school, teaching and learning on the road as the family drives from activity to co-op to club. The weeks following the birth of a new baby, however, should be a time of rest. Some women are sensitive about breastfeeding in public, although it is legal in most states to breastfeed anywhere. Moms may be worried about offending other families or don’t think they can keep up with the kids on the playground while feeding a child at the breast. Take it easy, stay home, and spend the time nurturing close family relationships while establishing your milk supply and getting to know your new baby.
Make a list of activities that can be done while holding a needy baby.
Newborns are notoriously unpredictable, so that means Mom will have to be prepared. Have your list ready for those days when you just can’t put the baby down. Days like this might be perfect opportunities to set out photos of famous architecture and a bin of blocks, or to have a silent reading day with everyone curled up on the couch with a big bowl of popcorn. Perhaps you can keep a few educational videos in reserve so the children can watch a special on the building of the pyramids while you tend to your littlest one. Creating a contingency plan ahead of time will keep you in control of your school and ensure that the older children’s education is not neglected.
Enjoy your baby, and enjoy your children’s education.
It’s not mutually exclusive, and your students can only benefit from seeing how everyone in the family’s needs are met as you learn together.
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What a wonderful post-I needed this today!! My nursing 4 month old is usually found on my chest in my Beco carrier;) It really helps to free my hands to help the older kiddos and keeps the baby content. Plus, I feel I am “homeschooling” the baby right along with the older girls due to her being at eye-level to observe everything we are doing as opposed to being tucked away in another room or in a pack and play etc. Great post! God Bless!!
I really want to second, “Enjoy your baby and enjoy your children’s education.”
Babies grow up so fast. When you are in the middle of the breastfeeding, sleepless nights, and the demands of the other children, you think it will never end. But it does. My youngest is now 4 1/2. I remember how finally, when I had number 5, I learned. I learned to slow down and enjoy the baby. We still did school. We still kept up with the housework and meals, but I relaxed and really tried to just enjoy the baby. I dropped out of our co op. I did not go on field trips. I do not regret cutting back our outside activities one bit. In fact, I never did rejoin the co op, and I still rarely go on field trips. I like to stay at home!
Great post!
Thanks for this post. I’m due in 4 weeks, and I’m homeschooling my 6 year old, while chasing my almost 2 year old. Things are busy here, so it’s nice to read a post with some practical advice about our upcoming situation. :o)
This is a great list of tips and suggestions. Having just survived a year of homeschooling and also exclusively nursing twins, I would also add to give yourself some grace. Having nursing babies around is only for a short time (sadly), and sometimes the reality is that mom just doesn’t have a lot of energy for either doing heavy academics or for coming up with engaging lessons. We spent a lot of last year just reading books… me nursing and reading the other children playing and listening or taking turns holding the other baby. And relax! You’re other children are not going to have their educational lives ruined because their wasn’t a whole lot of math happening for a few months.
Great ideas! I wish I’d seen this earlier….my baby is starting to wean and I fear he’ll be our last. 🙁
Here are some other thoughts that may help as well:
-If your milk supply is low, consider moving school to your bedroom. Women who frequently nurse lying down are able to nurse longer and have a greater milk supply than those who don’t.
-Consider giving your older children the responsibility of teaching basics to the younger ones. It’s a great opportunity for the olders to review, and you may find that the younger will cooperate better with a sibling than with Mom! When my 5yo went through a phase where she refused to read with me, I asked her to read to her older sister while I put baby down for a nap. It worked like a charm almost every day–and the 8yo turned out to be a surprisingly patient teacher.
I think you did a great job with this article. As a breastfeeding mom with a 1st grader and kindergartner it can sometimes be a challenge. I try to do as much school as we can when she is napping and keep the reading and other things that we do do specifically when nursing. Sometimes, I just take a nursing break, too, and let the kids play for a little while.
Well done! I think it’s as important for the children to learn a natural ebb and flow as it is to learn any particular subject matter. When I was nursing my youngest, our two older ones had many days of broader activities and it didn’t delay them in the least. Additionally, when we suffered a miscarriage (before our youngest son), we took a week off homeschooling and were just very gentle with each other, just lots of quiet time and questions and crying. It felt right to honor our grieving. The beauty of homeschooling is that it serves us as we need.