I once asked ChatGPT to create an image of me while remote working with a toddler. What I got was… adorable fiction.
Me, smiling serenely behind a laptop on a sunlit terrace. Coffee in hand. Ocean views. My toddler happily playing by herself in the background while my work somehow magically gets done. Yeah. No. Real life looks more like a circus act with spreadsheets. Don’t get me wrong, remote working with a small child is amazing (most of the times). It’s just also messy. And funny. And occasionally chaotic. Most of the time, actually.
I’m not a full-on digital nomad. We’re mostly based at home in Cantabria, Spain (read more about that here). From Monday to Friday, my daughter goes to the crèche in the mornings, which gives me precious, uninterrupted work time. That routine is my anchor. Around it, we build flexibility: sometimes working from home, sometimes from the road, taking turns with my husband to work and entertain our toddler, and squeezing work into nap times when needed. It’s not the Instagram version of remote work. It’s the real one.
The myth of “quiet productivity”
Most productivity guides tell you to wake up early, before the world does. I’ve tried that. My daughter also tries that. Very few times am I able to get up and do things before she wakes up, mostly because somehow she seems to sense that I am up and thus she somehow also wakes up, mostly with a super urgent request for breakfast, ideally right next to my laptop. So I´ve had to learn to get what I can get, and otherwise, accept that nothing will be done until she goes to daycare (starting at 9 am until 1 pm). And this sometimes means, finding work blocks in tiny windows of time.
- answering emails while she plays nearby
- editing something while she colors on the floor
- scheduling meetings around naps rather than ideal time slots
It’s not perfect. Coffee gets spilled. Focus comes and goes. And somehow, deadlines still get met.
Not nomads, but still mobile
We’re rooted, but not static. When we’re on the road, my husband and I take turns: one works while the other entertains our daughter, and we both work during her siestas. It requires communication, flexibility, and letting go of the idea of a “normal” workday. We hike, cycle, surf, and explore together, and somehow that feeds back into my work. Fresh air, movement, and a happy toddler have a funny way of unlocking creativity. Some days, the most meaningful moment isn’t finishing a report, but listening to my daughter excitedly tell me about a bird she saw in the mountains. That’s the trade-off we consciously choose.
Self-care and sanity-saving strategies
Work–life balance doesn’t just happen when you work remotely. You have to build it, intentionally.
A few things that help me stay sane:
- Micro self-care: five quiet minutes with a coffee, a stretch, or writing while she naps
- Accepting imperfection: some days work wins, other days my daughter does, both are fine (really took me some time to accept this)
- Community: talking to other remote-working parents who get it, without needing explanations
It’s a constant negotiation between deadlines and tiny humans.
Embracing the chaos
The biggest lesson I’ve learned? You can’t control everything, but we did manage to create a rhythm that works for us as a family. Some days I work six solid hours while she’s at daycare or happily occupied. Other days I barely manage to answer emails because I’m chasing her across a beach. Both days count. Both days are life.
Remote working with a toddler isn’t easy.
But it’s real.
And it’s rich.
