Tips for Solo Parenting

Tips for Solo Parenting

I’m sure a lot of you have had it, your partner tells you that they have to go away with work or they’ve planned a boys holiday. You sit there panicking, thinking, I’m going to have to do all the parenting myself?! For how long?!

I had this exact experience at the start of January.  My husband was starting a new job and had to go away Sunday to Friday every week for 4.5 weeks on training. That was 21 days of lone parenting. 21 long days of parenting.

I was very fortunate that my mum is off work on a Tuesday, meaning I always had plans one day the week, but the rest of the week was generally a blank page that needed plans. Oliver isn’t the kind of baby that is happy to sit at home all day everyday, and he would get bored of just seeing me. He needs to be stimulated and out and about.

My top tips for solo parenting

  1. Make meals and freeze them – Oliver hangs around like a bad smell when I’m cooking, he always wants to be picked up and watch what I’m doing. So just having something ready, I could defrost and heat up was a godsend.
  2. Make plans – not having that adult contact when your partner gets home from work means you will go mad. So make plans, you need some adult conversation.
  3. Get out – whether it’s meeting friends, a walk, a trip to the park, the supermarket or the shops. Just don’t spend all your time at home, again, you will go mad!
  4. Make sure you have a bottle of gin (or your tipple of choice) in.  All I wanted at the end of a hard day when Oliver was asleep was a nice gin!
  5. Have a good TV series to watch – Netflix was my new best friend.  I caught up on everything I had missed and could watch the programmes Stu doesn’t like.

And my final piece of advice would be, when your partner does get home, let them take the child/children for a few hours!  You can get a bit of relaxing me time in. You deserve it!

This post first appeared on Meet Other Mums where I am a regular blogger.  Please go and check it out as there are some brilliant other blogs there!

Dear Bear and Beany
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16 Comments

  1. March 9, 2017 / 1:21 pm

    Having set plans really makes the loneliness less daunting.

    #sharingthelove

  2. March 11, 2017 / 8:48 pm

    Oh, there is nothing I hate more than solo parenting – apart from parenting when you’re ill maybe! Well done you on getting through such a long stretch. Great tips – I love the TV one, I always love getting into a show that I’d never watch with my husband, it’s like a treat! Thanks for joining us at #SharingtheBlogLove

    • March 13, 2017 / 9:01 am

      Neither are great! I’m the same, stu is quite particular in what sort of TV he enjoys so I have to watch what I want in my own time because he gets bored!

  3. March 12, 2017 / 4:10 pm

    I have this during harvest. Now N’s older, he does go out on the farm with the OH a lot, but when he was younger, I did everything. It is hard work, although it does make it easier when it’s just one of us around. N’s a lot less hyper with me too #sharingthebloglove

    • March 13, 2017 / 9:02 am

      It’s nice when you can share the work but I agree it’s sometimes nice doing it all alone!

  4. March 13, 2017 / 9:52 pm

    Solo parenting is tough, well done for getting through it. My husband works every week and we just get on with our days and have our little routine that we love. He normally gets back around dinner and then he will do bath time. Thank you for joining us at #SharingtheBlogLove

  5. March 16, 2017 / 8:09 am

    Some really great tips here. I was a single mum for nearly five years with my daughter, so going out and making plans was really important for us #Sharingthebloglove

  6. Biscuit Please Mummy
    March 16, 2017 / 10:58 am

    I have a weekend alone this weekend and am frantically making plans – I agree that is the key! #SharingtheBlogLove

  7. March 17, 2017 / 7:11 am

    My husband goes away a lot with work so I spend a lot of time solo parenting. These are great tips for getting through it. I tend to use the slow cooker for making meals to try and avoid having little limpets in the kitchen. Getting out is very important – I go crazy being stuck at home and more so when I’m on my own. There is part of me now that likes to have the evenings to do what I want and watch what I want when hubby is away though! #sharingthebloglove

  8. March 17, 2017 / 12:49 pm

    Uhhhh I get the fear when Sam mentions he might go away with work. All our family’s are2 hours away so it’s really a lonely time !! Thanks for sharing some great tips #sharingtheloveblog

  9. March 17, 2017 / 7:38 pm

    Solo parenting is such hard work. I totally resurrect single parents and winder how they do it. Great tips, glad hubby is back now! #sharingthebloglove

  10. March 18, 2017 / 10:16 am

    Great tips, they also apply to when you are home alone all day while your partner works (make plans etc) #sharingthebloglove

  11. March 18, 2017 / 6:01 pm

    Good old Netflix. I love it. #sharingthebloglove

  12. March 18, 2017 / 8:16 pm

    The first week of May I’m having two days of lone parenting and because I dont drive, we cant get Ben to his nan’s and she doesnt drive either so cant come to us so im having to take time off of work so its a lot of lone parenting, I’m kind of dreading this experience but also i have two or three days where the tele is mine woooooo!
    Thank you for linking up to #TriumphantTales lovely, hope to see you and your sexy shoes back on Tuesday! x

  13. March 18, 2017 / 11:36 pm

    Popping back from #TriumphantTales, thanks so much for linking up!! 🙂

  14. March 20, 2017 / 10:48 am

    I can very much relate to this as someone who’s hubby works away a lot. Gin is a must!!! #SharingtheBlogLove

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