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Thinking ahead for single parenting

Timesavers and single parent survival thinking

So there's a lot that i've been looking into for how i'd answer questions about what i'd do to help myself as a single parent. So here's a few ideas so far to refer back to, for real life later so i don't forget, and for answering interview questions...

- Children's shows in the car the night before

- Sort the children's clothes into a tidy pile in the order they need to be put on and the right way around.

- Do everything you can the night before, including setting the table

- quick and easy food options

-do the two kids washing on different days so that they don't get tangled up together - easier to sort out afterwards

- Save hours by stopping yourself from asking pointless questions like ' well, where is the other one' 

- Precook and freezing meals

- Ordering supermarket online 

- Couple of Go Bags / Easy play options*

    - for when ill

    - for in case of emergency

* Colouring sets, comics/Beanos, jigsaws, ...  Also options for lounge picnic / den making.

-Keep overnight bag options

- Thermal cup for me

- Layered sheets with waterproof sheet in the middle?

- Play therapy activities book when feeling frazzled & struggling for ideas

- Locked down tablet

**

Emotional capacity to support all difficulties in different ways. 

– being able to share time evenly when one might have more complex needs – example - had time with one whilst having a nap/ one having TV time / to have time with other. 

Little connecting things – painting nails, doing something where could chat without being eye to eye, rubbing legs.

If baths together hype them up – potentially baby gates so that can still see and hear us.  

Bounce off of people ‘ this happened / this happened/ ooh do you thing that meant this?’ 

Put in place ‘special time’ once a week with 30-40mins with just one of them. Protected time for them.

Quite a lot of visual aids with the kids, calendars to count down to particular things. 


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