It’s that time of year again. When it starts to get warm my husband’s field work tends to increase. He is a civil engineer who specializes in dams and his job occasionally requires him to travel weeks at a time, which leaves me to try and survive solo parenting. Yay!
My husband traveled to Kentucky for the last couple of weeks. Now, I only have one baby, so I can’t say it is extremely difficult, especially since I am used to being alone with her all day. But I never actually realize how much my husband contributes until he is gone. Whether that be chores around the house, night time routine with the baby, reminding me to charge my phone…etc.
Without my husband I am not sure how I would survive at this life thing. But I have learned how to make parenting easier while he travels.
Keep reading for my tips on how to survive solo parenting while your spouse travels!
Plan meals
Having an idea of what you’ll eat while your partner is away is so helpful. There’s nothing worse than trying to feed yourself and a toddler but having no idea what you’ll both eat.
We decided to order HelloFresh for a couple of weeks while he’d be gone so I didn’t have to brainstorm meal ideas for 14 days. I’m obsessed with HelloFresh. They give you everything you need in exact portions with simple instructions. Can’t beat it. If you want a coupon code message me and I will send ya one!
For the days I didn’t have HelloFresh I just wrote down some simple meal ideas on my calendar. I also budgeted for a couple nights of take out because it’s so much easier than cooking!
Shop before he leaves
I personally enjoy shopping with my daughter because she LOVES going to the store with me. But, if you have multiple children or just dread shopping with a baby, I would advise going grocery shopping before your spouse leaves.
You could even turn it into some personal time and shop alone. Or, if you aren’t a fan of grocery shopping or forget to go before your spouse leaves, Instacart is a company that delivers groceries to your door! Just plug in your zip and they will find local grocery stores you can buy from!
Another tip…make sure you’re all stocked up on diapers, baby snacks, formula…all the goods.
Ask him to help with chores
Before my husband left we had a big weekend cleaning session. I didn’t want to be left with a disaster of a house plus a baby to take care of on my own for two weeks. My life was going to be hectic enough as it was.
He helped me sweep, do laundry, mop floors, clean bathrooms, etc. I felt so relieved to be left with a clean home and no laundry to do.
Plan play dates + activities
I don’t have family in town, but luckily I found a couple other local mom friends with babies around the same age as mine.
I made sure to schedule some play dates so we had an excuse to get out of the house and socialize!
We also went to parks, the Children’s Museum here in Greensboro and to local gardens. It was definitely helpful to schedule activities that involved getting out the house so we both didn’t go stir crazy.
Ask for help
I made sure to let my parents know way ahead of time that Brendan was going out of town in hopes they would be able to come help. We live in North Carolina while our families live in Maryland. I was hoping they would be able to come stay with me for part of the time, mostly because it is scary being in a new town and knowing hardly anyone!
Luckily I was only alone for about a week and then my family came down to help out. THANK GOODNESS.
If you aren’t comfortable staying alone, ask for help! Ask your friend to come over and hang out. Or ask your babysitter to come watch your kids while you run out and reclaim your sanity. Being a single parent is so hard and it isn’t shameful to admit you can’t do it all.
Put safety precautions in place
I made sure to have the pediatrician’s number and address saved in my phone as well as poison control. It’s also a good idea to save your local hospital address in your phone too just in case!
Stock up on your first aid kit. Make sure all the doors and windows lock properly. Have some sort of self-defense plan in place. This might sound very paranoid…but in today’s world you seriously just never know.
Don’t get anxious about something bad happening while your spouse is gone, just be prepared!
Soak up the evening alone time
And last but not least, enjoy some quality time with yourself in the evenings when your babes are asleep! Sometimes it can be emotionally exhausting to tend to children all day and then your spouse. So, binge watch Netflix, read a book and miss him like heck while he’s gone!
Because spouses really are helpful and contribute so much! (at least mine does 😉)
What are your tips for surviving solo parenting?
Like this post? Pin it for later!
