You Can Have It All: A Guide to Juggling New Fatherhood and Entrepreneurship

Nearly half of all pregnancies are unplanned, which means a new baby could arrive when you’re least expecting it: Even when you’re smack dab in the middle of starting a business. And while it won’t be easy juggling entrepreneurship with new fatherhood, this doesn’t mean you need to put your business plans on hold until your little one is out of diapers and sleeping through the night. These tips from The Dad Hoodie will tell you how to do it!

Create a Baby-Friendly Home Office Space

Most aspiring entrepreneurs start their new businesses from home, which is both a blessing and a curse when you’re caring for a newborn. You’re given the flexibility to work between bottle feedings and diaper changes, but staying focused and productive throughout the day can be quite challenging when your newborn is fussy and you’re running on little sleep.

To ensure you’re able to keep a close eye on your newborn as you work on your business plans from home, it’s best to create a baby-friendly office space so you’re not running back and forth between rooms when your little one needs feeding, comforting, or changing. Here are some tips for creating the ultimate office space for you and your newborn:

• Splurge on a smart bassinet. As one example, the safe and aesthetically pleasing SNOO Smart Sleeper Baby Bassinet will not only improve your newborn’s sleep schedule but send you a smartphone notification if your little one seems distressed. Some other high-tech options include the Fisher-Price Soothing Motions Bassinet and Halo Bassinest Swivel Sleeper.
• Baby-proof your electrical outlets and cords. It’ll be a few months before your little one starts crawling around your office space, but it’s never too early to start baby-proofing your cables, cords, electrical outlets, cabinets, and anything else your little one could access.
• Keep your newborn and all baby essentials close. Wear a comfortable baby wrap or carrier so you can keep your little one close as you work on your business plans, and throw on The Dad Hoodie so you’ll have everything you need when it’s time to change, feed, and burp your newborn.

Stay on Track With Your Business Goals

Launching a new business and working from home with a baby or toddler will take some getting used to, so don’t be afraid to use technology when you need help managing tasks, keeping an eye on your little one, and cutting out unnecessary distractions. From baby apps to startup apps, there are lots of tech tools available to help you juggle new fatherhood with small business ownership.

As you prepare to launch your business, you could also use a monthly planner template to create an online calendar that outlines the different tasks you’ll need to complete in order to get your startup off the ground. The best templates offer a 30-day view of the different tasks that must be completed each day, week, or month, and they can be customized with graphics, sticky notes, and other visuals.

Get Help With Baby When You Need It

Whether you’re a single dad or your partner is working outside of the home, there will be days when you need some help from a sitter. Maybe you have an important meeting with a startup lawyer or potential client, or perhaps the end of the month is approaching and you have deadlines to meet.

Whatever the case, there’s nothing wrong with hiring a babysitter to look after your little one while you work. Check out babysitting apps like Care.com, Sittercity, and UrbanSitter to look for childcare in your area.

You Can Have a Newborn and A New Business, Too

Though it may seem impossible in the beginning, parents can successfully launch a small business while welcoming a new baby into the family. There’s no need to hit pause on your startup plans when you make use of tech tools, mobile apps, baby carriers, and multifunctional hoodies: These tools and clothing pieces were designed to help you succeed in parenthood as well as entrepreneurship!