3 Steps on How to Find Time for Yourself as a Single Parent

With the arrival of children, finding time for yourself gets complicated.

It is common for parents to complain that they are falling into a routine. In particular, if you are a working single parent without a day off.

1. Is it normal to need a break from your family?

Unlike other parents, single parents do not have as much time for themselves. Naturally, your free time is devoted to raising children. Prioritising your own needs might make you feel guilty. Furthermore, single parents are subject to more public pressure than two-parent families. Many parents forget that caring for their children means caring for themselves too. So, yes, it is normal to need a break from your family. Most importantly, it is necessary.

2. Why do parents need alone time?

Psychologists say that spending time alone is one of the basic needs of every human being. Quality time spent alone is essential for your mental health. It helps you recalculate your needs and consider your priorities. It is okay to let something undone and concentrate on your feelings. Besides, parents should talk about the importance of having some time alone with children.

3. Is it okay to need alone time?

Needing a break from your daily parenting routine is absolutely fine. Happy parent, happy child – how simple it is. The child’s needs define your life, which makes you feel isolated from the whole world. Giving yourself alone time and taking a short break means listening to your wants and needs. But how to find a balance and time for a recharge if you are a single parent? 

4.  How do single parents get alone time?

Finding time for yourself in a two-parent family isn’t an issue. But what to do if you are a single parent and your parental responsibilities are a full-time job? There are a few simple steps to make your parenting easier when raising a kid as a single parent.

Step 1: Get yourself a helper 

Easy like that. Getting a babysitter can be time-consuming, expensive, and requires a lot of searching for the right person. Of course, the babysitter is an additional expense on your budget.

We recommend you to get a helper that always will be with you no matter what. Meet the Annie baby monitor app – a reliable babysitting app that will help you keep an eye on your child while you enjoy your break. You can download  the baby monitor app in the Apple Store or Google Play to your phone and other devices – you will need at least two devices to run this app.

You might ask: “How can a baby monitor help me find time for myself?!”

Actually, a lot. The Annie baby monitor app works like any other baby monitor, but this version is cheaper and has many more uses. 

Do you think that a baby monitor is for little children only? Enjoy your time reading a book or drinking iced coffee while your kids play in the backyard

Get 30 minutes of self-care in the bathroom and enjoy a warm bath, or watch some series without worrying about your child. The app will be watching your child with no distance limits. Moreover, you can interact with your child using two-way video and audio.

Put the device with the child unit close to the child – either into the crib or the play area. Start monitoring on your device, and you can throw yourself into your hobby. 

Do you know what’s the best about Annie? This baby monitor doesn’t cost a fortune. You can pay a weekly, monthly, or yearly subscription.

Step 2: Set the boundaries 

Imagine that you have found time for yourself – it wasn’t easy, but you have found the solution. To ensure you get uninterrupted alone time, you must now take care of your children. 

Obviously, It is not enough to find a free moment for yourself. Learning to communicate correctly with the child and teaching them to respect your boundaries is essential. Setting personal boundaries will benefit both parents and children. A child, like an adult, is a person who has the right to own private space.

Another way of setting boundaries is by making your bedroom your sanctuary, says Jennie Marie Battistin, a licensed marriage and family therapist and founder of Hope Therapy Center. Put a sign on your bedroom door saying to the child that he must knock to enter your personal space.

Step 3: Every 10-minute matter 

How much time do you need to recharge? We would say that a whole vacation somewhere by the sea would be perfect. But naturally, we don’t live in a perfect universe. The basic condition to enjoy alone time is to appreciate every free moment and to be able to use it effectively.

Set the calendar reminder or set aside a specific time during the day (for example, your baby’s nap time). Leave some things unfinished and enjoy a few moments of peace. Thus, every free moment is essential. Learn to use these moments for self-care and stop fulfilling this free time with other obligations.

And remember, parents’ alone time should be a part of your daily routine, not a rare privilege.