Do you have daily farm, or homesteading chores and struggle to keep up with littles at your feet? Then this is for you! Below I’m sharing five tips that have helped us stay on track with daily routines, getting our toddler involved in tasks, without losing our peace.
Before I even go into the things that have helped us, I must definitely say that your children are your greatest and most important “work”. What we do today, they will take with them into adulthood. It’s important to remember that though you may have big goals/dreams for your homestead, your children’s needs come first!
Homesteading with little children can be hard. It can be mentally and physically draining but wow, is it worth it. It teaches them discipline, getting up to milk the cow every morning, even when you don’t feel like it. Taking care of animals despite whether the sun is shining, or it’s pouring snow. Learning that all animals that come onto our homestead, matter and to treat them with respect. Learning where food comes from and that we can be grateful for an animals life, and their death. It isn’t an easy lifestyle, but it’s one i’d recommend if you want to go against the grain, and teach your children practical, important, and necessary life skills.
When we first started to bring animals onto the homestead, my daughter was only a few months old. I knew my husband and I yearned for this lifestyle so badly, that I was determined to make it work even with a baby. We’ve come a long way and i know that there is so much more to learn, but I want to share with you tips that could make your life easier as you pursue this lifestyle with your babies.
Here are some practical tips for you as you venture into homesteading with littles:
1.GET A FARM STROLLER!!!
If I didn’t have a designated “farm stroller” I wouldn’t be able to accomplish much of our farm chores. This doesn’t have to be a fancy stroller, because it’s going to get very DIRTY. Check out your local Goodwill or thrift shop and snag a cheap stroller that can fit your toddler. We usually keep our daughters stroller on the porch because honestly, it is way too dirty to be bringing in the house.
Every morning out to milk, every midday water check, and every evening milking, I bring my daughter in the stroller with me! She goes everywhere I go, and is safe and contained while I finish my chores. It gets her outside, involves her, shows her discipline, and I always have a little buddy with me.
2. INVOLVE THEM!
This is probably not the easiest tip I have for you, but it is SO important. Involving your toddlers/kids helps them learn practical life skills, and makes them feel important that they are helping you. Some examples would be: have them collect the daily eggs from the coop, have them carry and water your plants, let them brush the cow, feed the animals their feed (all of this with your supervision of course!). This keeps their little hands busy, and you get your farm chores done as well.
3. Know that this is only for a season.
I know you’ve probably heard it a million times, but they are truly only little once, and the hard days will pass. When they’re older it won’t seem like it was “too hard”, you’ll just miss them being little.
4. UTILIZE nap-time!
This has been a life-saver for me. During the day when I just need a few minutes of calm, I love to go out and tend to our animals, or complete a project on the homestead, while our daughter is napping.
5. Give you and your littles, grace. And lots of it!
This lifestyle is by no means easy. But the life long skills and knowledge you’re teaching your kids is worth it. So, so worth it. If one day doesn’t go as planned, try again tomorrow. Each that passes will start to feel easier, and you can have peace that THIS is the lifestyle worth pursuing. The hard, good, and bad.
I hope these tips give you some encouragement as you pursue homesteading, and know that even if you have littles, it is possible for you!