All mothers have times when they struggle to keep their babies/toddlers entertained and grab some much-needed time to cook or do other housework.

This collection of snippets from mothers we interviewed will give you some ideas on how to get your work done and keep your little one happy at the same time.

"I have a toy kitchen set in my kitchen, so whenever I cook, my child cooks along with me."

"My twins are very active little girls. We cleared out our car shed, put tiles and made it like a playroom for them. We removed all the furniture and extraneous things and placed only their toys in the room so that there was nothing unsafe in there. This means they have a lovely, clear space to roam and play without me worrying about their safety or having to entertain them all the time. They basically play with each other and I just needed to be nearby. I get my housework done this way."

"With twins I have to be very organized because after all I only have 2 hands! I always make sure to be ready before mealtime to have food and milk heated and kept rather than waiting till a child gets cranky and then rushing. Being proactive was a great help."

"I had a wonderful set of books with audio tapes for my kids. It was a series so it got more complex with every book. At first I would sit with them and we would listen to the book. After that I could put the tape on and they would love sitting and going through the book. They would keep asking for it to be played over and over again. They loved the repetition and the look and feel of the brightly coloured pages. This bought me precious time to do my own work in the house and it was much better than using the TV."

 "When I do the cooking, I keep my baby in the kitchen with me and give her some vessels to play with. She would also pretend to cook. I would talk to her but all the while do my work as well."

"I have a small child size table and chair for my daughter. She uses this to work on her art. She has a shelf with all art materials like extra paper, colour pencils, crayons, chalk, water colours, child-safe scissors, glue, etc. She takes things out herself and works on them at her table. Keeping it accessible to her helps so she can take things as she wishes."

"My daughter loved to build things like small cardboard cars, houses, animals, etc. We used to keep all bits of cardboard in the house for her. She used to use her child-safe scissors, cut different shapes and pieces and glue them together. This kept her busy for ages!"

"I found a mom and baby yoga class where we could take our babies along. So even when my daughter was just a few months old, I was able to get out of the house and pursue my own interests with her along. There would be a babysitter at the yoga class, and for some of the movements, the babies also joined in. It was fun for both of us. I had the freedom to do my own thing without leaving my baby elsewhere."

"We had a large, wooden play pen where my son would play as a baby. It's hard to find these, but one could get a carpenter to make it. My son would spend hours in it with his play things. It was small enough to fit in our living room, but big enough that he would not feel confined. It had wooden bars that were high enough so he couldn't climb out. This allowed me the freedom to do things around the house as I knew my baby was safe."

"During mealtimes we expected our child to eat the food that was prepared. In case they refused, we would let them go and not push it. We would try feeding them again after half an hour or one hour when they were hungry. This helped us avoid a lot of fights and bad moods at mealtime, plus our kids learned that home was not like a restaurant. You can't just order something else if you don't like the meal. I believe this was a really helpful habit to set up for the long-run."

"My husband opted for the night shift when my baby was born. This meant that he was there at home during the day. At times when we needed supplies, I would go out and he would be at home with the baby. This helped me feel good as I was able to get out of the house and take a break."

"As a work from home mother, I felt pressured to squeeze in office work at any given time. Not having designated work hours can sometimes be more stressful! But I learned to work at certain times and dedicate other times just for the kids. This helped me complete work hours as well as spend time with my kids without being preoccupied with work."

"I had a plastic table and 2 chairs for my kids. It was light enough to take to any room in the house. I would set it up in whichever room I was and give them toy dishes and play dough. They would make pretend food and serve it to each other. It gave me time to heat food and get the meal on the table."

"I would take my bath in the evenings so that the next morning's rush would be less pressured. That way, if a child needed more attention in the morning, I was free to give it without feeling hassled that I'm getting late for work."

"I had a simple, Fisher Price bouncy chair which I could bounce with one foot while doing office work. It worked really well when my baby was younger than 6 months because there were many times he was awake but did not want to be laid flat on a bed or on the floor. This chair had him in a comfortable reclining position where he could see me and look all around. He would often take naps in it too. Being alone at home, I would even put the bouncer at the door of the bathroom while I took my bath! Baby was content because he could still see me."