Help! HOW Do New Parents Do This?!

[Account Closed]

Ugh, so today was a big challenge that, sadly, made me pause and question how the heck I'm going to do real estate with a new baby.  I know I can do it... I'M DETERMINED TO!  But I need advice.  How do others do it?  

What happened today was, it's our anniversary, and we figured we'd take the baby for a drive around his nap-time so he'd be sound asleep in the carseat, and we could go to our favorite restaurant for our anniversary (with baby sound asleep in his carseat at our table).  Well... normally a drive would put him to sleep, but not this time.  We drove, he cried, he cried harder, he never went to sleep, I got a call while out and couldn't communicate due to the fussing, we never made it to the restaurant, we went home where he was finally relaxed and went to bed.  

It got me thinking, if I can't even make it to a restaurant for our anniversary, how will I do real estate with a baby?  We have no daycare (nobody trustworthy or able) so...he goes with me everywhere.  He's there when I need to be on the phone...when I'm trying to watch a webinar...  I cannot attend REIAs because most won't let me bring a baby, even if I sit in the back and promise to step out if he fusses (well, ONE will let me bring him, thanks Steve!)  I'm limited to how long I can be at the Office of Records before he fusses, negotiating with a Seller, etc. etc. etc.    

So -- HELP!  Are there any new parents out there with NO daycare that found a way to make this work?  Any advice, anyone?  I mean, I know it can be done....if there are people doing virtual wholesaling, and buying rentals while deployed, then I'm sure there's a way for this situation.  

Thanks!  :)

[Karen Margrave]

My kids are all grown and two have kids of their own. When my youngest, Michael, that's now 27 was little we ran our construction/real estate development office at our house. I did most of my calls when he was napping. Sometimes I'd do some of the work at night. That's what's great about this business, you can work flexible schedules.

Of course it wasn't always possible to do that, so I made sure the house was all child proof, and had certain rooms where I could set him down and he could roam around without worry. We basically lived in his playhouse. My husband also used to take him a lot onto the jobs. The guys would just pass him around. He got on equipment when he was a toddler, and learned to operate it when he was in grade school.

We also used to take him to business meetings. He learned very young to keep quiet and draw, look at books, etc. He also learned if the phone rang and I put my finger up to my mouth, it meant shhhhh... 

As far as restaurants, choose those where noise doesn't matter when you have little kids. 

Kids are only little for a flash, then they're having kids of their own, and you're wishing you could have your babies back! If hearing a baby cry is too much for someone, do you really want to do business with them? I always say, if you don't like the sound of kids, go to the graveyard... there's plenty of quiet there!