Tips for Working from Home with Kids

Can you work from home and look after a child?

With work from home job options becoming more popular, lots of moms are finding ways to work remotely or start their own business from home. 

But how are these moms working from home with toddlers?

Is it possible to work at home with a baby?

What do you do with the kids while you’re working?

Working from home with kids can be challenging, but it is possible to do it with some planning and good routines.

This is my first summer as a work at home mom, and let me tell you it’s not as easy as other moms make it seem. 

Sure, being a WAHM has some great advantages, but working from home with kids isn’t all about last-minute day trips to the zoo or afternoons at the park. 

While I had nailed my work from home mom schedule during the school year, once summer started, my routine went right out the window.  After all the work I had done to balance my work and home life as a WAHM, I was back to square one trying to find a way to make this working from home with kid’s thing doable. 

Here are my tips for making working from home without childcare easier, and a few childcare options you could try if your work at home job makes that too difficult.

Working from Home Without Childcare

From 2005 to 2015 the number of people who telecommute in the U.S. increased by 115%. With all the perks of working from home, it isn’t surprising that more people are seeking that option. 

These perks aren’t just for the employee either, there are benefits for employers too.  This 2014 study showed that working remotely increased performance by 13%.

But what if you have kids?

Is working from home without childcare possible?

For a self-employed work at home job, like blogging or doing freelance work, it’s not too hard to work your schedule around your children’s needs.

But with a remote job that requires phone calls or teleconferences, it can be more challenging.

While one of the benefits of working from home is being able to spend more time with your kids, having childcare part-time may be necessary for some jobs.

Working from home and hiring a nanny might be the best way for you to get your work done and still be home with your baby or toddler.  

Older kids getting ready to start school soon can benefit from more social childcare options, so putting your preschooler in daycare while you work from home for half a day or certain days of the week may be a better option.

Tips for Working from Home with a Baby

Temporarily Reduce Your Hours

If taking a maternity leave isn’t possible with your work from home job, consider reducing your hours for a bit. 

Outsource some work

If reducing your workload isn’t possible, see if there are things you could outsource to someone else.  There are lots of freelancers available to hire for small tasks on sites like Fiverr or freelance.com. 

Work When the Baby Sleeps

If you have kids you have probably been told to “sleep when the baby sleeps”.  For a WAHM, “when the baby sleeps” is the best time to get your work done.

Work in Small Chunks

While babies need lots of attention and interaction with mom, short periods of independent play are good for them too.  Set your work station up near their play area so you are still in their sight, and supervising them, while you work on short tasks. 

Use a Baby Carrier

If your baby likes to be held all the time, invest in a good sling, wrap or another baby carrier.  For a baby that doesn’t sleep well alone, having a nap in the sling could get mom an extra hour for work time. 

Childcare Options for Babies

Hiring a nanny would be the best childcare option for a baby, but it’s not the only option. 

If a nanny is too expensive for you, consider a less experienced (and more affordable) mothers’ helper or see if you can find a relative who is willing to help.

As a last resort, you could rearrange your workday schedule so that you can do the bulk of your work in the evenings when your spouse is home.  Or, if you can, have your spouse take a paternity leave until you have settled into your new work and parenting routine. 

Tips for Working from Home with Toddlers and Preschoolers

Hiring Other Help

If you are set on working from home without childcare, consider hiring help for other things that take up your time.  Hire a house cleaner and pay a neighborhood teen to cut your grass. 

Grocery Shop Online

Save time by signing up for a weekly box from Farm Box Direct for your produce and use Amazon Prime Pantry to get the rest of your groceries delivered. 

If you want to save time on meal planning too, sign up for Hello Fresh to have 3-4 meal recipes with pre-measured ingredients delivered every week.  

Work During Screen Time

Leaving your TV on the preschool channel all day won’t keep your child entertained for long.  But when the screen time is limited to one or two episodes of Paw Patrol a day your toddler will likely be glued to the screen until the credits, buying you a bit of uninterrupted work time.

Rotate Toys (And Keep Special Ones Out of Reach)

Just like having access to the TV all the time won’t keep a child busy for long, having access to every toy they own will lead to boredom with them all.  Instead, put some of the toys in the closet or storage and rotate them monthly so they always have “new” toys. 

Special Toys

Another strategy for getting work done during playtime is to keep some “special” toys and activities out of reach permanently.  Keep things like playdough, stamps or busy bags up high so you can pull them out when you need to get some work done.

You can also sign up for a subscription box to get some new activities every month. There are lots of great options out there for toddlers and preschoolers like The Preschool Box , Little Passports Early Explorer Discovery Boxes, or Koala Crate.

Plan for One on One Time

If you want your child to be able to give you time to work, you need to make sure that you’re giving them some time with you too.  A child who is ignored all day is going to do anything they can to get some attention. 

Work When They Sleep or Rest

Just like with babies, working during naptime is the best WAHM strategy with toddlers and preschoolers.  Even if your child has outgrown their afternoon nap, have a set time for “quiet time”.  They could play in their room with quiet activities like books and puzzles or watch a movie on the couch.

Work When Your Spouse Is Home

If the above strategies still aren’t giving you enough time to get all your work done, you may need to schedule your work-time to be the opposite of your spouse’s.  Work in the evenings once he is home for the day, or get in a full day’s work on the weekends/his days off.

Child Care Options for Toddlers and Preschoolers

While a nanny can be a great option for babies and toddlers, for a preschooler part-time daycare may be better.  If you can’t find a daycare center that’s willing to accommodate part-time hours, look for a home daycare as they are usually more flexible (and cheaper).

If part-time daycare doesn’t work for your budget, see if there is a neighborhood teenager who could watch your child after school hours.

Another option that is becoming more popular is kid swapping.  Find a friend (or group of friends) with kids the same age as yours and each of you takes a day to watch all the kids, while the other mom(s) get a break.

Tips for Working from Home with Kids (During the Summer)

Working from home with kids is no problem once they’re school age.  You can easily plan your work time around their school day, and arrange your schedule to take off PA days and holidays with them.

But unlike those short periods off, summer break is two whole months, which means you will have to get some work done while they are home.

Adjust your workload

If you plan to continue to work from home without childcare for the summer, you will probably need to reduce your workload until school starts back up so you can spend more time having fun with your kids. 

After all, that is one of the advantages of working from home, right?

Outsource Some Work

If there isn’t a way for you to reduce your workload for a couple of months, consider hiring some help with the easier tasks that you don’t need to tackle yourself.  Check on fiverr.com or freelance.com to hire someone.

Adjust Your Hours

Since you won’t be able to get a solid 5-6 hours in during the day, you will have to find a way to squeeze in more time in the evenings (once your spouse is home or the kids are in bed) or get some work done in the morning while everyone is still asleep

Figure Out Your Priorities

Once you have adjusted your work hours and reduced your workload as much as you can, plan out what your priorities are going to be for the summer.  Be realistic about how much you will be able to achieve, since working from home with kids around to distract you may decrease your productivity.

Don’t just focus on your work priorities either.  What are your priorities with your kids over the summer?  This is the time to do all those things you never have time to do with them. 

Plan for Daily Exercise and Activities

Making sure that your kids are getting opportunities to burn off some energy every day, whether it’s in your backyard or you go to the park, will make it easier to get them to do some quiet activities when you need to get some work done. 

New Activities

If you don’t want your kids to spend all their time in front of a screen, then make sure you pick up some new activities for them to do too.  You could buy a couple of new craft kits or science kits, or if you want a summer project for them check out these DIY business kits for kids from Boss Club.

Another great option is to sign up for a monthly subscription box, that way you will always have some new activities for school breaks and PD days. KiwiCrate offers a few arts and science boxes for different ages and a geography and cultures one too. Or look through Cratejoy for tons of other monthly boxes for kids.

Set Some Rules

Before summer starts, sit your kids down and go over some “while mom’s working rules”.  While they may need to interrupt your work time if someone’s bleeding, they need to understand that they can’t come barging into your home office to tell you about their favorite YouTuber. 

Make A Work from Home Mom Schedule

Get your kids to sit with you and come up with your summer schedule.  If your kids like lazy mornings, make that your work time.  If they wake up full of energy, get them out right away and do your work when you get home. Help them plan out the independent activities they will be doing during your work time too.   

Give them Incentives

The best way to keep your kids motivated to behave while you’re getting some work done is to reward them when they do.  For younger kids consider doing up a reward chart to earn prizes and special activities.  For older kids make Friday’s a special day that you can all go out for ice cream, a movie or on a day trip as their reward.

Childcare Options for School Agers

While it is easier to work from home without childcare at this age, that doesn’t mean your kids should sit home all summer. 

Consider putting them in day camp for a week if you can.  Not only will this give them a week to get out and have some fun, but planning it for mid-summer will give you a chance to catch up on your work. 

If day camp isn’t an option, see if Grandma (or another friend/relative) will take them one day a week to give you some quiet time or find a neighborhood preteen looking to get some babysitting experience who can take the kids to the park once in a while. 

With only 12 days left until school starts (the countdown is on!), I think it’s safe to say that I have survived my first summer working from home with kids. 

At the beginning of summer, I adjusted my work schedule so that I was able to get some work done at night once the kids were in bed.  I sent them to Grandma’s house one afternoon a week, giving me a quiet house to get my writing done in. 

When the kids where home, and awake, I was able to spend a bit of time working on tasks that didn’t require my full concentration.  I scheduled in some time at the park, or other outings, beforehand so they were happy to entertain themselves while I worked.

I significantly reduced my workload for the two months, focusing only on the things that really needed to be done. 

While I didn’t get as much done as I had planned, being able to spend extra time with my kids over the summer was worth it.

After all, that was the reason I wanted a work from home job. 

With all the companies out there, that are now offering remote jobs, plus all the freelance and self-employment opportunities you can find, working from home with kids is becoming an easier option for parents.  While it does have its challenges at times, for me the flexibility it provides my family makes it worth it. 

Are you a WAHM?  How do you manage to work from home without childcare?  Any tips or strategies you can add? 

Let me know on my Facebook post and follow me on Facebook to see what else I learn on my journey to live a healthier and happier life.