Share Your Tips: How Do YOU Run a Home Business with a Little One?!
Check out the email I received from reader Kate –
I have a 7 month old and also run my own home business. I’m finding it completely impossible to work at the business at all – maybe an hour or two a day if I’m lucky. Thought maybe your great readers would have some helpful tips for me?!
Do you have a little one AND run a home business? Please share your tips!
I am a CPA and have my own accounting business. I work 2-3 hours a day at nap time, after dinner when my husband gets home, and sometimes I block a weekend day out also and work while my husband has the kiddos. Not always the easiest to do it that way but since my work is more seasonal I work less in the summer and more when it’s nasty out anyway!!
It is impossible lol…I have 2, a 3 year old and a 5 month old. I normally work at night or early morning while they are asleep. 🙂
I agree! I have a 1 year old and a 5 year old! It is soooo hard.
I sometimes have to hide in the bathroom!
Haha! I do that…then they find me…hehehehe
Haha I love your response!
I work from home 90% of the time with my job. I work when they nap. I work before they wake up. I work when they go to sleep. It makes for a long day but it is amazing how much I get done without the distractions. Also…the hubby is a firefighter so every third day, he is gone for 24 hours. I try my best to work around all the schedules and find that working ahead actually helps with my mental state – ha!
I do the same thing with my firefighter hubby- I leave the house for a few hours on the days he is home in order to get stuff done. It is difficult to make phone calls and do what I need to do during nap time, so I enjoy the distraction-free time when he is able to be home with the kids.
I’ve been working from home ever since my little guy was born. The best way I have found is to read emails throughout the day, answer what I can during nap time and then work at night. Usually my little one is in bed by 8 and then I work till midnight. During the day I enjoy my time with him and take a nap sometimes too. It’s hard but I wouldn’t change it! Good luck momma!
I’ve been struggling with this myself. I’ve come to the conclusion that something has to give. Otherwise, I spend too much time feeling guilty about what I’m not doing (playing with the kids, cleaning…). I have tried working at night, in the early morning and on weekends. Personally, I just get burned out and find myself less productive in every area. I’m trying to limit my work time to nap time and keep my work volume down. It’s a hard sacrifice because we need the money, but I’ve found that my own sanity is priceless.
I struggle with this too. Sometimes i feel more work than mom and i feel guilty about that, when the house works lacks and pirate Jake is their new best friend. I try to spread my work load out but sometimes it just likes to all come in one big heap at the same time. As long as that’s not the normal, we all get through it.
Apologize as soon as you answer the phone for the screaming in the background 🙂 – most people have had or presently have small children and understand. I have a 2yo and 11mo.
Suck it up and do what u gotta do
😶
This is not a helpful or supportive response.
At least all these responses are making me feel better, I would love to “work” from home but I find the thought impossible because when I’m home with them I can’t find a spare moment!!!
Me too! Hopefully in a couple years when 3 out of 4 of them are in school I’ll be able to go back to work.
Have you ever asked a close friend or neighbor with kids to help out? Maybe you take their kids one day or a few hours and then they return the favor? Even if the other parent doesn’t have a “real” job they might just enjoy some quite time. It’s worth a shot to ask. Also I would check into Mother’s Day out programs around her two days a week from 9 til 2 is around $130 a month which is a reasonable price I think.
Boy tough question cause motherhood is a full time job in my opinion and adding another job at home is not very feasible (for me). This is why I love Hip2save and all those other couponing sites. If I can’t make a bunch of money at home, at least I can learn how to coupon and save money! I also found the first sixth months to be the hardest. It does get easier as your baby gets older. Maybe take a break if you can until the little one is more independent? You may find that it will be easier on yourself and your family in the long run.
Hire a sitter or send the child to daycare a couple of days a week. That way you can focus 100% and be more productive. Don’t try to do both at once!
I WFH 4 days a week. I have one school aged daughter and one 4 year old, it does get easier! It’s about finding a good balance. I wake up early and work until it’s time to take my oldest to school then I come home and work until lunch, while my little plays dolls or reads books in the room with me. I usually take an extended lunch and spend time with her then work in the afternoon while she naps. I go get my oldest then usually work until my boyfriend comes home at 5. I will be honest, my days are usually about 11 hours or so long but it’s definitely been worth it to be here for my kids
Same here! I can sometimes work through out the day but mostly at nap time and at night! I have a 3 and 2 year old plus a one month old:) Now I’d i have to make a phone call to a client, I usually bring out the play dough or coloring books so they are quiet and really into something for at least 5 mins 🙂
I work from home with 2 little ones and I’m required to be on the phone for my job. It’s hard to be professional with children chatting in the background. I’ve learned to introduce my children before it becomes awkward and most people love to hear that I’m a mom too. I’ve also invested in noise cancelling headphones so what the other person hears is very soft chatter. Hope this helps and good luck!
I’m a blogger so my schedule is very flexible. I mostly work during nap times and after my 2 year old is in bed. I usually go to bed very late. I will also work when she is watching her TV show, usually Daniel Tiger, and she cuddles up next to me. I just remind myself why I chose to leave my job and work from home. I want to be there for my daughter as she grows and it takes a lot of sacrifices to do that. I just try to go around her schedule 🙂 .
My 3rd child has made it harder for me to have more free time than the others. I have a full-time job and when I come home around 7pm (latest), my home business starts only when the kids sleep between 9-11pm. If I don’t fall asleep after soothing my fussy baby, I would work until 4am at the latest and that includes any cleanup and next day preparation. I sleep until 7 or 8am. I do not drive to work but my husband does that so I can get an extra hour of sleep. I use Rodan and Fields to help maintain my face due to lack of sleep. I do not exercise but I eat ok and must drink coffee everyday! I do have a live-in Mom nanny to watch my 2 little ones when we are at work and to cook dinner so that is ready when we are home. We also have an extra nanny who helps out when needed for a small hourly rate. She is the one who talks to the kids and teaches them things that our Mom nanny cannot do. I take on any side job big or little because any extra income helps. I just have a cutoff time of 4am for anything and everything. If Im done at 12am then I sleep at 12am. My sister comes over once a month to cut and treat my hair and my GF mails me makeup goodies once a month to help me with the upkeep.
I LOVE this post!!!! Sometimes working from home feels like a lonely road. I have the expectations of both a stay at home mom and a working mom and it’s overwhelming. It feels like I’m a bad mom, a bad employee and a bad wife all at once because I just can’t keep up with it all. 7 months is still young. It gets easier when they are older and less dependent on you for entertainment. My son is all boy. I can get quite a bit done by letting him run around in the backyard while I sit at the table next to an open window or I’ll take my laptop outside. Our backyard is crammed with H2S toys. Sometimes I prepare little crafts for him to work on next to me. Bubbles, water games, anything with paint or google eyes is an automatic favorite. But my newborn makes it harder… I wear him in a carrier which keeps him happy or puts him to sleep for a while. Nap times I work and while dad is home at night and on weekends. I also had to give up my dining room for an office/playroom. We put a gate up in the doorway.
I have a neighbor I switch off with if I have a confrence call or sales I must make at a certain time. I’ll take her baby for an 1 or 2 and she’ll in return take mine that same week.
You can also set a toddler up with crayons and a paper in a high chair and you do your work at the table near them to buy yourself a few minutes if you have time sensitive issues that have to get done .
Otherwise work at naptime or after bedtime.
I have a 4month old and 2 things I’ve done that have helped soo Mich are hiring someone to clean my house and hiring a teenage babysitter to come. The house cleaner does all the deep cleaning that takes so much time. The time she saves me I am able to use to make enough product to cover her cost. Plus bit reduces a ton of stress (which makes me more productive!) The babysitter comes twice a week and hangs out with baby for 2hrs each time. I get so much done in those 4hrs! Having those 2 people in my life make it sooo much easier to run my business. The money I pay the babysitter is a tax write off too! When my son gets a little older I’ll probably pay someone to come more frequently to play with him (maybe 4days a week 2hrs a day) – most likely a friends 12 or 13yr old. Since I’m at home when they are here I can pay a younger babysitter a little less than I’d pay an older teenager who has a car and has to drive over. Like others have said I always work a lot at night & during naptime
Question is how do u watch them while trying to go to school? That’s the much harder task bc u can’t find time to do homework hahaha
I am a stay at home mom right now and looking to work from home soon and was wondering what jobs you’re doing to be able to work from home? Thanks!
I am an accountant also, finally had to hire a nanny during income tax season! but the rest of the year, I just figure it out, mommy mode come in naturally. Kind of feels like those commercials where your grabbing things with your legs talking on the phone, holding baby in another arm and jumping from place to place most of the times. 🙂
I love all this advice, now if I could find a way to make money from home I will use this advice.. I love my nights when he is in bed. Wish I could be productive.
hi. i have 3 children’s and i would like to have some. help with working at home idia. i do ebay but it is not enough to make good money thank you
I work she my husband is home from his job so he can help with the kids. It is not safe to juggle too many things and hide in the bathroom from your kids. In the long run you are putting mark ng money before their safety. Not what you want to hear, I know. But your sanity and their safety is not worth it. Have faith, where there is a will there is a way!
I am totally in agreement with those who struggle with feeling guilty and half hearted towards being a mother while having their own biz. I had my own biz for ten years, hired employees and didn’t even need to advertise to stay busy. My busy season was 9 months out of the year. I discovered hip 2save in the last four years of my business. I kept a budget and realized there was much “spinning of wheels” when I compared it to months where I was not busy and did more money saving. I slowly phased out my biz and am now just doing hip2save. I can now confirm that although bizness was very good, I can also save just as much by focusing on saving money. I definitely recommend keeping good records as it helps to know how much your time is worth wether you choose to have a home biz or to be more efficient with your money. My children are now 6,9 and 12. I wish I would have found hip 2 save 10 years ago! I thought that couponing was “beneath me”…….I was so wrong! 😀
What does everyone do to work from home? I would love to but don’t know any reputable companies.
I am a sales rep for a software company. I found the job by searching “work from home” and/or “telecommuting” on job search websites.
I have a daughter and son who are 16 and 13. They love helping when they come from school now and then for babysitti g money. And during the day I work while the nap my 1 year old and 3 year old. And on weekend hubby steps in 🙂
If anyone needs help, or has a work from their home job they can delegate, I’d love to help and work from home. Or if anyone out there has a job opening at their work that allows telecommuting, I’d love to know about it !!
clackpower33@yahoo.com
Working from home when you have small children is really hard. I have a 17 month old, 3 year old and 5 year old and I’ll be the first to say they watch too much TV. At least the older two are at preschool 2 days a week but that time is when I run errands. I design and make crafts to sell which can be very time consuming and I have to make sure the kids don’t get near my projects. I have to limit the amount of orders I can realistically take on and mainly work at night. I also sell Rodan + Fields skin care but at least it’s all social media based, I can work in short periods of time throughout the day and I don’t have to handle payments, packaging, deliveries, shipments etc. it’s the one that’s actually paying the bills.
Trying to juggle it all can be hard but I still get so many memories and quality moments with my kids that I wouldn’t get if I was at an office all day and don’t have to pay for childcare! A year and a half ago I was working full time outside the home and I still prefer working from home over that. Next year they will all be in school or Preschool and it will be a bit easier.
I also work at an in home office and have worked full time with all 3 of my kids. 2 of them which are now in school and have just a busy 2 year old with me now. It is very tough and some days i feel like its too much to have him with, but then realize they grow so quickly that he will soon be in school. It saves a ton of money for my family to just have him with me. As long as their is enough stuff for him to do he pretty much plays on his own and on lunch break thats our time to play.
My friend use to nanny for someone who worked from home a few days a week when she was in college. I guess it depends on how much you make if having a nanny for a few hours would be worth it. A teenager after school a few days might help too and wouldn’t be as expensive. Maybe try making or buying “busy bags” or “quiet books”, look on Pinterest. I’ve made a few so far and love them because my kids can entertain themselves and they are educational! I stay home with my kids and even without working sometimes I need a break, lol.
My ‘job’ at home is daycare 3 days a week to two other little kids. I have found that sticking with a designated quiet/nap time is key. I have 2 kids (of the 5 total) who still nap. The older ones must be doing something quiet during that time. Books, coloring, play doh, legos, etc. I can take that hour and a halfish to get a bit of house work done, or if I need to some orders for my Etsy store. Otherwise I can usually get in a few hours work on a weekend day when Dad is home. My kids are young enough yet that by 8 they are in bed, so I have a few hours after they head to bed that I can get some work done as well. In the summer I have a high school aged girl come help for a few hours a week. She can take the older kids out to the backyard to play while I work. Im still close by should she need help and I get something accomplished at the same time!