Alternative Childcare Options
Working from home with your children at your feet seems like the ideal solution. While it often is, that doesn’t mean working from home with children is without its problems. Children want our attention. They need juice. They have a bad day. Chances are that at some point, you may need to consider alternative arrangements to help you get some work done. Test out these ideas for ways to work at home with children.
Mother’s Helper
“Mother’s helper” refers to a young teen who is responsible basically for making sure your children are occupied. These (usually) girls will help play with small children and can handle tasks such as getting the children a drink. The benefit is that they accept lower pay than a babysitter, but that means you will handle bigger tasks, such as cleaning up messes and changing diapers.
Babysitter
Babysitters are another option. My family has a sitter who is more like a part-time nanny for us. She’s a dependable college student who stays with my children a few hours three days a week. This type of arrangement works well if you’re hiring someone in high school or college. The pay is higher than for a mother’s helper, but you’ll get someone who will care for the children as if you weren’t there. Sometimes just a few hours a week is enough to keep your business moving.
Children’s Activities
Putting older preschoolers or elementary-aged kids into activities can be a great way to get a little time to work by yourself. For preschool children, check out mother’s morning out programs. They typically run only 2 days a week for a couple of hours. Also look into local recreation department opportunities. You may find something your children can do one morning a week to give you time to work.
Relatives
Never underestimate the willingness of Grandma to take a child for a certain afternoon a week. While many of today’s grandparents don’t want full-time babysitting duties, they’ll often help out on a part-time or short-term basis.
Babysitting Swap
An exchange of babysitting with another mom who works from home or stays at home is an excellent way to get time to work without your children present. In these arrangements, you and another mom or dad would switch babysitting times so that you’d have extra kids for one afternoon and be alone for one afternoon. These arrangements give your children other children to play with and give you a good relationship to rely on.
Whatever arrangement you choose, don’t be afraid to get childcare help if you need it. While some moms can work from home without needing a break, others find that too difficult with their work or their children’s temperament. Do what works for your family and be proud you have the option to choose!
By Brandi Rhoades
