Working at home with baby

abyers05 · June 2013

I have been with my job for over 10 years, and am coming up on the end of my 12 weeks of maternity leave. I negotiated with my boss to let me work from home 3 days a week, and go into the office 2 days. Is anyone else doing this, and how do you manage your time throughout the day? My LO is only going to be 3 months on the day I start work again, and I want to be able to balance working but also give baby enough of my time and attention. Any comments/suggestions will be appreciated!

daisy662 · June 2013

You need child care. Period. Your employer is not paying you to hang out with your kid.

sadie+w · June 2013

You will definitely need child care. I WAH one day per week and could not get anything done if my sitter did not come. That said, I do love the flexibility of WAH because if LO is having a hard time, I can take a break and comfort him. That has only happened probably twice in 6 months, but I stil like knowing that I am there if he needs me.

snicksnack · June 2013

I work from home one day a week with childcare at my house and it is so much of a distraction that they now go to the providers house. It can't be done sorry

kmpls · June 2013

I work from home full time but the kids also go to daycare full time.

abyers05 · June 2013

I will be expected to work to get my job done, but I'm thinking that naps, evenings, and weekends will be needed to get everything each week accomplished. It's going to be a challenge, but I really did not want to take our son to day care.

katieh1017 · June 2013

I work for home full time and L goes to DC full time. I couldn't get anything done if she were here. Same when she was an infant.

Nechie122 · June 2013

abyers05:
I will be expected to work to get my job done, but I'm thinking that naps, evenings, and weekends will be needed to get everything each week accomplished. It's going to be a challenge, but I really did not want to take our son to day care.nbsp;

I think you're making things unnecessarily hard on yourself. Every single mom on this board will tell you that working at home with a LO is incredibly challenging, if not downright impossible. Babies need constant attention. Naps at that age are unpredictable. It's unprofessional to be on a call with a child making noise in the background.

So, you're right, you're going to be squeezing work time into every "free" moment you have. Evenings, weekends, time you should be sleeping, time you should be spending with your DH, time you could even be enjoying your LO, because as soon as your DH walks in that door, you're going to hand your baby off with a: "Can you watch him for 30 minutes so I can meet this deadline?"

There's absolutely nothing wrong with daycare a few days a week if that's what you need to do. But WFH arrangements aren't some kind of magic bullet that will let you be the equivalent of a SAHM while still earning a FT paycheck. It just doesn't work that way.

ChicagoWeded2007 · June 2013

abyers05:
I will be expected to work to get my job done, but I'm thinking that naps, evenings, and weekends will be needed to get everything each week accomplished. It's going to be a challenge, but I really did not want to take our son to day care.

I personally would rather my son have the full attention of a day care provider while I work, rather than my half-@ssed attention while I try to work and take care of him at the time same.

Plus, you can get all your work done while he is at day care and then focus on your baby on evenings and weekends. FYI, our day care providers love the kids and give them so much more attention and learning time than I would be able to do at home.

I read an article recently where the mom was talking about how her requirements for a day care provider were so much higher than her own qualifications. These people have tons of experience plus higher education in childhood development. They love kids and know what they are doing.

itsmevkb · June 2013

Whenever I have worked from home I had a sitter there with me during my work hours to watch the baby (and my older kids.) Sometimes I would let the baby nap on my lap while I was working or I would take a break to do a feeding but having the sitter gave me the ability to really concentrate on my work.

Strunella · June 2013

I work from home 1-2 days a week. I have a full-time nanny, so I don't have to worry about managing my time. I turn on my laptop in the morning and work all day. Maybe a nanny would be a better option for you if you don't want to consider DC.

EastCoastBride · June 2013

Nechie122:
I think you're making things unnecessarily hard on yourself. Every single mom on this board will tell you that working at home with a LO is incredibly challenging, if not downright impossible. Babies need constant attention. Naps at that age are unpredictable. It's unprofessional to be on a call with a child making noise in the background.
So, you're right, you're going to be squeezing work time into every "free" moment you have. Evenings, weekends, time you should be sleeping, time you should be spending with your DH, time you could even be enjoying your LO, because as soon as your DH walks in that door, you're going to hand your baby off with a: "Can you watch him for 30 minutes so I can meet this deadline?"
There's absolutely nothing wrong with daycare a few days a week if that's what you need to do. But WFH arrangements aren't some kind of magic bullet that will let you be the equivalent of a SAHM while still earning a FT paycheck. It just doesn't work that way.

Ditto all of this, especially the bolded.

Also, this "no daycare" - when does that end? Because you have to realize that eventually your "baby" will no longer be a baby nor nap as much as he/she does now.

My 4.5 year old is pretty good at entertaining himself.... for 10 minute chunks of time. But there is NO WAY I could work from home (which I do 1 day a week) if he were home w/ me all day.

And also to ditto the above - when I leave work, I leave work. I don't have to worry about cramming in more work after DS goes to bed. When I'm home, I'm totally focused on him/ our family. The idea of having to be stressed pretty much 24/7 to make sure I get in my full weeks work... heck no. Give me daycare/nanny. Please.

Clynnpollock · June 2013

I've done this a few times in the last 6 or so months to meet deadlines when my DS was sick and couldn't go to DC. It is the hardest thing ever to balance the work that needs to be done and the needs of a child. I'm lucky that I didn't have to do a full day's work, because really, in my typical 11 hours I'm away from DS (which includes 1 hour for lunch, 2 for commute and 8 for work), I only managed 4 hours of actual work, and that was pushing it and broken up quite a bit. My employer was understanding, and I only did work at all because there were deadlines to be met and we've not had had time since losing an employee to cross-train someone else to be my back up for the items I was working on. It's possible, but very difficult or even impossible depending on what you are being expected to accomplish.

I have a coworker who did this for several years (she worked remotely to begin with - her DH is military and she worked from where ever they were). She would work before her LOs got up in the am, while they were quiet during the morning, spend the afternoons with them and be back to work after getting them in bed. She worked very crazy hours, but could do it without to big an impact on her marriage and family because she was high energy and her DH was gone often anyway.

I would say you should be investigating other options in case this turns out to be a bigger issue than you expect it to be, every child and work situation is different, but you can't automatically expect that it will work out for you.

Ya Never Know · June 2013

ChicagoWeded2007:
abyers05:
I will be expected to work to get my job done, but I'm thinking that naps, evenings, and weekends will be needed to get everything each week accomplished. It's going to be a challenge, but I really did not want to take our son to day care.
I personally would rather my son have the full attention of a day care provider while I work, rather than my half-@ssed attention while I try to work and take care of him at the time same.
Plus, you can get all your work done while he is at day care and then focus on your baby on evenings and weekends. FYI, our day care providers love the kids and give them so much more attention and learning time than I would be able to do at home.
I read an article recently where the mom was talking about how her requirements for a day care provider were so much higher than her own qualifications. These people have tons of experience plus higher education in childhood development. They love kids and know what they are doing.

Hey Lady!! Congrats on your pregnancy! Happy to see a familiar face here.

ASmallWonder · June 2013

ChicagoWeded2007:
abyers05:
I will be expected to work to get my job done, but I'm thinking that naps, evenings, and weekends will be needed to get everything each week accomplished. It's going to be a challenge, but I really did not want to take our son to day care.
I personally would rather my son have the full attention of a day care provider while I work, rather than my half-@ssed attention while I try to work and take care of him at the time same.
Plus, you can get all your work done while he is at day care and then focus on your baby on evenings and weekends. FYI, our day care providers love the kids and give them so much more attention and learning time than I would be able to do at home.
I read an article recently where the mom was talking about how her requirements for a day care provider were so much higher than her own qualifications. These people have tons of experience plus higher education in childhood development. They love kids and know what they are doing.

I couldn't agree with this any more. Keeping a baby home while you hope and pray they stay quiet so you can get some work done might make the parent feel better but isn't beneficial to that child.

Ya Never Know · June 2013

I currently work from home full-time, and DD is in daycare full time. I wouldn't recommend having your LO home while you work, it may not be impossible, but it's pretty close to it. We put DD in daycare because it wouldn't be fair to her to have her here while I work. She wouldn't get the learning, attention, care, interaction, and fun that she gets when she's at daycare. She's very busy, and there's no way that I'd be able to entertain her and get any work done. It's easy to say that you'll make up the work time at night, weekends, when she naps etc... but the reality is that you'll be so tired from doing it all that when it comes down to it, either you'll let things slide because you're exhausted, or the quality of work that you produce will suffer greatly. I guess if you're employer's expectation was only for you to work a couple hours a day then you could swing it, but full-time... ouch.

shannm · June 2013

abyers05:
I will be expected to work to get my job done, but I'm thinking that naps, evenings, and weekends will be needed to get everything each week accomplished. It's going to be a challenge, but I really did not want to take our son to day care.

you are not doing your son any favors. You are just going to be too distracted to do a good job at work or being a mom. It is hard enough to balance it WITH child care!

Ms.Jade · June 2013

I try to jump in whenever I see this question on here and say that I work from home WITHOUT childcare and haven't been fired yet. There is a caveat, however. My job (I work for the state of CA as the regional director for environmental ed.) is not intensive. I say that to mean I'm not a data entry clerk required to update 1500 accounts a day (one of my jobs in college) or something like that which would require that I sit in front of the computer for 8 hours to meet my targets. On the days that I work from home (Monday and Friday) my responsibilities are to keep up with about 150 emails a day, write reports, and keep the website updated. I get up at 5am and work until DH leaves at 8am. Then I work during nap time which is usually about 2 hours, and then again after bedtime when she goes down at 7pm. The rest of the day I keep an ear out for the beep that means I have a new email, check it, put out fires, and keep an eye on the website for changes. Occasionally I will have a meeting with a teacher or a conference call. For teacher meetings I have my sister come over and sit with her. For conference calls I try to schedule them during naps, or I take them outside on our deck while she plays in her sandbox or kicks her ball around on the lawn. I am also not above using TV for a short call.

Yes my employer knows I am home with my daughter. No I am not stealing from my company. I'm good at my job (just got a stellar annual review and a coveted govt. appointment) and i somehow get it all done.

My point is, you can have your kid at home and work at the same time depending on the nature of your job, the understanding you have with your employer, and your ability to manage your time. Good luck to you!

Ms.Jade · June 2013

I feel like I should add that my kid is not neglected - we play a lot together on my work from home days, and my DH and I have a quiet dinner together every night and catch up on the day. I will say E plays well on her own - she's really independent, and DH and I have been together 17 years so we have our couple life down at this point. Housework is split by the two of us and we support each other. He's a librarian so he doesn't ever bring work home. We make it work and by working together (and the support of my sis when I need it) I manage to be a good wife, mom, and employee.

groovygrl · June 2013

I agree w/ most of the responses, it is just not a reality to work a regular job & have a baby/child home with you.

But I suppose there are some jobs that it could be ok, if you have a job that has tasks that can be done whenever and you don't have to deal w/ people related issues that crop up at random, or you don't have to put out fires regularly, and don't have to do things like be on calls or in virtual meetings or do things at specific times of the day, and you can flex your time to work early in the AM or in the evening when your SO is there, etc and it isn't a problem, then I guess you could do it. Like someone else said, you'll be 'on' pretty much all the time though, and I personally just couldn't do it, all that juggling & trying to tend to both things, etc, it would make me crazy. That's just me though, everyone's situation and job are different.

Since you are clearly opposed to daycare what about a sitter to come over & help out? Maybe not a full time nanny but a half day sitter who can give you a break?

abyers05 · June 2013

Thanks to everyone for their feedback so far. I am in a position that there are deadlines that need to be met, but those deadline are going to be on the two days that I will be in the office, without the distraction of my LO. For the other three days, I have job responsibilities that need to be done by the end of each week, therefore I am thinking (trying to be optimistic!) that I can work a little bit extra on the days I am in the office and then a little in the evenings and weekends if needed.

I am open to daycare once my LO is a little older, toddler stage, because socialization will be important. On the two days that I will be in the office, a friend who is a stay at home mommy with a 7 month old will be watching my LO, so he will have some socialization with another baby that way.

At this point I am 2 weeks away from starting back work again, and I've already told my boss what I wanted, which included me stepping down from a manager position, and taking a pay cut, so that my LO could have a familiar face instead of a stranger's from a day care. I am really trying to think positively about this and keep an open mind, and cross my fingers that I'm able to pull this off. I've had my doubt after reading some comments, but I think I just need to give it a try and see how it goes!

Mjmksb04 · June 2013

abyers05:
At this point I am 2 weeks away from starting back work again, and I've already told my boss what I wanted, which included me stepping down from a manager position, and taking a pay cut, so that my LO could have a familiar face instead of a stranger's from a day care. I am really trying to think positively about this and keep an open mind, and cross my fingers that I'm able to pull this off. I've had my doubt after reading some comments, but I think I just need to give it a try and see how it goes!

You aren't going to make many friends on this board with this statement. Good luck to you and I hope that everything works out well.

Nechie122 · June 2013

Mjmksb04:
abyers05:
 At this point I am 2 weeks away from starting back work again, and I've already told my boss what I wanted, which included me stepping down from a manager position, and taking a pay cut, so that my LO could have a familiar face instead of a stranger's from a day care. I am really trying to think positively about this and keep an open mind, and cross my fingers that I'm able to pull this off. I've had my doubt after reading some comments, but I think I just need to give it a try and see how it goes!  
You aren't going to make many friends on this board with this statement. Good luck to you and I hope that everything works out well.

... I was going to say ... The DCP is hardly a "stranger" after the first week. In fact, my DD's first daycare teacher still babysits for us and is even my Facebook friend. She's awesome, and knows more about childcare than I do.

I wish OP luck with her plan. I do think she's being a bit of a martyr, but I guess she'll need to see how it goes for herself.

shannm · June 2013

Mjmksb04:
abyers05:
 At this point I am 2 weeks away from starting back work again, and I've already told my boss what I wanted, which included me stepping down from a manager position, and taking a pay cut, so that my LO could have a familiar face instead of a stranger's from a day care. I am really trying to think positively about this and keep an open mind, and cross my fingers that I'm able to pull this off. I've had my doubt after reading some comments, but I think I just need to give it a try and see how it goes!  
You aren't going to make many friends on this board with this statement. Good luck to you and I hope that everything works out well.

Exactly. Gah! I just dropped my baby of with our "stranger" and they were exchanging cuddles and kisses as I walked out. Crazy sh?t how she does that with "strangers", right?!?!

ChicagoWeded2007 · June 2013

Mjmksb04:
abyers05:
 At this point I am 2 weeks away from starting back work again, and I've already told my boss what I wanted, which included me stepping down from a manager position, and taking a pay cut, so that my LO could have a familiar face instead of a stranger's from a day care. I am really trying to think positively about this and keep an open mind, and cross my fingers that I'm able to pull this off. I've had my doubt after reading some comments, but I think I just need to give it a try and see how it goes!  
You aren't going to make many friends on this board with this statement. Good luck to you and I hope that everything works out well.

Seriously. Hi. This is the working moms board. A majority of us use 'strangers' to care for our kids.

mae0111 · June 2013

ChicagoWeded2007:
I personally would rather my son have the full attention of a day care provider while I work, rather than my half-@ssed attention while I try to work and take care of him at the time same.

THIS

I WFH 2 days a week with a nanny. I have a separate office space. It was in the basement until a recent move, and now it's in a completely separate part of the house where the kids wouldn't need to go. I will close the door and work. There's even a bathroom in my new home office, so if I'm having a particularly busy day, I don't even have to go into the main part of the house to pee. I can hole up there all day.

I work with some folks that WFH without childcare. For our jobs, it's not fair to anyone. I'm constantly on con calls, putting out fires, etc. So are my colleagues, supposedly. So they've got their toddlers parked in front of the TV all day, or they're praying for quiet while they're running a call. It's not fair to the company, and it's not fair to their kids.

I feel like my set-up is great. I can take a break and see the kids throughout the day, and they know that when I'm in the office, I'm working and can't be disturbed. The nanny takes them on outings and makes sure that they get plenty of outside play time in the nice weather. And I don't have to deal with an hour commute at the end of the day.

rockychryslerb2010 · June 2013

I think you have received good advice, but everyone's job is different. It won't be easy, but you could probably do it, but you're adding additional stress for very little gain, in my opinion. You will either short change your job or your baby.

If it was me, I would consider half days with your childcare provider on the days you work from home. That way you get a big chunk of time to do work and I think it is more reasonable to expect to make up the difference on your office days or before/after LO goes to sleep.

ETA: every working mom's mantra should be 'quality over quantity'. you may get to spend those extra two days with LO, but baby is not getting your full attention (or you are short changing your job which also isn't right). I would much rather have 2-3 hrs a day that I know I can devote to E without having to worry or think about work.

abyers05 · June 2013

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. I am a first time mom so some of the rude comments I think were unnecessary, but it has opened my eyes and made me rearrange my days in the office and ask for help in my home on the days that I work from home. It was going to be a challenge, and maybe it's not possible, but I was willing to give it a try. Although some of the comments on here were not friendly, I have to see that it's reality and will do what is best for both my baby and my work commitments. I was not looking for friends, just some suggestions from people that have been or tried this same situation. Thank you again.

abyers05 · June 2013

Thank you. I plan on getting some help for half of the day on the days I work from home. That way I can concentrate on a good chunk of my work, then have the rest of the afternoon and evening to spend with my LO and my husband when he gets home.

DiveFrog · June 2013

My Mom and Dad work as our Nannies. When DD was little and still nursing if I worked form home I did so in our spare bedroom and my Mom would text me every 2-3 hours when she needed to nurse. Besides nursing I didn't do any of her care during the day when I worked from home.

Now that DD doesn't nurse during the day, I will take my "lunch break" and come downstairs and eat lunch eith her and my Mom, and play with her for a bit during the middle of the day, but otherwise when I "work from home" that is exactly what I do. I work the same hours as if I was at work, and I don't do childcare at all.

I think it would be nearly impossible to do any job that required calls, timely correspondence of communication with co-workers/teammates, or had strict deadlines with a newborn, and it only gets worse as they get older. However, if you have the kind of job where you can do work at any time day/night/weekend, don't have strict dealines, or need to collaborate/communicate with co-workers I suppose it can be done without childcare. I am Not sure what job that would be but I am sure there is at least a few out there.

SpaceGirlSpiff · June 2013

I worked at home full time (8 hr days, 5 days per week) AND did it alone with my kid for 18 months. It was easier in the beginning when he stayed put, but once he became mobile, it was near impossible...for sure impossible to keep my sanity and actually get work done.... I am so lucky to have a patient boss (we're in laws, so I have the benefit of family), otherwise I dont see how I wouldnt be fired. I was never caught up, never able to take care of myself....it was a nightmare...and it was also bad for my DS the older he got.

Once he became a toddler that was my breaking point, I just couldnt even scrape by anymore and make it work... and it was so unfair to him because he needed to go run and play outside and make friends, not be stuck inside with me all bored. So.. we moved things around and figured it out and made it work and now he's in daycare full time and I'm going back to the office. Our life has improved DRASTICALLY since then (about 2 months ago)... I am much happier and more productive in the office for sure. (even without a kid, I hated working at home)

I let it go on longer than I should have honestly...and it almost cost me my sanity

Moral of my story is, It's nice to have the flexibility to do this if you need a day to stay home with your kid once in a while because they're sick, or some other reason, if it saves you from having to use sick time, etc.... and I'm sure you could survive one day once in a while....but otherwise, unless you're going to hire a childcare provider to help you while youre at home, it just can't be successful. You will always have to sacrifice something (or many things), and it's not worth it in the end for either you or baby.

Like I said...for NOW, it may not be too bad (depending on how demanding your job is), because your LO is still small and immobile, but it certainly is not a longterm solution unless you have extra help

RoxyLynn · June 2013

Be clear with your employer that you're asking for two different accommodations: work from home AND unrestricted flex time.

Many people who work from home keep the same schedule that they would have at the office. Getting hours in whenever it happens to be convenient for you is a separate arrangement altogether. Make sure that you and your employer are on the same page about your availability when working from home.

And goooood luck with this arrangement.

Ms.Jade · June 2013

RoxyLynn:
Be clear with your employer that you're asking for two different accommodations: work from home AND unrestricted flex time.
Many people who work from home keep the same schedule that they would have at the office. Getting hours in whenever it happens to be convenient for you is a separate arrangement altogether. Make sure that you and your employer are on the same page about your availability when working from home.
And goooood luck with this arrangement.

This is a really great point. If my company expected me to perform the exact same tasks in the exact same way at home as I do when I'm in the office I would crash and burn. It's less that I have an agreement to work from home, but more that I have an agreement to flex my schedule. I even work on different tasks on my work-at-home days. I think this is the key to being able to pull it off. I'm sure a lot of the women on here who say it's impossible are imagining doing the exact same tasks as a regular work day, just from home. Not the case for me.

Jenny952 · June 2013

abyers05:
Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. I am a first time mom so some of the rude comments I think were unnecessary, but it has opened my eyes and made me rearrange my days in the office and ask for help in my home on the days that I work from home. It was going to be a challenge, and maybe it's not possible, but I was willing to give it a try. Although some of the comments on here were not friendly, I have to see that it's reality and will do what is best for both my baby and my work commitments. I was not looking for friends, just some suggestions from people that have been or tried this same situation. Thank you again.

I get that you're trying to figure everything out. It's very challenging and all of us faced the decision of how/what/who to take care of our kids when we went back to work. The "rude" comments you referred to only came after you said you didn't want to drop off your baby with strangers. Comments like that on here, a working moms board, where we all use childcare is some form, strike a chord with us and can come across as a bit judgmental. I think up until that point you got some really good advice. Please know that everyone on this board has been very supportive of each other, and the decision to leave our children in the care of others is not something we take lightly. And yes, at one time they were strangers. But if you could have seen the look on DD's teacher's face today when we told her we're moving her to another daycare, you'd realize that these "strangers" love and care for our children just as much (and some days, longer) that we do.

As far as keeping your child home while you work, it sounds like you're maybe rethinking that option. If you decide to keep her home for any amount of time, you should be very upfront with your employer. My company does not all any WFH without childcare arrangements, unless you're home with a sick kid, etc. If a WFH arrangement is your regular schedule, even for 1 day/week, you HAVE to have childcare, it's our policy. You might want to check your employee handbook or telecommute policy (if you have one) to make sure you're not violating any company policies. Good luck!

BakerMommy · June 2013

So your friend will have a 7 mo and a 3 mo to care for? That seems like a lot for one person to handle. Maybe I misread, but I can't imagine taking care of two infants by myself all day.

StephLovesPonies · September 2013

Hi everyone, I am new to the Bump (14 weeks pregnant) and I work from home full-time. After reading the responses, I just wanted to say how relieved I am to get some real feedback on this topic! I plan on taking 3 months of maternity leave after the birth, but then was wondering how realistic it would be to care for the baby at home and work at the same time. It seems that my suspicions are correct -- not really feasible. I work in front of the computer for 7 hours a day and my biggest concern, other than distraction, was that I wouldn't be spending any real quality time with the baby.

I am hoping to find a small neighborhood daycare or a shared nanny to help during the day. It's nice to hear some positive things about DC, overall. My family lives far away and as much as I'd like to take advantage of grandparent help, it's just not possible.

EMOmamma · September 2013

BakerMommy said:
So your friend will have a 7 mo and a 3 mo to care for? That seems like a lot for one person to handle. Maybe I misread, but I can't imagine taking care of two infants by myself all day.

Eh, most home daycares allow 2 infants and centers are generally 4/5 infants per person. My concern with people caring for my kid plus their kid is that my kid would get the short end of the stick.

OP- if you're really determined to try this I would highly suggest getting someone in to help at least part of the day - a college kid or retiree if you don't want a pro nanny since you'll be there.

michaelaskedlauren · September 2013

Im glad that you are rethinking your arrangement based on our experiences. As another Mom that does 3 days in the office and WFH twice a week there is no way that I could get any work done without my nanny. As PP has said, when he wasn't mobile it was easier, but now as an on the go 20 month old, it would be impossible.

DS was my first as well, so it was a learning experience for me too. I had to have other experienced Moms clue me in to the fact that there is no way I could WFH without childcare, so good for you for not 100% assuming you could get it done. And an added bonus of having childcare is that you already have vetted babysitters for date nights

Good luck!

rapaulson · September 2013

I just want to put in a plug for WFH with a nanny. I did it from when LO was about 3 months until he was 11 months when I changed jobs and couldn't WFH anymore. I tried WFH without a nanny for a few days and it was miserable. That said, there's not a lot of harm in trying and seeing how it goes for you. I would just have a backup plan in case you don't like it. I found that when i was with LO I felt guilty for not working and when I was working, I was always just hoping LO would sleep as long as possible and I felt guilty about that. I loved having a nanny in my home (as opposed to using day care or having nanny while working away from home) because:

-I felt better leaving LO with a stranger when I was in the house to know how things were going (I was upstairs but could hear things when I wanted to by keeping the door open.)

-I got to have lunch with the nanny her during the day sometimes, so again felt more comfortable with the situation

-I got to breastfeed which is so much more enjoyable and less stressful than pumping IMO

-When things were slow, I could take a few minutes and hang with LO whenever I wanted to

-nanny would start right before LO woke up from his morning nap (~10) and left right after he went down for his late day nap (~4), so the hours I paid her were fewer than if I had to drop him off somewhere. And I paid her a slightly lower rate since I was there as well and she got so many breaks while I was nursing. (She was a student, not a professional nanny, and seemed really happy with a job that she could get homework done on during the breaks).

blushingbride_08 · September 2013

Do you have a schedule you must work when at home? Depending on the flexibility you have and network of moms in the area you could do the following. Arrange a local moms group that will meet a few days per week. If you have 5 moms and Los, alternate watching each others' Los. So 2 moms would have a break to work or run errands while 3 moms watch the Los, then take alternate. The los get to socialize and moms get time alone. It is a nice barter system if it's well arranged. There's a way to work without daycare but there isn't an easy way to work without help. This is the arrangement some moms in my area follow.

82Sonia · September 2013

I "WFH" one day a week and like a PP said, I work during naps and in the evening when DH gets home. I put it in quotes because it's darn near impossible to get anything done now that she's older and mobile. Luckily I have a flexible job.

Working at home with baby

Re: Working at home with baby

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