WAHMs

g8rmama_16 · April 2016

I am getting out of the military early next year and I have zero desire to go right into a job that I have to leave my house for. With so many companies opening up virtual positions, I know there are so many options now. For those of you that work from home, what kind of work do you do? What are the biggest issues you have found with working at home with small children? Do you have in-home child care or use daycare so you can get your work done?

rspalding001 · April 2016

When I had my daughter I worked in public accounting which gave me the opportunity to work from home when I wanted. All I have to say is it is basically impossible to focus on work with an infant in the house. They need 99% of your attention when they are awake and they don't sleep in long enough intervals to get anything done during that time. Not to mention that taking care of an infant is exhausting and you will likely not have a lot of motivation to do much work when the baby is asleep for quite a while. You really do need a care provider for the times you plan on working weather or not it's from home or not.

mrs_hoyahoo · April 2016

I totally agree with PP. I essentially telecommute full time and I wouldn't consider having a baby at home without care. My first would only nap for 30 minutes twice a day until he was 7 months, so there's no way I could ever get any work done. Having in home care is definitely an option, but I'd only do so if you have separate office space so you can be out of sight and for all the phone calls that typically accompany a virtual position.

sweetlyuntied · April 2016

I don't WFH but I do have some "homework" if you will (I'm an NP so I have to do most of my charting on my personal time). And I agree with PP's, I cannot do charts while DD is around me. If she sees my computer, she goes crazy.

But, my SIL works from home and my brother works night shifts, so they have an overlapping schedule where she cares for their LO in the early morning (while my brother sleeps), he watches him in the afternoon (while she works in her home office) and then she watches him in the evening when my brother goes off to work. They manage this without paying for childcare, although they are sort of like ships passing in the night.

muybueno · April 2016

I think @HeyBooHey knows she'll need care- she asked if WAHMs use in-home care or daycare.

I WAH and love it. Mainly because I much prefer to nurse rather than pump and I love seeing my kids throughout the day- we eat lunch together, I read them a story before nap, I'm on hand for any issues, etc. And I don't have to use a nanny cam or wonder "what if"- I'm around to know for myself how the kids are being cared for. Finally, not having a commute lets me maximize time w my kids. My husband spends 2 hrs commuting and thus sees the kids a lot less than I do.

It's essential to set boundaries for your work space and be clear on when the nanny can/should interrupt you. For example, I work upstairs in a dedicated office and the kids stay downstairs exclusively, except when they come up for their naps. I often text w our nanny rather than going downstairs to talk to her, because they are old enough to want me if they see me. I also let her know when I'm getting on an important call so she knows not to interrupt me unless it's an emergency.

After enjoying WAH for the past 4 yrs, it would be super hard for me to go back to leaving early, not seeing them all day, and getting back just in time for dinner. If you can make it happen, you might really enjoy the close proximity to your LO.

g8rmama_16 · April 2016

@muybueno that sounds like my ideal setup! I have spent 12 years being a spectator in my life because of the military. I have no interest in doing that at my next job. As much time as I can get at home as possible!

Chcaggie1 · April 2016

I"m super interested to read all the responses to this post. I am currently working on a proposal for my boss to telecommute 3 days a week. I have a 45 minute commute so that would give me an extra hour and half on those days with my little guy! Plus I would be able to throw on a load of laundry while at home something I feel like I never have time for during the week.

I'm praying he will accept the proposal. We will see.

Oh, to answer your question, I work as an energy manager at a water district. This is not something that is typical for my organization at all.

muybueno · April 2016

Chcaggie1 said:

I"m super interested to read all the responses to this post. I am currently working on a proposal for my boss to telecommute 3 days a week. I have a 45 minute commute so that would give me an extra hour and half on those days with my little guy! Plus I would be able to throw on a load of laundry while at home something I feel like I never have time for during the week.
I'm praying he will accept the proposal. We will see.
Oh, to answer your question, I work as an energy manager at a water district. This is not something that is typical for my organization at all.

In addition to more time w the kids, this is a huge advantage and it allows me to maximize my non-working time. I do all sorts of little house chores while on conference calls or during 5 min work breaks- throwing laundry in the washer, watering plants, toy pick-up, dinner prep, etc. I also like to bust out some yoga poses during long/boring calls and it works because I'm already in my yoga pants

MrsDho11 · April 2016

So obviously I don't have personal experience with this, but I did WFH in a 100% virtual company for four years. I had a coworker I was really close to who had a daughter. She split her week between working from home with an in-home sitter and working from her in-laws house an hour away with her MIL watching her daughter. On the days where care fell through for whatever reason (usually sickness on the caregiver or her daughter's part), it was really, really hard if not impossible for her to get work done and care for her daughter. Watching her struggle on those days, I would definitely discourage anyone from trying to WFH without in-home care unless the hours can be extremely flexible or minimal enough for you to work while your SO cares for the LO or you can work while also sleeps and somehow still get enough sleep for yourself.

MrsDho11 · April 2016

And if anyone wants thoughts or opinions on full-time WFH, feel free to PM me. I'm happy to share, as I feel there are definite pros and cons on the topic!

rchef21 · April 2016

Currently, I'm working as a staffing specialist. But, I am a Pampered Chef consultant as well. I am close to being able to quit my FT job and sell Pampered Chef FT. I'm hopeful by the time I have the baby I will be able to do so. Being a consultant is great, you get to pick your own hours, days, and anything you want with working. I've been calculating what I will need to do with my business if I were to leave my job..... It's crazy on how little of shows I'd need to do to compensate what I'm making right now..... But we will see how that goes.

If you want more info, let me know, I'd be happy to tell you alittle bit more about the biz.

GL with what you decide.

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