How to Work from Home With a Baby

Trying to work from home with a baby is a major challenge. Babies, especially those between 6 and 18 months, require a lot of attention and supervision. If you decide to work at home after having a baby, you'll need a plan so that you can be a successful mom and employee. Read on for tips on the balancing act that comes with being a work at home mom.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Laptop
• Lots of Baby toys
• Part Time Babysitter

1. There are tons of work from home jobs available, but as the mom (or dad) of a young baby you'll need to be picky. Look for a job that doesn't require talking on the phone (you don't want the baby crying in the background). You'll also want a position that doesn't require strict deadlines. This will allow you to work at night, on the weekends, or on whatever schedule best suits your needs. Typist jobs, direct sales, freelance writing and administrative work are all good mom-friendly work at home jobs.

2. 

   Get up before your baby gets up. Even if you don't get any work done, you can at least get a shower and breakfast out of the way. This will free up time later so you can get work done.

3. If you follow the above advice you'll be able to take better advantage of naps. When you work from home with a baby, naps are invaluable. They give you at least an hour (hopefully more) to get work done without interruptions.

4. 

   Get your baby on as strict of a schedule as possible. Babies are often on their own schedule, but if you get her into the habit of taking naps at 9am and 2pm you'll be able to better plan your work day. If you do have to make calls or have meetings while working from home, you'll have a better idea of when to schedule them.

5. A laptop is key to working at home

   Just because you work at home doesn't mean you have to be tied to a home office. A laptop is key if you're trying to get stuff done with a baby. A desktop computer will keep your office bound, but with a laptop, you can sit on the floor, while your baby plays nearby.

6. Working from home isn't the same as working in an office, and that means the hours aren't the same either. If you choose to work at home, so you can raise your children, you may have to put in hours at night and on the weekend.

7. 

   Get childcare, at least once a week, so you have a more significant chunk of time to complete pressing work tasks. This could mean asking a neighbor to watch your baby, doing a trade-off with another work at home mom, or having grandma watch your baby for a few hours a couple days a week.

8. 

   Being a new mom is chaotic enough, so in order to be successful working from home you'll need to keep a running to-do list. Prioritize it so you know what must be done and what can wait. Realize that dusting or walking the dog daily may fall down the list since you're trying to take care of a baby and work.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't take on too much responsibility or you risk getting overwhelmed. If possible, only work from home a few days a week at first, until you get into a schedule that works for you and your baby.