Working from home with infant?

[Anonymous]

The company I worked for before I had my baby hires me as a contract employee during their busy season each year (5 months). I work 20 hours per week from home. The first year, baby was 9 - 13 months old during my employment. I had some babysitting help from my mother, but my DH works long hours and travels. My job is very flexible and does not require me to make/receive calls and my work can be done whenever I can fit it in. I attended occasional meetings via conference call.

When DS was a baby, I got up before him and showered, made food and did chores so that I wouldn't have to do any of those things while he napped. Nap time was for working. Naps usually got me about 2-3 hours of work time. Then I tried to work again after he went to bed at night. Theoretically, I should have been able to get 4 hours of work in M-F, but things always came up. DS would fall asleep in the car and then skip his nap, or I'd have to do something else (like pay bills) during nap time. When I didn't make it to 20 hours during the work week, I would make it up on the weekends when DH was home or my mom could babysit.

If I had to attend a conference call meeting I put DS in the stroller and went for a walk while I did it.

I definitely would not want to do it year round indefinitely without dependable child care. Maybe if your DH is home by 6:00 every night and around all weekend and if your job is as flexible as mine. Once DS reached toddlerhood, there was no way I could do it without daycare. But maybe you could. There are definitely spare hours to scrape together in the week and you can multitask a lot of things. It might depend on how demanding your job is, how much down time you need, and how your family manages things like cooking, laundry, cleaning, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What if your baby doesn't nap?
Really, OP, be smart. Follow the rules. Get child care.

Be nice. She sounds like a FTM who really doesn't know and is asking for information, not judgment.

[Anonymous]

You need to have childcare. I tried working at home with my 2 year old daughter twice and it was a disaster. I couldn't get anything done because she kept asking for snacks and wanted to play outside. It was very frustrating.

When I work from home now I take her to her daycare center end of story.