People who ask if they can "work from home" while also being responsible for their children clearly have never worked from home. It is consuming. You need separate child care if your work hours aren't flexible (working overnight when your husband is home, etc).

I used to work from home 1 - 2 days a month. I thought it was so great, could get a ton done the days I was home, etc. Once you go to working from home permanently, it's a totally different deal. Even getting deliveries can be a big interruption to work days at home. Providing care for your child while working is a no go.

OP, in addition to the logistical problems PPs mention, when you do get downtime during the baby's nap you are going to want to rest, or do the chores you couldn't do while the baby was awake. Trying to cram in a job is not very feasible, even if that job is flexible enough to happen at weird hours.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No way would my office allow this. My office won't even allow you to telework if there are children in your home during work hours (even if watched by nanny or if it's a snow day for the kids).

That's crazy. I have a home office and my nanny watches my child the entire time without me being needed. Never had a problem.

This is OP and that seems crazy to me too. A girl in our office teleworks and she has a nanny (but she makes a ton more money than I do so it's worth it for her).

Why is this crazy? Telework means you are still WORKING, you are just working at home rather than in the office. You still need someone to watch your child while you are WORKING unless you can do all your work while the baby naps and your baby cooperates with that plan.

Right, I was agreeing with the notion that it's crazy that you couldn't telework WITH a nanny. There's no reason why a child being in the house should hinder your work so long as you aren't the one providing childcare.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No way would my office allow this. My office won't even allow you to telework if there are children in your home during work hours (even if watched by nanny or if it's a snow day for the kids).

That's crazy. I have a home office and my nanny watches my child the entire time without me being needed. Never had a problem.

This is OP and that seems crazy to me too. A girl in our office teleworks and she has a nanny (but she makes a ton more money than I do so it's worth it for her).

Why is this crazy? Telework means you are still WORKING, you are just working at home rather than in the office. You still need someone to watch your child while you are WORKING unless you can do all your work while the baby naps and your baby cooperates with that plan.

The person saying "that's crazy" was responding to the rule that the child cannot be in the home at all, even while supervised by someone else. Most parents who telework have the child in their homes, being watched by a nanny or a parent. The rule that says the child can't be in the house is pretty unusual.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No way would my office allow this. My office won't even allow you to telework if there are children in your home during work hours (even if watched by nanny or if it's a snow day for the kids).

That's crazy. I have a home office and my nanny watches my child the entire time without me being needed. Never had a problem.

This is OP and that seems crazy to me too. A girl in our office teleworks and she has a nanny (but she makes a ton more money than I do so it's worth it for her).

Why is this crazy? Telework means you are still WORKING, you are just working at home rather than in the office. You still need someone to watch your child while you are WORKING unless you can do all your work while the baby naps and your baby cooperates with that plan.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it's only 4 hrs a day, you may be able to find an affordable sitter, especially if you are okay with someone bringing their own child. I work part-time from home, and I used to pay $10/hr to a mom who'd bring her little boy with her. She was the best sitter I had, and it worked out well for both of us.

Well, I make $17 an hour. I just don't see it being worth it - she'd be making more of my salary than I do lol.

Yea, not work the stress.

Anonymous wrote:Op said four hours per day. That could be doable, after about two months, only if you could pick and choose which four hours, and if they didn't have to be consecutive or at the same time each day. And if you have an easy baby and at least some help with household stuff or don't need a ton of sleep. That's a lot of ifs.

This. But remember newborns nurse every 1.5-3.5 hrs so you're not sleeping well at night and finding 4 hrs a day to work is exhausting long term. I used to SAH and considered doing a 20 week job but realized there was no way to do it without hiring care.

Anonymous wrote:If it's only 4 hrs a day, you may be able to find an affordable sitter, especially if you are okay with someone bringing their own child. I work part-time from home, and I used to pay $10/hr to a mom who'd bring her little boy with her. She was the best sitter I had, and it worked out well for both of us.

Well, I make $17 an hour. I just don't see it being worth it - she'd be making more of my salary than I do lol.

If it's only 4 hrs a day, you may be able to find an affordable sitter, especially if you are okay with someone bringing their own child. I work part-time from home, and I used to pay $10/hr to a mom who'd bring her little boy with her. She was the best sitter I had, and it worked out well for both of us.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No way would my office allow this. My office won't even allow you to telework if there are children in your home during work hours (even if watched by nanny or if it's a snow day for the kids).

That's crazy. I have a home office and my nanny watches my child the entire time without me being needed. Never had a problem.

This is OP and that seems crazy to me too. A girl in our office teleworks and she has a nanny (but she makes a ton more money than I do so it's worth it for her).

OP here - thank you for all the real-world advice! I can't believe some of you assume I would keep this a secret from my boss...she's very well aware I'm pregnant and it is my *hope* she would let me continue to figure out a way to work. I don't work for the government - not a fancy job at all really - I do admin work for a staffing agency. So really this could not happen at all if she requires I have a nanny because the pay wouldn't be worth what it would cost.

I should show my husband this thread though - really he's the one 100% convinced I'll be able to continue to work as normal and I've been the one, although I'd like to continue, really skeptical of how it would work. Seems like it probably wouldn't...

Anonymous wrote:No way would my office allow this. My office won't even allow you to telework if there are children in your home during work hours (even if watched by nanny or if it's a snow day for the kids).

That's crazy. I have a home office and my nanny watches my child the entire time without me being needed. Never had a problem.

Do you mean with you as the primary caregiver? I really don't see hoe this is possible without neglecting your child.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Totally depends on your work and your baby:

If you just have to accomplish 4 hours of work a day, and it doesn't matter when and you don't have to be available to talk on the phone, AND you have a baby that naps then you can probably pull this off. E.g. you are editing an article and you just need pockets of time to get it done.

If you actually have to be online and available and working a set 4 hour period each day, no that won't work unless you have child care because there's no way you can guaruntee that you will be free then

It would be funny if op told her boss she only works 4 hours a day so they cut her pay in half.

A PP here. I think most of us read this as the OP already works PT for 4 hrs/day. Definitely different answers if that's not the case.

Anonymous wrote:Totally depends on your work and your baby:

If you just have to accomplish 4 hours of work a day, and it doesn't matter when and you don't have to be available to talk on the phone, AND you have a baby that naps then you can probably pull this off. E.g. you are editing an article and you just need pockets of time to get it done.

If you actually have to be online and available and working a set 4 hour period each day, no that won't work unless you have child care because there's no way you can guaruntee that you will be free then

It would be funny if op told her boss she only works 4 hours a day so they cut her pay in half.