How to Be Able to Afford Child Care When You Work from Home
Work at home moms are familiar with finding time to do work
in any little pocket of time available. When
the baby is down for a nap, when the toddler goes to sleep at night, early in
the morning before the kids awake, when the kids are watching their favorite tv
show, work at home moms sneak in work.
But what if it’s not enough time? What if your business grows and you simply
need more time to work?
How to Be Able to Afford Child Care When You Work from Home
There are several ways you can find child care more cheaply
than a traditional daycare or nanny.
Hire a High School Student as a Mother’s Helper
If you don’t need full-time child care, consider hiring a
high school student as a mother’s helper.
The mother’s helper can do a wide range of tasks—take care of the kids,
help with household chores, or even assist with simple work chores such as
filing or updating SEO on your blog, for example.
A mother’s helper is typically paid less than a babysitter
because you are in the house the entire time should she need your help. If you homeschool, you might find younger
mother’s helpers (late middle school students) within your homeschool groups.
Hire Your Own Teenager
Likewise, if you have your own teenager at home and he is
interested, consider hiring him to watch the younger kids so you can have
undisturbed work time. Of course, this
arrangement depends on several variables.
Is your teen interested in watching his younger siblings? Do the siblings get along? Is your teen mature enough? If the answer to all of these questions is
yes, then this arrangement may work perfectly.
Another benefit to the teen is that the hours are much more
flexible than working at the local fast food restaurant.
Take Turns with Another Work at Home Mom
An excellent free child care option is to take turns with
another work at home mom providing child care for one another. So, maybe on Monday and Wednesday from 8 to
noon, you watch her kids and yours so she can work. Then, on Tuesday and Thursday, she watches
your kids and hers from 8 to noon so you can work.
The best part about this option is that your kids also have
built-in playmates. However, to make
sure this arrangement benefits all parties, you must be respectful of one
another and your obligation to watch the kids on certain days.
Final Thoughts
When your business has grown enough that you need child care,
there are several ways that you can find competent providers for free or at a lower cost than a babysitter or nanny. You just need to be creative with your
solutions.
Have you implemented any of these child care options? If so, which ones did you find worked the
best?
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete