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? 

Then the time may have come to find outside child care options.  If you’re worried that you can’t afford it, you may be pleasantly surprised.

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?