Stay at home jobs

[Whatismynameagain]

Im currently on maternity leave and I want to know what jobs are available for stay at home mothers.

what does your partner do? how can he look after a baby whilst on the phone or computer? what is his actual job where his hands are free?

My partner sometimes works 12 hour days Monday to Friday. I could work evenings but then partner would still be working sometimes until late. I would ideally have one weekend day off for family time

You cannot wfh and look after a child or baby. Either you work or you look after child. You need childcare if you want to return to work.

Maybe you could take a role in hospitality that starts after bedtime. SIL did that until youngest nephew started school.

DH and I both WFH successfully for a few hours a week recently whilst looking after our DS. The difference is that he’s nearly 8 and could play with minimal interaction from us.

I worked as Clerk to the Governors of a school which had evening meetings so that another family member could look after the children when I was out.

I think really you need to live in the now. Enjoy your baby now, don't waste your mat leave away with worrying about the future. You're in a little bubble of having a baby depend on you and it's lovely.

In six months or a year's time, your baby will be a different creature. It's a bit of a wrench to leave them in childcare the first time but you don't need to be in their company 24/7 to enjoy them. You're just having a bit of a wobble, go for a walk to clear your head!

Do you think it's possible for us to both work and my partner to look after the baby whilst work from home

Very clearly no. If he’s working he can’t look after a baby. Obviously.

I WFH and managed fine in the summer holidays and when the kids had to isolate but mine are 7 and 9 so don't need 'looking after' as such. They get their own sarnies, snacks and drinks etc. There is no way you could successfully WFH with a baby. Not unless it was your own company.

it sounds like you are trying to make working fit around your baby

no...its the other way round....childcare needs to fit around work!

its quite annoying watching people try and reduce WFH to a second rate job, when the reality is very different

you cant take in the streets parcels
you cant sit on the sofa for 2 hours watching loose women
you cant have other tabs open so you can shop/play bingo
you cant have kids underfoot

its being eroded into a 'little job at home'

If your partner can work up to 12h days, the baby needs to be in childcare, if you want to work as well.

You can’t look after a baby and work at the same time, unless it’s a job where no one cares what your set hours look like, whether you’re able to finish your daily tasks on time, and you’re never on calls to clients, managers, contractors.

I'm just worrying over everything

Unless you are very wealthy and can afford not to work, then you either have to pay for childcare or work when he isn't working (ie on Saturdays and Sundays - which, in retail, there is plenty of opportunity to do) - or shifts that are overnight (but then you'd still need childcare when you slept if you were working at night.
This 'family time' you read of on MN isn't really a choice that is there for many young couples.

99% of workplaces say that even if you wfh you must have childcare in place. You can't wfh and look after your child at the same time.

They would still need to go to a childminder or nursery while you're working.

@Kite22

Unless you are very wealthy and can afford not to work, then you either have to pay for childcare or work when he isn't working (ie on Saturdays and Sundays - which, in retail, there is plenty of opportunity to do) - or shifts that are overnight (but then you'd still need childcare when you slept if you were working at night. This 'family time' you read of on MN isn't really a choice that is there for many young couples.

I'm with this. When our DC were younger my partner worked nights Fri, Sat and Sun and I worked ft Mon to Fri. The only family time we had was 2 hours on a Friday afternoon as I finished at 1, before he went to bed for a few hours

For truly flexible working it needs to be something that you produce a piece of work for which you are paid. So it could be writing, artwork, sewing, ironing, cake making, for example.

Oh and knitting, crochet.

Then you sell the stuff. Are you any good at anything like this, op.

Oh and what about child minding? You need a suitable property and registration etc. You could look into that.

@grasstreeleaf

Oh and what about child minding? You need a suitable property and registration etc. You could look into that.

how can you have a childminding business with a DH working from home up to 12 hours a day?

@gardeninggirl68*, depends on where the Op lives and whether there is room for separate working space going forward.

@gardeninggirl68 surely it depends on the size of the house. If the DH has an upstairs office it's possible. It would personally be my idea of hell!

My baby is my number one priority. We can't afford only one of us working.

@Whatismynameagain

My baby is my number one priority. We can't afford only one of us working.

Then the baby needs to go into childcare whilst you work. What are your usual hours and could you find a nursery or childminder during that time?

What childcare did you both plan and agree on before having the baby?

I have a job where I WFH. My DD still goes to nursery because it would be impossible to work with her here. It is not fair to your employer if you try to do this and certainly not a suitable way to save on nursery fees

what was the plan for this when you both decided to have a child together?

how has that plan changed?

OP, with all due respect, you and your partner have had a long time to plan for this. I got pregnant accidentally and still had a plan in place for my work after maternity leave. I accept things change but you've left it very in the day to start planning. You need to sit down with your partner and both decide what you are going to do, as a family.