Working from home with a 6 month old

[Kassandra0507]

I’m a FTM with a 6 month old. I’m considering starting a new job. I would never have considered working with a child so young but with everyone working from home I’m starting to seriously consider it.
Its full time Paralegal work which can be very demanding but at the same time Im thinking with some discipline and great time management skills it could be done. Especially early morning and evenings when DD1 is fast asleep I find myself having a lot of downtime. My husband also works from home and would be around to support but also has a demanding job.
If anyone has any helpful tips or experience to share I would much appreciate it.

Btw this is my first post, hope I did ok

Hi OP. Depends on the child.

I've was self employed for DS1 and DD's entire life (DS is 18 now) and I managed by working in evenings, catching up where I could, and then once they started school, had more time.

However, DS2, different story, you cannot just cannot get anything done. He had a terrible time as a baby, no sleep, colic, issues with digestion when weaning, worst teething ever seen, frightened of everything, constant need to be near/hold etc etc.

So, in other words, if DS2 had been DS1, my business wouldn't have survived.

It will also depend on the work, and if you can squeeze it in during the day or resolve to working evenings. At one point, I did work from 8pm (DS bedtime) to 3am pretty much every night for 3 years.

I wouldn't recommend it, but sometimes, needs must. I was single.

Can you afford nursery or a childminder? It would be a shame to start a job and have no childcare back up if you need it.

I would, if you have the support of dh. If it's too much though, you could always stop? I found both mine had a reliable nap everyday where i could get work done. On the occasion it didnt work, I had help from dh.

Things will change once baby can crawl and get around. It’s not easy then.

Honestly I wouldn't. You're setting yourself for a working week of guilt.

Guilt the baby is inconvenient. Guilt your not putting in the hours. Guilt you're constantly shushing the baby, plonking him in front of the TV, dreading phone calls in case he makes noise. Giving quality time to neither. You're never properly available.

I think it's doable with a few caveats. I am doing something similar with my baby. I'm working about 6 hours during normal office hours (baby in childcare) and the rest of the time I'm making up while they are asleep.

Have you spoken to your husband about your plans? I think you would need to work out a firm schedule with him of when he will be available to provide childcare. If he's only going to offer 15 mins here and there I'm not sure how useful that would be. If he can work a slightly longer day and give you an hour or 90 mins that might be more useful.

Also would the employer with happy with you working unsociable hours? If they're expecting you to be at their beck and call from 9-5 everyday then I am not sure how it could work.

Also as PP have said it really depends on your baby too. If they're not a good napper or bedtime is taking hours then I can't see how that would work either.

Have you worked as a paralegal before
Depending on the area of legal work it might not be the type of work you can fit in to the hours that suit you /baby

Bear in mind that baby will drop naps/ not necessarily sleep as long, and be more active and therefore need more engagement and supervision.
Personally I wouldn’t, I it would be too much for me.

Full time? No way

Nope. Been there, done that and it’s impossible without childcare. And what a PP said about guilt is so true.

Asked me a few months ago, I'd have said oh yes, easy. Asking me now? No chance. I have a very active 12 month old DD who requires a lot of attention, she has 1 maybe 2 naps a day and there's no way I'd be able to work full time with her in tow. We had to isolate for 2 weeks before Christmas, it was a nightmare working and I only do 3 days a week.

Oh and just to add, the guilt is real. You feel constantly guilty that you're not playing with them enough, or you're constantly telling them no, or that you're not pulling your weight with work!

It's a doddle with a newborn, easy with a 3 month old, manageable with a 6 month old and tough with a 12m old. Beyond that, forget it except for in the evening and weekends. This is what I found when I did it anyway.

Like others have said, you cannot really rely, in the long term, that your baby will still be sleeping/napping in the same way.
What happens if they start waking earlier or drop a nap?
Full time working from home with a small child in an emergency, lockdown scenario is one thing.
Actively choosing to do it with no back up plan sounds a bit nuts!!
How much do you need the money?

I wouldn't unless it's absolutely essential that you get a full time job. You'll never get this time back with baby and you'll probably feel guilty for not spending enough time with baby/pulling your weight at work. I've got two very young ones and working full time at home with a baby just sounds impossible to me unless of course you have somebody who could take him/her for a few hours each day.

I personally wouldn't. Children change so quick at this age and you could find yourself having very little downtime as they get older. My 3 year old has been getting up between 5-6am since he has been about one year. Could you use childcare?

I'm a lawyer, with a 12 month old DD. I'm just getting her to bed, then going back to do more work. This is despite the fact I have her in childcare all day! Law is a demanding career, and I don't even work in a particular time-critical area of law. I can't imagine trying to do my job with a baby at home.

I'm self employed and have a 12 mo old. I've worked since she was 3 mo old.

It's hard. I work when she naps each day (which changes every few months, decreases over time and some days just completely goes out the window.)

At night. But I'm in bed now not even working because I am SO TIRED today.

At weekends. I get most stuff done here as DH looks after her and I go and do two full days work. Fine now but it was heartbreaking in summer when I just wanted to go and have family time , altogether.

I wish I had another option but financially this makes sense for us, for now.

I can't really work while she's awake. 10 min quick emails here and there (or half hour if I stick cbeebies on) but I hate ignoring her while I'm on the laptop. I really hate it.

Thanks for all the replies.
I think I already came to the conclusion that it wasn't for me before I even wrote the post. But typical me to second guess my decision.
The guilt would be too much and even when she does nap there's always something I need to do between cleaning cooking ...or even having a shower. ! I also wouldn't want to put so much pressure on DH.
Occasionally I do get a good day when I get more down time but as you've all suggested this will definitely change as she gets older and I've been warned about how demanding it gets when they start crawling.
I'm someone who has worked all my life so I think I struggle to just chill out and do nothing for an hour or so!
Thankfully I don't need the money I was just thinking of doing it to help prepare towards my future career but now is not the time!

Thanks guys!

Unless your firm knows you intend to work flexibly around your child and that you have zero childcare other than your DH then I don't think it's workable. I'm not even sure it's workable if they know that. Yes you have some free time when the baby is alseep right now but if you've just started working and the baby wakes up unexpectedly or if there's an urgent task they need you to do and the baby is awake then it's not going to be workable. I also don't think you're going to want to work in the evening when the baby is asleep. I'm a lawyer and if my paralegal did this without agreeing it 100% upfront (ie I'm not going to be available on demand, I'll only be available when my baby is asleep or my husband is able to hold the baby) then I would be really annoyed (to put it mildly).

I also don't think the reality of trying to work when you have a child with you is how you might imagine it. You won't be able to focus properly on one thing and I think you might end up feeling you aren't doing your best at either

Sorry just seen this thread is old and you've already said you aren't going to do it! Doh! 🤦‍♀️