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Original poster

Working from home WITH baby - possible, or idealistic?

39 replies

beccablum · 12/03/2008 22:44

Hi - I want to go work part time from home, but WITH my baby there with me (i.e. no childcare). I would love advice from people who have tried this way. There's loads on this topic about child care etc, but not much about working at home WITH baby. Am I being totally idealistic, or is it perfectly possible? Most of my work is email and internet based, so I reckon it is do-able, but would like to find out from others who have tried it. Cheers, Becca

OP posts:

TREBUCHET · 12/03/2008 22:47

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha......

Aaah you remind me of me 16 months ago...

I had visions of him lying peacefully while I tapped away on the computer and for a few weeks it was ok but it did not last. Realistically the only time you will get to do some work is when you dc is napping, so I would encourage a couple of long naps rather than lots of short ones.

How old is dc?

Brangelina · 12/03/2008 22:49

Well I never managed it and I've not met anyone who has. The internet part was OK as I could send emails at midnight when everyone was sleeping but making or receiving a phone call was impossible. I did have a baby that never slept in the day, though. If you have a sleeper it might work.

Kindersurpise · 12/03/2008 22:50

Hmm, I think you are being slightly optimistic.

Even with a baby that sleeps a lot (as my DD did) you still will be quite busy.

As soon as the baby is moving around a bit, then you are not really going to get much peace.

How many hours would you like to work?

madamez · 12/03/2008 22:51

I did it, but would add that for the first months of DS' life we were living with my parents, and subsequently I have kept it up but then I am someone who does f* all housework and I don't have a partner to whine for my attention as well, so I fit the work in (but it is very part time - I am a freelance writeramong other things) - and DS is now at nursery 2 days a week anyway.
If you can/are happy to work late evenings and late at night then you stand a reasonable chance as long as your LO is a good sleeper.

Carmenere · 12/03/2008 22:51

I manage it most of the time, dd is 4 now but I have worked all the way through. Tbh phone calls are out of the question and it does get very stressfull if you have a deadline looming and your dc is ill or stroppy. Possible if you have some backup I would say.

WideWebWitch · 12/03/2008 22:52

er no, not possible imo. ONce they get to about 5 months they start bothering you ime and yu can't work uninterrupted.

IdrisTheDragon · 12/03/2008 22:52

I suppose with a small baby especially if it breastfed a lot you could get internet work done. But really it is not going to be easy to do.

TREBUCHET · 12/03/2008 22:52

Just read biog, so you are due in May.

Well I reckon it's do-able while dc is tiny, but you'll probably be knackered. Once you have established a routine you'll have more of an idea of how many hours you can realistically work.

If dc is a good sleeper you can probably rely on 2 decent naps a day, say 2 hours each. Try swaddling, my ds always slept longer and deeper when swaddled. You could get in a chunk of work then.

Otherwise maybe accept that you'll only work in the evenings, and get a few hours in when dc is in bed.

But to be honest I think you are asking a lot of yourself. Even now when ds has a nap, I just want a cuppa and a rest, or I have to hoover or prep lunch. Doing anything else would be a miracle.

LittleBella · 12/03/2008 22:53

No, absolutely no way in the world. Unless it's only about 8 hours a week or something and you can fit it in in between looking after your baby. (Is your baby actually born yet, because if so, I'm surprised you haven't already discovered how amazingly time-consuming they are.)

TREBUCHET · 12/03/2008 22:54

What do you do?

nkf · 12/03/2008 22:55

Oh, that's a good one. I know it well. Working while the baby sleeps. Bashing away at the typewriter while you breastfeed. Yes you can but it's so much easier with some childcare.

mistlethrush · 12/03/2008 23:01

It depends on dc. Ds decided that the only place that was acceptable was in my arms/on my lap, and he was so large right from the start (10.5) that it was never really comfortable to 'wear' him in a sling (had cs which didn't help either) - he also got colic really badly from early on, which ruled out the evenings.

I thought that I might be able to do some work whilst I was on ml so that I could get some overtime when I returned, but I didn't manage anything!

TREBUCHET · 13/03/2008 08:57

Whoops hope we haven't frightened op away...!

RubySlippers · 13/03/2008 09:05

not possible IMO

you CANNOT give your full attention to both - a screaming baby needs to be attended to there and then, and if you are in the middle of a conference call it is just unworkable

On the odd occasion where i have had to look after DS and work it has been a truly stressful mix

twelveyeargap · 13/03/2008 09:12

Once they're on the move it's not realistic. Some people barely get time to do housework (which you can stop and start at will) never mind sit down and concentrate on a job.

I can be on MN and email mates whilst keeping half an eye on DD2 (9 months), but I wouldn't fancy trying to email my boss with serious work stuff. Certainly not if I there were deadlines.

flowerybeanbag · 13/03/2008 09:21

Nope. Unless you do something with no restrictions on when you do it, like writing or whatever, and can do it in the evening, assuming baby sleeps then.

If it requires any kind of being available to contact by anyone else or is something you can't do at night, don't even bother I'd say.

I have had people request flexible working on the basis they will 'work' from home to save childcare costs and it gets turned down immediately as a flat no.

grouphug · 13/03/2008 09:27

If your work is email and internet baed as you say, I think if you want to do pt work it could be done if you were really organised and your little one is in a good routine and you had a suportive partner. If you have a partner who comes home at 630 and will take over bedtime routine then I think you could get 5 hours a day done, 1 in the morning 2 in the afternoon and 2 in the evening and maybe only work mon, wed and fri evenings that would be 21 hours a week. You would have to be prepared to be flexible though you can but try. I have done a number of contact days doing this routine how it would work all the time I don't know I'm going to be working from home one day a week when I go back.

harpsichordcarrier · 13/03/2008 09:31

it depends how many hours you work and how flexible it is. if you could effectively work "shifts" with your partner, then yes, but if you are expecting to be able to work during the day then I think you are being unrealistic tbh.
also, what about socialising? finding friends for you and for the baby?

shreddies · 13/03/2008 09:37

Honestly, I think it's pretty much impossible. I applied for jobs when DS was about 8 months old and it meant that I had absolutely no down time. Whenever he was asleep I was at the computer, and at the weekends DH would take him out so I could get on. It was knackering, no way could I have kept it up.

I'm writing now while 15 month old DS is trying to take things out of the recycling bin. I couldn't actually concentrate on anything properly.

Fennel · 13/03/2008 09:47

I used to do it sometimes when the dds were babies (usually when I had something to do on maternity leave, my job - research - isn't the sort where you can easily drop everything for months, there are publication deadlines for things you wrong ages ago which need revising, etc).

I used to find that I could do maybe up to 4 hours decent work in a day, with a baby which slept well for maybe two nap periods. But I really really wouldn't recommend it as more than an occasional way of working. You spend half your time wishing your baby back to sleep, a "good" day is one where you've successfully managed to ignore your baby or it's slept more than usual. It's intensive - baby nods off too sleep, you rush off to the computer again, and then hope that it won't wake quickly. It's not actually much fun, and I can't see that it's great for the baby, in comparison with being cared for by someone who's attending to its needs (including its need for stimulation and attention) while you concentrate on your work.

I would only do it if I had no money to pay childcare, or in emergencies such as when the baby is ill, not for any other reason.

alfiesbabe · 13/03/2008 15:56

No way. Not fair to your child, your employer or yourself. I guess if you're self employed, you could give it a go, though my bet is that within a couple of weeks you'll be looking at proper organised childcare!! I don't think any employer would consider paying you though if you aren't prepared to organise proper childcare arrangments.

chickeninabox · 13/03/2008 16:00

No - not possible.

I am currently doing some temp phone work with 2 DC roaming round the house. I can only do about 10 mins at a time before I am interuppted. I can pick it up and drop it fairly flexibly but it's a pain in the arse not to be able to do a decent strech at a time. DS currently trying to clamber on my lap so point priven - I can't even tyupe this !

Miggsie · 13/03/2008 16:03

I am a fairly entrenched homeworker and you CAN'T work with a baby or child particularly if you have to do phone conferences or have tight deadlines.
I was once on a teleconference with the BIG bigwigs discussing millions of pounds deals and DH comes back with child who runs in yelling "we saw a horsy!" and wanting to tell me all about it. All the bigwigs heard. Luckily we used it as an excuse to end the call "gosh, the family's home we must finish" etc but they still take the piss about this now, 3 years later!
Oh, and the cat once yakked up a furball on my PC keyboard while I was on a teleconference.
And if they are ill it is a nightmare as they want constant attention (which you want to give them).
The only time I managed homeworking was when it was guaranteed she would sleep 2 hours morning and afternoon and that stopped at 9 months.
Don't do it!

Libby Purves covers it well in her book "how not to be the pefect mother" she and her DH are homeworkers and they have a nanny...enough said!

mazzystar · 13/03/2008 16:05

be kind to yourself and don't even try

you might get an hour in every day if the baby has settled in to a regular napping pattern. but at that point you are quite likely to want to have the shower that you have needed since the morning and or to sit down and have a cup of tea.

Botbot · 13/03/2008 16:07

Sorry, but absolutely impossible.

I had plans to learn a new software package while I was on maternity leave - didn't even touch it.

I work ft now, but sometimes I work from home when dd is sick. I get about an hour's work done at the most, and that's in tiny dribs and drabs throughout the day, so often have to catch up in the evenings after she's in bed.

Not worth the stress IMO.

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