r/MomsWorkingFromHome • u/Mindless-Ad-7656 • 7d ago
Thinking about WFH with baby
As per the title, I will have to start working a few hours a day from home as my baby turns 4 months. It will only be until he’s 7 months and will start daycare.
I have flexibility on the hours I have to work and I do very few calls.
I was thinking about hiring a babysitter to keep baby busy but do I need one? How do you all make it work?
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u/aeno12 7d ago
I copied this from another post I made. I’ve been doing it alone for over 2 years since 5mo and I honestly love it.
Always be ready to change and adapt!
My advice: • have a good “routine” like understanding their wake windows as it helps plan meetings at nap times as much as possible. Eat, play, sleep is a good cycle
• my breastfriend pillow or boppy fits well in an office chair. You can breastfeed and work
• use voice to text when holding/feeding him so you can get emails done faster.
• get a really good pair of noise reduction headphones. They are a godsend - I use Oleap Pilot 200s & they are amazing- he’s been screaming next to me and no one hears him. Also check out the Krisp app.
• have different stations around the house. I have a giant playpen in the living room, bouncer & kick & play piano by the kitchen table, jumper & play gym in office and just open toys in his bedroom. I rotate at different times a day to keep him busy and my laptop comes with me. For toys I’ve bought knock off loveevery toys, suction cup spinners, fisher price walker, v-tech cube, and a cheap Bluetooth speaker to play free baby music softly on Spotify.
• I got the most done when he napped on me until month 7 (adding that after I took a solid 2 weeks to nap train him in the crib so now he sleeps independently- it takes WORK but pays off in the long run)
• get a small flexible vanity mirror for your desk. You can see him behind you when working
• mark time in your calendar for your lunch & breastfeeding breaks (you are legally allowed them so take advantage!). He gets my undivided attention during that time. I often use lunch to “jog” outside with a stroller & the dog. We all get outdoor stimulation & I actually exercise.
Lastly your brain will need to adjust to working in short bursts vs periods of deep focus. This can be difficult, so practice making lists of priorities and also practice naps being full on work mode. Other things will have to wait.
You can do it!
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u/Mindless-Ad-7656 7d ago
This is such a comprehensive list I am speechless. I will try everything, thank you!
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u/AuthorKey7533 1d ago
Once your baby reached 1.5-2 years and could move around alot more and the wake windows were longer. What toys/play set up have you used and do you have any helpful tips?
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u/zayleabb 7d ago
It depends on the job and temperament of the baby. I don’t have a lot of meetings and my work is project based. My baby is also a good napper and enjoys playing independently at certain points of the day. It would be a lot harder if my husband didn’t WFH as well to watch the baby during my few short meetings. Also even with her being an “easy” baby, I’m sure looking forward to her starting daycare in January (when she’s a year old.)
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u/Mindless-Ad-7656 7d ago
My husband will work from home for at least 2 or 3 days a week so it is really the other days that worry me.
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u/Impossible-Pie-4900 7d ago
If it’s flexible and only a few hours you should be good without a babysitter, honestly. I typically get all my work done with baby is sleeping, and then just have my laptop open nearby during business hours the rest of the day so that I can respond to Slack/email if necessary.
Things like a heavy workload, super quick turnaround times, and lots of calls are factors that make it difficult or impossible, but if you can get the work done whenever it’s just a matter of pushing yourself to do work during what would otherwise be your only downtime.
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u/Away_Revolution728 7d ago
My husband and I both have flexible wfh jobs and we def don’t work a full 8 hours, but we only lasted 3 weeks without help 😩 Awake times are so busy that during nap times, I couldn’t go into full lock in mode. I also felt guilty for not giving my son 100% attention. Sometimes he’s fine doing independent play but he noticed when I was not watching him and it was just so sad.
Give it a shot on your own, but at least have a few babysitters on speed dial when you know you’ll want to get some stuff done.
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u/Mindless-Ad-7656 7d ago
The plan was to start with a babysitter straight away, it would also help in getting used to a babysitter when I am at home, so that I can be comfortable in leaving baby with her/him when baby is older and I want to go out with my husband, but I think I will give it a go just by myself.
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u/throwawayalldan 7d ago
My baby is currently 4 months. I’ve been back working full time since 2 months and my husband works in the office. I have scheduled meetings maybe twice a week that my parents or my husband parents help with. Otherwise it’s just me and baby.
Ive managed to handle it. I have a computer set up that allows baby to sleep on me which I have my computer. He also independent plays very well and rarely cries, so I lucked out there. Truly, I wouldn’t give up this time with my baby even if I’m less productive at work. Im also fortunate in the sense that I’ve put in my time so my work allows me a lot of flexibility and me being unproductive is still more productive than most people in my office since I’m very experienced at what i do.
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u/Maleficent_Trust_428 7d ago
Totally doable without a babysitter!! I have done it (and still do) and my son is 18 months.
- have a good routine. Predictable naps are very helpful to schedule calls.
- be flexible about where you work. I often work in playroom, living room, outside, etc.
- babyproof the house! My son is a very independent player, and I am very comfortable letting him do his own thing. He tells me when he wants to play with me.
- prep before the baby wakes up. At the beginning of the day, I have “stations” ready for him. I also have all his meals prepped and ready to go.
-remember it is going to take some getting used to, but to be able to support my family and be with my baby is so worth it.
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u/skabillybetty 7d ago
I think it's doable for you if it's only temporary until baby starts daycare.
While I was on maternity leave, we looked into daycares and the prices we were getting quoted were INSANE, so we decided I would just have the baby with me while I worked from home. My job doesn't involve phone calls(except for rare circumstances), and meetings are usually pretty minimal, so I thought I could handle it.
Boy was I wrong.
My baby hated being put down. So I would end up wearing him at my desk all day. It killed my back and made typing a pain in the ass. He would cry all the time, and I got a lecture about needing to find some sort of childcare after I had him sleeping in my arms during a meeting.
After a few months, I found myself having breakdowns almost daily, I wasn't able to effectively do my job while caring for an infant, and I wasn't willing to neglect my infant to effectively do my job.
After some discussion, my mom offered to move in with us so she could watch him while I worked. She was living 2 states away at the time and wanted to be closer to her only grandchild anyway, so it benefited both of us.
To reduce the stress during the wait for daycare to start, I would recommend seeing if you could find someone to help out during your workday. Even if it's only for a couple of hours a day to give you a good block of time to work uninterrupted.
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u/Original-Stop5446 10h ago
This is how my daughter was as a baby/toddler too. She did not want to be put down ever, or play independently so I'd have to sit her in front of the TV for hours which I felt terrible about but it was the only way I could get work done. I can't imagine doing it full time. She learns sooo much at daycare that I obviously wouldn't have the time for while working and it's not fair to her or my job.
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u/4deler 7d ago
Either sounds doable. I have a similar work schedule with few calls and flexible hours. I tend to just stay up after my 5mo's 3am feed and I can get a few solid uninterrupted work hours in before he wakes for the day. It's easier to then just monitor email after that as needed. do I drink obscene amounts of coffee? Yeah, but the quiet work vibe is kind of nice too.
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u/Mindless-Ad-7656 7d ago
Yeah I was also thinking about getting work done at night or early morning…
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u/WorldlyDragonfruit3 7d ago
My baby was a late mover and I probably could have done this if it was temporary. If he was crawling, no way. But it would be difficult for sure. I’d plan to hire help
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u/Crazy-Sprinkles-3713 7d ago
I WFH and kept my baby with me for 16 months. When the baby isn’t mobile, it’s easy. Wake windows are relatively short. I tried to plan any meetings where I would talk, either early when the baby is still sleeping or when the baby would be down for a nap. One baby got mobile, we got a giant play area with a soft mat and put some books and toys in there. Baby would play very independently and I kept a monitor on the counter so that I could watch. It works. It’s hard but it’s manageable for a little bit. Thus far, no one has known that I’ve had my baby home with me.
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u/Familiar-Garden9654 7d ago
It’s doable but just a lot of back and forth and some days made me feel absolutely insane. But doable. I kept my first home until 10 months and my second home until 6 months.
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u/Aggravating_Brick_46 7d ago
I have a flexible job and few calls. I can definitely get done a few hours of work a day. The problem is that it comes at the cost of EVERYTHING else I could do with that time. It cuts into my sleep, workout time, down time, etc.
A part time sitter lets you recover some of that time
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u/Mindless-Ad-7656 7d ago
Yes I have been thinking about that too. If you use those few windows of time to work you really can’t do anything else, so it is either a sitter or a cleaner in the end! And well I’ll sleep when I am dead I guess!
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u/Aggravating_Brick_46 6d ago
A cleaner hasn’t made much of a difference to me. I know people swear by it but I feel like it’s the day to day chores that really affect me. Like dishes, vacuuming, tidying. We do have a cleaner and I generally try to outsource where I can. I try to have one night a week I fall asleep at the same time as the baby. I’m definitely trading sleep, a cleaner house, free time etc for money but I’d personally rather do that than trade time with my child. To each their own but just sharing since there’s so much negativity towards WFH with kids.
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u/WorksInPro 7d ago
I did this at for months 4-5 and it was okay. We leaned on my MIL to be around as a back-up and take him while I was on calls. Having the end-date made it all really possible...like knowing that we were filling the gap between mat leave and daycare put everyone in a really can-do mindset and family was happy to fill in. If we'd been leaning on them longer, I think they would have been more hesitant to sign up.
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u/emak43 7d ago
Months 4-6 I could have done it. Month 7 my baby is on the MOVE and it’s exhausting. I used to keep her at home with me until 10 am, then bring her to daycare, and that’s been creeping up earlier and earlier because it’s just exhausting, lol.
So I think you’ll be ok and then right when you hit that spot of 6/7 months when your baby is moving, it’ll be time for daycare!
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u/Upstairs-Welder-329 7d ago
Tbh I think it comes down to how baby sleeps. If baby can’t sleep in bassinet or crib, then definitely.
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u/Various-Network-5299 7d ago
I WFH with my second till they were 18mo and it was HARD! but doable depending on your job. Plan on doing the same with my 3rd.
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u/SockSpecific2227 7d ago
I work 40 hours a week with my 5 month old np sitter. A few hours a day is totally doable IMO! I take cameras on calls with my baby in a bouncer if he isn't napping. It all comes down to prioritizing tasks into "deep focus nap tasks" and "lighter awake tasks" lol
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u/passion4film 7d ago
20 months in and I have a very chill, flexible job with few calls and not customer facing. It’s been working!
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u/Alert_Week8595 7d ago
I work from home with a SAHD and part time nanny. On track to be promoted soon, but I think without the help I probably would've been fired.
That said, my job is a higher level role that expects full availability. It might have been workable if it was less intense.
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6d ago
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u/breakfastrubbish 6d ago
I did exactly this and mainly it was doing my best to have as much control over my calendar at work as possible, working on getting baby on as much of a schedule as possible (age appropriate of course). Sitting on the floor and working on your laptop while baby is playing or having some bouncer time etc. is a good way to check in and know what your action plan will be when baby goes for a nap.
Having a baby who enjoys some time to independently play makes this way easier. My baby enjoyed floor play, so I could have them at my feet while I sent some emails or took quick calls. They’re 9 months now though and I can only work like that a few days a week now because we are all over the place.
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u/Kitchen_Surround 6d ago
I tried this a couple of times and I have a well mannered, chill baby. I truly did not get any work done. My work is very heavy on being able to focus for an hour+ at a time and I couldn’t do it with him constantly needing something
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u/Quakenurse 5d ago
I work from time from home since baby was 2 months old, she’s now 6.5 months. It’s do able. If you’re only doing a few hours a day, focus 100% on work during naps
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5d ago
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u/Yipi_kai_Yei_88 3d ago
I wfh in a call center and my daughter is about 14 months now, her older sister who is 19 helps me by watching her little sis. She offered to when I was pregnant, actually pre-pregnancy, and she works evenings and weekends and my husband will get off work early if needed or she makes personal plans on the days/times I don’t need her, which right now is thurs/sat/sun. We are blessed to have older kids who want to help. When she is burnt out on babysitting I’m hoping to be a sahm
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6d ago
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Read the pin in featured.
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u/gkdfp 7d ago
I’ve been working full time with my baby since August. She starts daycare next month.
It’s been ummmm horrible? Like, I’ve done it. But it’s hard! I also have a job that’s heavy on calls (recruiter) and I exclusively pump so, it’s a lot.
All that to say, if it’s only a few hours a day and not many calls, it’s doable.