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Working from home with baby - is it possible? tips?
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amother


 

Post Thu, Jan 29 2015, 6:38 am
I am returning to work after having a baby and was given the option to work from home for a while (not sure for how long), I feel like I can do it without a babysitter but am wondering if I am dreaming. any ideas or tips on how to make it work or is it not really possible? my baby is 4 months old. my job is mostly on the computer with a few phone conversations necessary. it would be about 5-6 hrs a day.
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Ruchel




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jan 29 2015, 6:40 am
Up to a certain age, when they're mobile, it may be totally doable.
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Raisin




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jan 29 2015, 6:47 am
probably not, but it depends on the baby. I would recommend getting a babysitter for 2-3 hours in the morning before the baby naps. Then you should be able to get in another couple of hours while he naps, and maybe another hour or so in the evening or while the baby plays.

But try it without a babysitter and see if it works.
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amother


 

Post Thu, Jan 29 2015, 7:00 am
I have worked from home. It will probably work till the baby is about 6 months. After that, all bets are really off. If you have a serious job (and not some freelancing or side business where you can just set your own hours), you need childcare just like if you worked outside the home. Many people don't understand what it really means to work at home until they do it (believe me, I have had my share of dealing with people who think I can do XYZ favor for them because I'm home all day, and therefore not at all occupied). There are many benefits- no commute and the monetary and time costs that come with it; you can take quick breaks to throw in a load of laundry or start the dishwasher; you can nurse a baby as needed; you can see your children during your lunch break if they're home, or greet them for a few minutes after school; the sitter knows you are essentially yotzei v'nichnas, which keeps her accountable. However, you are NOT a SAHM. You cannot do major chores during your work day because you're working; you can't have your kids in the room with you and you can't really take care of them by yourself (they will need to be fed, supervised, etc throughout the day). You really will need a sitter. You save money in that you only need her during hours worked and not also for commuting time. But a WAH job is not a get-out-of-childcare-free card.
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sky




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jan 29 2015, 7:02 am
I kept all my kids home when I worked. For sure until 6 months it was doable. After that it got harder and harder.
with my first I found it the hardest, because it was my first. But with my others I kept home until about 9 months, and at that point it became impossible.

For the first 3 months I would pretty much nurse them, wrap them and put them back to sleep. I was able to nurse when working.

When they got older I had different toys to cycle them through.
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kb




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jan 29 2015, 7:09 am
Depends on the kid. Try it, you'll see how it goes. You can always decide to send to s babysitter at any point.
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SRS




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jan 29 2015, 7:19 am
Here are my tips: Learn to nurse while working. Split your day into different segments. Try to have someone else around when you need to have important meetings to give you a hand. Make sure your boss is willing to treat you like he would an independent contractor. You put in the time when you can, but complete the work. If you need to be on the clock, Murphy's law will kick in.
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luppamom




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jan 29 2015, 7:20 am
I do it and find it very challenging. My baby does not always follow her schedule and s/t doesn't nap long enough. When she's up, she wants me to play w/ her. I end up working late at night or not enough. All of my time is consumed b/c I am always trying to work so I can have the night off. I did send to a babysitter for a point in time, but now, I have much less hrs.

A babysitter is a huge mechaya. You don't need for all 6 hrs. but enough that you've done most of the work you needed to do. It also frees up your mind b/c you don't have to worry about all the baby what-ifs. What-if I'm on the phone and the baby wakes up/cries, what if the baby doesn't nap nicely... You can work for a couple of hrs. when the baby is home, but not 6 hrs.

At 4 mos. they sleep a lot and you can probably wing it, but if you want your baby to get used to the sitter and the schedule, it's probably easier to start young.
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abby1776




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jan 29 2015, 7:24 am
I couldn't do it. Nothing got the attention it was supposed to, not the baby, not the work. Hire a babysitter.
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amother


 

Post Thu, Jan 29 2015, 7:31 am
My daughter is almost 2 and its working out fine. I think it depends on the kid, how disciplined you are, how helpful dh is, and if the time you need to work is flexible. My daughter naps for 3 hrs and while she naps the only thing I do is work. Then I work another 2 hrs at night. But this only works well because dh really helps if I need it - he'll do the dishes, clean up from supper, vacuum....I find there are so many advantages with staying at home, while my daughter is up, I can take of all the errands outside the house, take her to mommy and me groups and ect.... she even enjoys "helping me" do the laundry. And the things that are hard to do when she's around, dh usually does since when she goes to sleep, I work. I would say to try it out and see how it goes. You can always get a baby sister if need be. And besides even if you get a babysitter its probably still better to work from home (unless your really need the social interaction)- in case the babysitter cancels one time, your baby gets sick and ect... and if you have to send her out, you can probably get always with sending her out for less hrs then you would if you would go into work. But this can only really work if the time you need to work is flexible - then you can always make up a few hrs Sunday or motzei shabbos and ect if need be.
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OOTforlife




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jan 29 2015, 7:31 am
Depends on the work and baby, as well as your abilities.

I usually can't do it. Most of my work requires deep concentration, complicated analysis, and attention to detail. And I am the type of person who is by nature very easily distracted and has a hard time switching gears. I can do a conference call with a nursing (therefore not crying or crawling around getting into trouble) baby, and occasionally I have some mindless tasks that I can do for 5-20 minutes at a time between interruptions, but those are the exception, not the rule.
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sweetpotato




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jan 29 2015, 7:40 am
I was never able to. My baby never really developed a schedule, and went through unpredictable periods of limited or no napping. And I was too tired by nighttime to work after she went to sleep. My experience is that it's much harder than it sounds. The problem is babies are unpredictable. Even if your baby naps regularly and is fairly self-sufficient during the day, he could go through a phase where this changes completely. If you suddenly find your work-at-home schedule in untenable, you may be scrambling to find childcare immediately, which is also very difficult and stressful. The best option might be to work some days with a babysitter and some days without.
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amother


 

Post Thu, Jan 29 2015, 8:42 am
Op here, chiming in to say thanks for all the replies! I do have help with household chores, so that part should be fine, my biggest concern is getting all of my work done, and what to do if the baby cries and I get a phone call (phone calls are limited but can still happen). And I'm wondering how other people either got it to work or feel that it doesn't work at all. Thanks!!!
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amother


 

Post Thu, Jan 29 2015, 6:14 pm
I say go for it and see what happens.
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amother


 

Post Thu, Jan 29 2015, 8:23 pm
I'm very interested in this topic because I have recently started working from home 2-3 days a week (6 hours). The other days I commute over an hour each way. I have a 9 month old nursing baby. I was hoping to hire a cleaning lady/housekeeper who is good with babies for about 4 hours on the days that I am home. This is because I'm terrible at cleaning. The problem is that I have to be flexible and can't commit to specific days and times. Right now I have a cleaning lady who is shared by a few neighbors. She comes only one day and I must make sure to be home that day. The other day, I don't have any help, but so far not to bad. My son is a pretty easy baby B"H and entertains himself. when he needs more attention I stick him in the highchair with some cheerios or toys so we can "talk" as I work. But he is moving around faster now and if my floor isn't cleaned and vacuumed he can't play on it. I would love to here some ideas.
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amother


 

Post Thu, Jan 29 2015, 8:26 pm
amother wrote:
Op here, chiming in to say thanks for all the replies! I do have help with household chores, so that part should be fine, my biggest concern is getting all of my work done, and what to do if the baby cries and I get a phone call (phone calls are limited but can still happen). And I'm wondering how other people either got it to work or feel that it doesn't work at all. Thanks!!!


Ask your help if they would mind helping out with the baby. Mine feeds the baby lunch and lets him tag along to fold laundry etc.
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chani8




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jan 29 2015, 11:11 pm
It's totally doable.

Tips:
Do not answer the phone when a child is crying.

Find an area that is as sound proof as possible for you to be able to speak on the phone. Check it, by having your DH call you when the baby is fussing, to see how much the listener can hear.

Get a baby bouncer ("exersaucer") for that age.

Make sure to have a safe play area so that your child can be mobile and contained without your constant supervision. I have play gates/mini walls everywhere, with an area for toddlers and an area for babies.
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amother


 

Post Sat, Jan 31 2015, 7:58 pm
What if answer phone when child is not crying and then child starts crying?
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TwinsMommy




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Jan 31 2015, 8:05 pm
I did it with infant twins and at that point I was a sales director, on the phone a lot. I would feed, diaper, and burp them and if they were happiliy laying in a gymini, swinging in a swing, or having tummy time, I could then get on the phone. They slept so much in that first 6 months that I had the playtime (switch their positions and chat with them between calls) AND naptime. But it was harder to be on the phone while feeding them because I needed both hands and had to answer the speaker phone with my foot. Smile But from the time they started moving? forget it. I lowered my workload AND hired a sitter. and of course one twin switched nap schedule before the other which was crazy.
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MiracleMama




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Jan 31 2015, 8:09 pm
I tried. It didn't work out at all.
The plan was to get my work done whenever my baby was napping, but I needed that time to eat, shower, tidy up, nap myself.
Maybe if I were more organized and disciplined. But no, for me it wasn't possible.
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