For most work-at-home moms considering this question about child care, the answer is “yes,” or at least part-time child care. But how much and what kind child care provider you need varies depending on factors such as:
- Type of employment
- Economic situation
- Hours
- Number and ages of children
- Ability to deal with distractions
How Much Child Care Do You Need?
Full Time
The instances in which work-at-home moms must have full-time child care are somewhat limited. That said, many choose to employ full-time child care in order to maintain a smoother work/life balance and to ensure their kids get the attention they need.
So when is full-time child care an absolute must? If you telecommute full time during regular business hours and have children pre-school age or younger, you’ll need child care to match your work hours. It’s unfair to your children, employer and yourself to try to work full time while simultaneously caring for children.
Some work-at-home moms employ full-time child care, even when they have school-age children, because of the unpredictability of their work schedules, frequent business travel, or the need to have someone drive children to activities and school. Also, parents who managed to work at home with one child with only part-time child care may find that the birth of a second child necessitates full-time child care.
Benefits: Flexibility to travel or leave the house, fewer distractions, children may receive more one-on-one attention, increased productivity at work
Drawbacks: Cost, less time with children
Part Time
For many work-at-home moms, part-time child care is all that is needed because they have a limited or non-traditional work schedule, or their children are in school.
Obviously, part-time employment only requires part-time child care. Self-employed work-at-home moms can often scale back their hours (and subsequently, their income) to only need babysitting part of the time. Some telecommuters are also able to obtain part-time employment.
Full-time work-at-home moms can often manage with only part-time child care. The work hours when they don’t have child care may be done in early morning, after bedtime, or on weekends. School-age children are usually gone at least six hours a day, leaving only a relatively small amount of time in which babysitting is needed. Some couples share the child care duties, if one or both has a flexible schedule or does shift work.
Benefits: Less expensive than full-time child care, more time with children
Drawbacks: Less flexibility, possibly more distractions, could require night and weekend work
No Child Care
The circumstances in which no outside child care is needed are pretty similar to those in which part-time help might work, varying only by degree (i.e. children in school, part-time employment, spousal help, etc).
It is possible (though not necessarily recommended) to work full time with no child care. The most obvious, and perhaps easiest, way is to work when kids are in school and then complete your workload while kids are occupied at home or sleeping. (But don’t forget, there’s always summer!)
Families with children who are not yet in school can manage without child care if one spouse doesn’t work or works a very limited schedule. In-home daycare operators are examples of work-at-home moms with young children who work full-time. Keep in mind that state rules vary about at what ages your own children count toward your allowed number of children in a home daycare.
Benefits: Significant cost saving, more time with children
Drawbacks: More distractions, increased risk of being unable to complete work obligations
A Note to Self-Employed Individuals: Business owners who, unlike telecommuters, aren’t obligated to an employer that pays for their time, might be tempted to go without or scale back on child care to save money. But unless your work hours are quite limited, you should consider having some kind of child care. Not only will your business grow faster with more attention from you, your family’s time together will be more enjoyable.
