Five Childcare Solutions That Are Recommended for Work-at-Home Parents

Are you looking for a work-at-home childcare solution? Just because you don't go into an office everyday doesn't mean that your time isn't valuable or that your life has automatically got a lot easier.

When you work from home, you're trading the cubicle work life for a more comfortable home workspace, but not without its obstacles and one of those challenges can be childcare.

If you have children, then you know that childcare is an important factor in your work life, regardless of if you work at home or not. No need to stress out about this any longer. We have some solutions for you!

Keep reading to learn about these five childcare solutions that are recommended for work-at-home parents.

A Myth about Working from Home

There are some common myths about working from home.

One of the biggest misconceptions about working from home is that you save money on childcare.

Maybe, but not necessarily.

Yes, there can be significant savings when you opt to work from home but childcare may not be one of them.

Think about when your kids are home with you.

How productive can you be?

Can you meet deadlines?

Can you take meetings and conference calls?

Can you do your work?

Maybe, but not without some challenges.

Below are five ways to handle childcare when you work from home.

Five Solutions for Handling Childcare when Working at Home

You have to think about where your kids will be when you are working.

From this, create a schedule.

Adjust your work hours, if needed, to accommodate the childcare schedule. If you work an eight-hour schedule, you may be able to work eight hours during the day but not consecutively.

Or, you can start your day earlier or end it later. There are many options here that can work around virtually any schedule. If the kids must be home due to illness or holiday, opt for evening work while the family is winding down and less likely to interrupt.

Consider sharing duties with other work-at-home moms and dads.

Depending on the job, work schedules may be more flexible for some than others. In that case, think about splitting child care with others in your work-from-home community. Doing this helps to reduce the cost of childcare.

For example, instead of getting a babysitter, you can participate in childcare in a group setting where it's cheaper and your kids will be entertained and can even treat it like a play date.

Find a private babysitter, too.

A daycare center may not be a good fit in all cases. A private babysitter tends to be more flexible, where daycare centers have set pickup and drop-off times, hours of operation, etc.

Next, separate your work area.

You want to have a very distinctive space that you call your office. This will help separate work and home life, contributing to work/life balance, which can be a real struggle for many people who work from home.

Tips for Separating Your Work Space

1. Pick a space with a door (like an office, spare bedroom, etc.)
2. Pick a quiet space, if available
3. Use your work space only for work
4. Do not work in other parts of your home

Our Take

Working at home provides more flexibility in your daily schedule but childcare solutions may still be needed.

Hopefully, you found an answer in our roundup of flexible childcare solutions for work-at-home parents.

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