Working At Home With Children

Being a work at home mom is a choice usually based on wanting to be there with your kids and the need for an income. One of the fastest growing segments of working at home and the easiest to get hired for is with a home based call center that allows you to offer customer service from your home office. Unfortunately background noise is not allowed and can be grounds for dismissal. So how do other moms make what almost seems an impossible task work for them? Here are a few suggestions.

1. Work when your spouse is at home.

Let your husband pitch in and watch the kids while you work. He can keep them occupied in the another part of the house by having some quality time playing board games, video games or watching a movie. Or how about outside for some play time.

2. Work at night while the kids are asleep.

Many companies offer flexible schedules and allow for work 24 hours a day. Working late at night is a perfect solution for absolute quiet.

3. Work during nap times.

There are a few companies that offer scheduling by the half hour with the option of picking up a shift or two while the kids are napping.

4. Work while the kids are in school or daycare.

This is the perfect way to work when you have kids. Some women put their kids in daycare for a few hours a day so they can get in that work time.

5. Barter with a friend or neighbor for some quiet kid free time.

Do you know someone who would trade daycare time with you? This could be a winning situation for both of you and can give your kids other children to play with.

6. Have your older children look after the younger ones.

This can definitely depend on the maturity of your oldest and the manageability of the youngest. But this does work for some moms.

7. Keep them quiet in the room with you.

This is not the most desirable solution and it would probably work best with just one child. If your children are old enough to understand that it is quiet time when mom is on the phone, then it is possible to even have them in the same room as you. Give them quiet activities to do like coloring or worksheets. They can even watch TV or play a Nintendo DS using headphones.

If you choose to work while your kids are home then please remember that companies do not tolerate noise. Make sure you have a really good noise canceling headset to help reduce any background noise. Having a separate office space lets you shut the door and sends the message that mom is working.

West Corp. and Live Ops are two of my best picks for companies that are flexible in their schedule so you can work with kids. They allow for hours to be picked up in half hour increments and in some cases on the spur of the moment.