A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry

moms of little ones and working at home - mommymt

Posted: Dec 17, 2009

For all you moms to little ones, have any of you found the best time to work from home?? Late at night? Early in morning? Hire a sitter? What works best? Thanks in advance. Just want some opinions and possibly helpful insight.

what I did - empty nest

[ In Reply To ..]
My kids, now 21 and 19, grew up with me working at home. I had to change my schedule umpteen times to accommodate their needs. This was back in the day when tapes were delivered to my door and I had 24 hours to complete the transcription. When they were very little, they went to pre-school a few days a week, and I worked while they were at school. Other times, I worked in the evening after hubby was home to take a turn with them and/or the kids were sleeping. Mostly, I tried to get my work done very early. I worked an hour or two before they work up, broke for breakfast, after which they were pretty good by themselves or "working" next to me for a time. They tended to need me more in mid-late mornings. It was hard to be constantly switching my schedule and working around the kids, but I had a patient boss and always got my work done. Once they got into school, it was SO much better!

working w/little ones - me

[ In Reply To ..]
I did much the same as the first poster...when my twins were 10 weeks, I began working from home with a majorly split shift that went from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. I was able to get in 8 hours during that time frame. Luckily my company at the time was very flexible and allowed me to do that. I worked before they got up, at naptimes, and after they went to bed at 7 p.m. I could not have made it through that time without a very consistent and strict daily schedule that I kept them on. I often thought about hiring a teenager or adult to watch them in the late afternoons, but I never felt like I could make enough $ to really cover that hourly expense and make it worth it. Now they are in elementary school, and it's much easier. I don't know how many times I've had to alter my schedule over the years, though! Good luck!

Re: Little ones... - Stephanie Jo Starling

[ In Reply To ..]
It depends on how old your little ones are. My daughter is almost 4, so she is okay with playing by herself during the day while I work back in my office. I wouldn't suggest that though if they are any younger. If you have a baby, then they will prob sleep most of the day, too! I also work for about two hours after I put my daughter to bed, and during the day while she takes a small nap!

when to work - oh boy

[ In Reply To ..]
I agree with every post. But I would go a little bit further and say that you should work when your kids don't mind not having you around. Too much loyalty to an employer over your family can be a cause of great regret. I call it listening to your family from the other room and not being able to participate and it can be very depressing.

I need a day job! - tabmt

[ In Reply To ..]
I have a 5yo, 4yo, and 3yo and I have been forced on the night shift for the past 3 years. It is either move to another account or work a 2nd/3rd shift. I have been moved to so many accounts I just had to work the 2nd/3rd shift. I am DYING!!! The kids come home by 3 and I feed them by 5:30 and jump on the computer at 6 pm. I get off at 2 am and then get back up at 6 am to put them on the bus. Sometimes I can go back to bed, but my 3yo has other ideas most of the time. If I can ever find a daytime job I would jump into it so fast like you wouldn't believe!

It depends on your schedule - Chrisi

[ In Reply To ..]
I worked at night and it was ok. My son goes to bed at 10 and wakes up around 9 so working from 9 to 1 sounded perfect, and it mostly was. The only thing was that on nights that I couldn't get to sleep right away or my son woke up early in the morning I would be fighting falling asleep at the keyboard; so of course I would drink coffee, turn on the fan, and anything else to keep myself alert, but then I couldn't get to sleep again. I started out working early in the morning, and that was ok, but again my son goes to bed late so I was still not getting enough sleep. That and because I was working when my son was up I had to ignore him a little and take a lot of breaks from work.

It really does depend on your, really the kids, schedule. Whatever you choose to do just make sure that you are able to get the sleep that your body needs so that you can sit at the computer typing for hours without falling asleep.

I hope you figure out the balance for you, good luck.

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xx ...