My friends pay me to watch their kids alongside my own. It's a fulfilling way to make $400 a week as a stay-at-home mom.

I person been a stay-at-home mom since my boy was calved successful 2024.

The cost of time care successful my area is high, pinch prices I saw starting astatine $1,400 a period for a fewer hours a week. It didn't make consciousness for maine to activity a full-time occupation only to springiness my full paycheck to personification other to watch my kid.

So my hubby and I decided he would support his full-time job, and I'd do freelance writing activity successful betwixt watching our boy to springiness america a small near complete for other expenses aft paying rent and bills.

My schedule shifted successful precocious 2025 erstwhile a friend reached retired to me. Since I was staying location pinch my son, would it beryllium excessively overmuch problem if I besides watched her daughter? She'd salary me, of course.

I wanted to beryllium a bully friend and thief her retired successful immoderate measurement that I could. She was pregnant pinch her 2nd kid and juggling 2 school jobs while her partner was besides working.

They needed the other help, and I could connection much elastic hours than immoderate time care. So, I began watching their kid for astir 10 hours a week, and my friend became my first client.

Being a stay-at-home mom and a babysitter, simultaneously, hasn't been very challenging for me

Honestly, erstwhile you're location watching a toddler, 1 much doesn't really make that overmuch of a difference.

My boy was besides excited to person personification to play pinch regularly, and immoderate of the socialization he whitethorn person been missing retired connected by not going to time attraction was made up for by his mama taking connected different kid.

When my friend's 2nd kid was born, I continued to babysit for the family, now watching 2 toddlers and a newborn. That came pinch its ain challenges, but the toddlers usually kept each different entertained while I tended to the baby.

Eventually, different moms successful our circle recovered retired I was babysitting my friend's kids and asked maine to watch theirs arsenic well.

I now person 3 regular babysitting clients, which isn't excessively challenging for me.

I've worked arsenic a babysitter, after-school teacher, and children's room adjutant successful the past. I'm very utilized to being astir kids — I'm pinch my boy during each his waking hours, and we typically be various communicative times aliases children's activities successful our neighborhood.

I don't mind being astir a batch of children, either. I deliberation they're nosy and creative, and I emotion seeing them acquisition the world for the first time. I relish being a coach of sorts, and I'm happy to do it for immoderate of my son's friends.

The babysitting portion presents its ain challenges, of course. Sometimes there's conflict betwixt my boy and different kid. In those cases, I person each of them play independently for a spot until they cool down.

Other times, a kid I'm watching misses their mom aliases doesn't want to play. At this point, I conscionable punctual them that their genitor ever comes back, and promote them to effort different nosy activities.

My clients are besides beautiful bully pinch on-time pickups, but sometimes there's a clip crunch if they're moving precocious and I person a batch of freelance activity to do that day.

Otherwise, astir days are reasonably soft sailing.

For now, this is simply a fulfilling measurement to gain other money

I typically complaint $25 an hr for each babysitting gig, arsenic I judge that's a adjacent complaint for juggling aggregate kids.

I decided connected this number aft talking pinch immoderate of my nanny friends to find retired what the mean rates looked for illustration successful my area. Admittedly, I complaint a small spot little than I astir apt should because I'm typically moving for friends.

Still, I negociate to make an other $400 aliases truthful a week from doing this work. The number fluctuates a spot depending connected really overmuch I americium needed.

Since my freelance penning gigs are flexible, I'm still capable to do those successful betwixt babysitting shifts, too.

All the other income decidedly helps, arsenic I am, by nature, a hustler erstwhile it comes to really I make money, and I scrape by pinch immoderate I tin to help pinch my family's expenses, while besides staying location pinch my boy afloat time.

Money aside, I genuinely bask helping my friends pinch their children.

However, I do want to person a 2nd kid, truthful it is reliable to opportunity if I will proceed babysitting successful the future. I do emotion moving pinch kids —especially ones I cognize good already — and I dream to proceed doing this activity arsenic agelong arsenic I can.