We’ve comprised a list of 50+ jobs that don’t suck. We looked at “take your baby to work jobs” and found there isn’t much out there for sustainable work and a decent income. We found a couple of jobs where you can work with your baby on hand but as far as work from home careers go, working with a baby on hand is not simple, and not lucrative.
Not all jobs can be done from home but some are baby friendly none the less. If you’ve got a little one and you don’t want to see her at day care, these career change ideas can help you make ends meet while spending time with your bubba. These take your baby to work jobs help you to make a few dollars without stopping breastfeeding and while keeping your little one close.
Other job options (that don’t suck) for a stay at home mum:
Working in a “real job” from home – READ THIS FIRST!
Work at home careers – professional work from home jobs
Work from home tech jobs
Work from home personal service jobs
Work at home admin gigs
Stay at home with a blog or shop
How we’ve assessed these take your baby to work jobs
We’ve given every flexible job opportunity some rankings to help you decide if it’s really for you and if it’s going to meet your family’s needs. Take your baby to work jobs are a bit different to other stay at home working opportunities. Here’s how we’ve rated it:
- Set up costs
- Set up time
- Earning potential
- Demand (based on number of customers searching for this service)
- Competition (based on the number of Australian mums already doing it)
- Other issues
Retrain to work in child care – 4/10
Taking your baby to work at a childcare centre sounds ideal but keep in mind you will need to pay for your baby’s place at the centre and there’s no guarantee you’ll be in ‘her room’. That means that you could be putting your baby into daycare while you put yourself into it too!
- Set up costs – High, you’ll need at least a Certificate 3 in a relevant qualification. Without a subsidy, this can be around $7000
- Set up time – The certificate III takes 25 weeks full time study
- Earning potential – Low. Child care is among Australia’s lowest paid industries
- Demand (based on number of customers searching for this service) – High – child care centres tend to have high staff turnover. Demand will depend on your location.
- Competition (based on the number of Australian mums already doing it) – NA
Work from home as a Family Daycarer – 5/10
Like childcare in a centre, you’ll need a minimum of a certificate III to run a family daycare. You will also need insurance and possibly minor modifications to your home. Your own child will count towards your “ratio” so you’ll not be able to earn your full potential.
- Set up costs – High (get ready to make some alterations to your home to be compliant, not to mention any training and insurance involved)
- Set up time – High, luckily though you should have a local “Family Day Care” agency that sends you parents directly, so there’s very little hunting for new customers
- Earning potential – Low. This industry pays very poorly and family daycarers earn even less than centre staff
- Demand (based on number of customers searching for this service) – Depends on area
- Competition (based on the number of Australian mums already doing it) – Depends on area
- Other issues – Unlike day care, you’ll have control over your time and how much of it is spent with your baby. Doing day care from home however means that if you’re having a bad day, there’s nobody to “take your room” so you must be passionate about caring for other people’s kids!
Airtasker and OneShift on your terms – 4/10
Airtasker is all about you connecting with someone who needs a one off task done. OneShift Jobs is more about you filling a last minute vacancy in your industry (tending bar for a night etc)
Found a niche you can do that is in demand? Working through Airtasker means you’re able to “set your terms” – including, sure I can come water your plants and weed your garden but my toddler will be “helping me”. Bringing a baby to work on Airtasker raises a few insurance questions and you may have some issues competing with those who won’t be bringing a baby to do the task but if you can prove you’re insured and your hourly rate will compensate for time spent giving little ones snacks, this may be an option for you.
- Set up costs – Minimal
- Set up time – Minimal
- Earning potential – Fairly low – work will be sporadic and generally poorly paid
- Demand (based on number of customers searching for this service) – Airtasker is getting more popular everyday and there’s a squillion different options. Many of the options can be done by “anyone” so you will find them competitive.
- Competition (based on the number of Australian mums already doing it) – Low – Medium. Airtasker is filled with businesses looking for leads. Most people looking for an Airtasker have gone there because they don’t want to hire a business. So, as a legit causal worker, you have an edge!
- Other issues – Read up on insurance and the Airtasker terms of service. They will delete your profile and ban you if you break any rules.
Take your baby delivering pamphlets – 3/10
This is amongst the lowest paid jobs available to Australian mums. If you’re a keen walker who loves to put bubs in a pram and hit the neighbourhood, it might suit you if you need to make a few extra dollars. Beyond the actual walking, you may be required to fold thousands of pamphlets, a task which usually goes unpaid.
- Set up costs – Minimal
- Set up time – Minimal
- Earning potential – Low. Really low. This is some poorly paid work!
- Demand (based on number of customers searching for this service) – High. This is a poorly paid job in an industry where workers are hard to recruit. You should have no issues securing an opportunity.
- Competition (based on the number of Australian mums already doing it) – Low
- Other issues – This is not a sustainable work at home option and should instead be viewed as something you can do in the early months to get your fitness back, rock bubs to sleep and make a few dollars.
Take your baby pet sitting and walking – 6/10
Dog walking and pet sitting usually pays “per visit” and generally you’d visit the pet twice a day for a play, feed and cuddle – this is usually paid fairly low (around $20 a day). Dog walking ranges from $20 – $50 depending on the size of the dog and the length of the walk. Dog clipping and washing pays well but is time consuming and has a higher set up cost.
- Set up costs – Minimal
- Set up time – Medium (finding clients can be trickier)
- Earning potential – Moderate (although the “cash in hand” temptation is always there in this field, it pays long term to build a legitimate business)
- Demand (based on number of customers searching for this service) – Depends on your area
- Competition (based on the number of Australian mums already doing it) – Depends on your area
- Other issues – There are agencies around that can delivery you leads but the best bet is probably using local Facebook groups, buy sell swap groups and putting up notices at local shops. The key is to only take clients nearby or you’ll be driving a lot for little return.
Cleaning with a baby– 5/10
Cleaning with your bubs in her backpack works OK for the first few months but the moment it gets boring for your little one to sleep in a baby carrier, cleaning with kids becomes totally counter-intuitive. This is again, not sustainable for long term income but might help ends meet in those first difficult months.
- Set up costs – Minimal
- Set up time – Minimal
- Earning potential – Low
- Demand (based on number of customers searching for this service) – Depends on your area but most cities have high demand for good, reliable cleaners.
- Competition (based on the number of Australian mums already doing it) – Depends on your area
- Other issues – not one person ever said that it was easy to keep things clean with a baby around. Once your little one is crawling, this job is going to get a whole lot harder
Market Stalls and Food Vans With a Baby – 4/10
Hand making, home growing, food vanning or car boot selling, spending your Sunday at a market with your baby in tow means having a buddy on hand for when you need to feed and change. Whether you’re an op-shopper and reseller, a home grower or a crafter who sells handmade items, the prep time, the travel time, the set up and pull down makes this a very labour intensive way to make ends meet.
- Set up costs – Moderate
- Set up time – Moderate
- Earning potential – Low to moderate
- Demand (based on number of customers searching for this service) – Depends on location
- Competition (based on the number of Australian mums already doing it) – Depends on location
- Other issues – Food vans are all the rage right now and have become a franchise favourite for new mums who want to take their baby to work. Food vans however do face the same regulation as other ‘restaurants’ in terms of food hygiene. You must check with your local council before committing to a food based project if there’s a chance of a poopy nappy nearby.
Kids Party Supplies or Entertainment – 6/10
Face painting, jumping castle hire, party equipment hire… Generally kids events and parties will have a little leeway on accompanying babies. If you’re confident that your child will “let you work” you could opt for a kids industry based service that allows you to ‘baby wear” while setting up or doing the work. This won’t work for weddings or corporate events but you may be able to bring your baby to kids events.
- Set up costs – Depends on business idea
- Set up time – Depends on business idea
- Earning potential – Low to moderate
- Demand (based on number of customers searching for this service) – Depends on location and product
- Competition (based on the number of Australian mums already doing it) – Depends on location
- Other issues – Most kids parties are on weekends or outside school hours so this can be a good option if you have a partner or family who can care for your baby if the client says no to an extra guest.
Delivery Driver – 5/10
While a franchise delivery place or Uber Eats might not allow for a baby on board, acting as a delivery driver or courier for local business will allow you to load the baby up for a ride in the car while making a little money. Florists, printers, restaurants and other locals needing a quick and simple delivery plan may opt for a local mum over a very expensive courier company or unreliable postal service.
- Set up costs – Depends on business idea but you may need a van!
- Set up time – This is a business that needs building so it will take time
- Earning potential – Low to moderate
- Demand (based on number of customers searching for this service) – Depends on location
- Competition (based on the number of Australian mums already doing it) – Depends on location
- Other issues – With Uber Eats and all its competitors appearing on the scene, this industry is becoming less and less viable for small operators. IT would ideally suit a mum with lots of local connections in retail.
MLM with kids – 2/10
We’re talking about jobs that don’t suck here so let’s not focus too much on the many, many sucky MLM options out there. Yes, currently MLMs make $30 billion but an estimated 99.92% of Herbalife sellers, a well known MLM company, LOST money on the scheme. Some would argue that MLMs are the highest risk of all work at home jobs. They are however a favourite of stay at home mums as they can be done with kids – whether that means MLM scammers target mums especially is another question that needs another article to answer.
- Set up costs – Moderate
- Set up time – LONG. MLM is based around building a chain of sellers underneath you. This is about recruiting more sellers. This takes a long time and they need to then build up their own chains before you see much money.
- Earning potential – Negligible. The MLM companies say LOTS the industry watchdogs say you’re statistically likely to lose money.
- Demand (based on number of customers searching for this service) – There is a negative demand. MLM sellers need to convince others to be involved.
- Competition (based on the number of Australian mums already doing it) – Extreme. There are more sellers than there are customers.
- Other issues – If you’re absolutely determined to join a MLM scheme, it’s vital to do research first. Find out how many sellers are in your immediate area and if you can “have a territory”. Research demand for the product and saturation of the market. Join a few Facebook groups. If a million sellers approach you, you know that there’s far too many sellers already, all desperate to build their income stream.
Are there actual take your baby to work jobs in Australia?
There aren’t many sustainable take your baby to work jobs here in Australia. While some more progressive companies offer on-site day care it’s still “day care”. It takes a very well behaved baby and a baby friendly client base to build a business where your little one is welcome. Unfortunately most of these options also expire after around six months when your baby is no longer interested in being still and watching the world go by.
