If you bring your child to work with you, what do you do?

[RockStarMom]

I'm a full time student and bring my daughter to work with me as a nanny, but thinking of what other options there are. I'm curious as to what jobs other moms have in which they bring their children. I remember there was a Mothering magazine article about this a while back but can't recall much of it.

[*MamaJen*]

Not exactly a typical scenario, but I'm newspaper reporter (now editor). I brought my son to the office for about five months. I had to switch beats a little bit -- no covering housefires or crime scenes with a baby in tow -- but in general it worked out really well.

[Austin'smom]

I started my own accounting firm. I do most of my work in my home office with the kids (7 yr old and 16 month old) around. The only part of my job I don't have them around for is phone calls or client meetings. When I get busier ( tax season ) they might not be with me as much.

[annethcz]

Babies? Or older kids? My children attend the school I teach at. So they come to work with me in the morning, hang out with me while I'm doing my prep work, then go off to their own classrooms.

[sweetpeppers]

I have taken my son with me delivering newspapers, freelance newspaper reporting, babysitting/nannying, he's with me while I make my toys that I sell and at craft shows that I do, and most recently I worked on an organic farm with him and helped out at the farmer's market with him. I'm a single mother, so he goes everywhere I go.

[shayinme]

I am the Executive Director of a neighborhood community center, we offer after school and summer programming. I don't bring my dd in often but if I do its not a problem since she can play with the other kids at the center.

[lolar2]

Originally Posted by Austin'smom

I started my own accounting firm. I do most of my work in my home office with the kids (7 yr old and 16 month old) around. The only part of my job I don't have them around for is phone calls or client meetings. When I get busier ( tax season ) they might not be with me as much.

Serious question: how do you stop the younger one from diving into your neatly stacked papers like a pile of leaves? If I could figure that out I might be able to get more work done (DS is 3 but still does it, though not as much as he did at 16 months).

[sewchris2642]

I have, depending on the age of the child and the work place. Joy used to be in a playpen behind me when I sewed for a RTW company that worked out of their house. That worked until she was 5-6 months old and the playpen became too restrictive. When Joy was 5 and Erica was 3, I worked for a woman who did custom draperies in her home. They went with me. I homeschooled Dylan this school year (6th grade; 12 yo) at work, 2 days a week. He was in the classroom 2 days and home 3 days. But one of those home days is my day off. Mostly, though, for when my kids were under school age, they went to dc or I worked only when I had other care for them at home. Sharp scissors, sewing machines, and hot irons are not great playthings for little kids.

[marinak1977]

I work part time as SCO for a startup and was able to bring DS to many team meetings. I work a lot from home too. My other job is in the lab though, so I won't be able to take him there, he'll have to go to daycare once I return to that work.

[Peony]

I supervise a breastfeeding program at the local health dept. My 5 employees work from home, I mostly do as well. I email them with contacts, do all the paperwork, deal with medical issues, etc... all of that I do with my children. I go into the office twice a week briefly with my children. 2 days a month I run meetings which my children are welcome at, I usually hire a sitter for the 3y, and bring the 1y. Another day a month I am in meetings at the office, I have to have a sitter for everyone for that day. When I train or hire then it is not children friendly but that is rare.