21 Flexible Jobs for Stay-at-Home Moms and Dads

As any stay-at-home mom or dad will tell you, watching children is a full-time job unlike any other. It requires around-the-clock attention, takes full-on emotional investment and—although it pays in other currencies—doesn’t provide an income.

Parents throughout history have come up with creative ways to earn cash while raising their kids at home, and today there are many flexible jobs for stay-at-home moms and dads to choose from. We’ve put together this list of work-from-home jobs to help parents make ends meet while staying at home with the kiddos.

Finding the Right Side Hustle for Your Family

Before you can find the perfect side job, you must get realistic about how much time and flexibility you have, as well as your skills. Parents with toddlers will have less flexibility than parents with school-age children. Parents who have stepped away from their careers might have the experience to land high-paying freelance jobs that others will not qualify for.

We all have our strengths! Lean into them when searching for the perfect job. Think about the jobs you will enjoy doing, since your side hustle will probably take up a lot of your personal time. You should also consider your unique needs, like payment consistency and the ability to step away from work when duty calls at home.

Work Remotely Doing What You Love

Best jobs for doing what you love when you're a parent

As a parent, you wear many hats, and it’s likely you’re already doing a lot of these jobs at home. Consider the tasks and projects that bring you the most joy when picking your side hustle.

1. Start a Blog

Blogging can be a lucrative part-time job, especially once you build a catalog of content and a strong following. Create a blog inspired by your interests and write about the things you love while earning passive income from advertisements, sponsored posts or affiliate links.

2. Sell Baked Goods

Like to bake? Set up a booth at your farmers’ market or local festivals and sell your baked goods in the community. You can also take custom orders over the phone or online, using social media or word-of-mouth marketing to spread the word. Review cottage food laws in your state before selling food you make in your home.

3. Source, Flip and Sell Vintage Wares

If you love flipping decor and finding retro goods at thrift stores, garage sales and flea markets, you can make extra cash by selling on eBay or Etsy. Buy low, sell high! Check out the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Resellers Guide for more information on safely reselling items.

4. Provide In-Home Childcare

Running an in-home daycare or after-school care service is a great way to earn money while also watching your own kids. You’ll be earning money while your kids have a playdate. Look into your state’s licensing regulations before getting started.

5. Pet Sit

Love animals? Sites like DogVacay let you advertise your home as a safe and fun place for pets to stay while their owners are away. Make sure your family, especially your children, are comfortable with animals in the home before pursuing this one. Keep in mind that some states might require licenses and insurance before you start your pet sitting business.

6. Sell on Etsy

If you enjoy making handmade goods, you can sell your creations on Etsy and earn cash doing what you love. Want to take it to the next level? Consider investing in a multichannel ecommerce platform like BigCommerce or Shopify that allows you to list on multiple marketplaces from one dashboard.

7. Sell Gently Used Clothing

Love finding fashion gems at thrift stores? Create your own online shop selling vintage and gently used clothing. If you want to save yourself from having to ship year round, create an online pop-up shop that opens only a few times a year. You can also sell on social media or in an ecommerce store.

8. Become a Coach or Mentor

For those who enjoy personal development and helping others, becoming a life, business or health coach can be a fulfilling career. You can take on as many clients as you choose, depending on the time you have to devote to the job.

Use Your Skills to Make Money from Home

Stay at home mom working as photographer

Many stay-at-home moms and dads have skills and professional experience they can leverage at home when looking for the perfect side job. Consider your skill level and marketability when considering the jobs listed below.

9. Become a Freelance Writer

You can write any time—during nap time, after the kids go to bed or early in the morning. If you have the skills and a love for research and language, consider freelancing your services. Check out sites like FlexJobs and Upwork to find your first clients.

10. Start a Consulting Business

If you’ve taken time off from your full-time career to take care of your kids, you might earn an income and keep your work history active by working as a consultant. Stay active on LinkedIn, market yourself online and join freelancer job sites to find work.

If you’re a pro at fostering community and connecting with people online, freelancing your skills as a social media manager could be a great way to earn an income. With scheduling software, you can work on your posts during free moments and set them to publish at optimal times.

12. Tutor

Stay-at-home parents who have bachelor’s degrees, speak foreign languages or have experience teaching can earn lucrative rates tutoring, depending on the subject. You can work with students in your home or in a public space, like the library or local coffee shop.

13. Be a Copy Editor

Content publishers need proofreaders and copy editors but don’t always have the budget to pay for an in-house employee. If you love crisp copy and grammar, becoming a freelance editor is a good opportunity for you.

14. Start a Photography Business

If you are visual and have the technical knowledge to operate a camera and edit photos, starting your own photography business could allow you to earn an income while being away from the house only once or twice a week. You can also find freelance photography jobs on flexible job sites.

15. Work as a Graphic Designer

Designers are some of the highest-paid and most in-demand freelancers freelancers. It makes little sense for many companies to hire full-time designers, so if you have a strong portfolio and diverse skills, you could be in high demand.

16. Be an Interior Designer

Interior design can be a hard market to break into, but if you have a passion for creating beautiful spaces, it might be a great side hustle while you stay at home with kids. You can start by styling rooms for family and friends or see if a real estate agent will partner with you to stage homes on the market.

Try Something New

Not finding a side hustle that aligns with your strengths and interests? There are many work-from-home jobs that anyone can do with a little training and ambition.

17. Start a Dropship Business

Dropshipping is a popular business model for entrepreneurs that allows you to start a business with almost no money down. All you need is an ecommerce store, a dropshipping partner and some online marketing skills. Customers buy from your store and your supplier ships the products.

18. Become a Virtual Assistant

A virtual assistant performs a variety of administrative tasks, like scheduling meetings, making travel arrangements and creating presentations remotely. It’s a great side hustle for those who don’t want a gap on their resumes or for those interested in administrative careers.

19. Become a Bookkeeper

You don’t need an accounting degree, or any degree, to be a bookkeeper. Get familiar with Excel and other accounting tools and become certified through the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers. Then search for small businesses who need bookkeeping help on flexible job boards.

20. Transcribe

Transcriptionists are in high demand, especially in law enforcement. If you have a few hours of free time each day to type up audio recordings, this could be a great side hustle that doesn’t require you to leave the house. You can get certified online or look for jobs that will train you on the clock.

21. Be a Search Engine Evaluator

Algorithms aren’t perfect. That’s why human evaluators are needed. As a search engine evaluator, you check listings for quality and relevancy. This job requires a qualification exam, and you must follow strict guidelines. However, it often only requires you have high-speed internet access and provides flexible work that lets you work from home any time of the day.