SAHMS Who Want to Volunteer with Small Kids

I've thought about this a dozen times before, also! We want to help, contribute, use our skills, and yet it's so hard with a little or two in tow.

I think it comes down to organization of it all. Maybe create a FB page in your area that other moms can "like." You can post your ideas, get feedback, and make dates to do something. Maybe find a couple of daycare providers who would help or arrange a rotation of members who watch kids, while the others "work." The problem I've found is that not everyone is comfortable with leaving their kids with someone they don't know....hence why many of SAH.

I was also inspired when I saw an interview with a family that wanted family safe volunteer sites that they could take their kids with. They created a FB page where other charities could post on their site and they organized them all for other families to see and join. Don't remember their site or name.

I try to volunteer to do things that I can work on at home. I've made play - dough for the preschool, organized and put the bulletin board up, and take turns writing the monthly newsletter that goes out to the district. I also make phone calls to ask for guest speakers at the family center.

Where I work also taps into the need for volunteers, and I'd love to have SAHM's who would be willing to help....but it's after school and that's when kids need moms.

GOOD LUCK!!! Let us know what you end up doing.

Sounds like a fantastic idea to me. this could work for something like meals on wheels too. Everyone take a turn with the kids at their house with one other mom to help and the rest go deliver the food. I was a coordinator in my old life, while I do not have a lot of spare time (alone sans children so I could actually be super productive) I would love to help in any way. Message me if you would like to talk more.

So I just noticed you live in a different state so not much I can do to help you (at this point) but if anyone else feels inspired closer to me let me know. Good luck! I think this is a great big idea!

While I am not aware of something like that, it doesn't mean it doesn't exsist, but many non-profits are on such a thin string the liablity and costs of watching other people's children just to get some volunteers may not be in their plans - however, I LOVE your idea of proving or starting a type of service like that.
Right now, my non profit uses the sorority who is tagged to our organizaiton by dropping off mailers and cards to stuff and seal envelopes. They do this during their meetings and it is pretty simple and straight forward.
When I was a hosptial local gals would get together and make cards and put them in the waiting rooms for patients' families to write nursese/doctors thank you cards and there were gropus who would knit hats for the NICU babies.
Identify some non profits in your area that may need some administrative or other kind of support you can do from home and you will have the best of both worlds!

Good luck!

I am a volunteer with the American Cancer Society. I mostly volunteer for Relay For Life doing Survivor Activities. I have been taking my son with me to my meetings and activities since I was pregnant with him. He goes with me to ask companies for donations of services. (Not the ones that require sit down meetings though, he is NOT good at sitting still.) He loves it! We have a small packet that we take with us and he LOVES to carry it and give it to the manager. Although he is not socializing with kids he is socializing.

He also comes with me to help stuff envelopes at the office when we need to send out information. We give him a 'job' like handing us an envelope or the papers that go inside, something simple. He is comfortable in the office and with the people there. If I go in without him they always ask me where he is.

He also helps me set up for the activities that I have planned. He gets jobs to help with at the events also. Again nothing difficult but something that he can do that is helping. He is very good at setting out plates, silverware, cups, etc. He has become a fixture at some of these events and is missed when not there. A few of the Survivors that are regulars at the events always ask about him. "How is he doing?" "He is getting tall." "Where is he?" I do find a sitter for him for the bigger events, like our Survivor Dinner. We have a special dinner for them that is not geared in any way for smaller kids. He also stays with a sitter for the setup of the Relay itself but comes later to the event and has a BLAST.

Maybe find a group that welcomes the younger ones to help also. Maybe your younger ones can help with the simple, less important but still importants things. Younger kids need to know the importance of volunteering and helping others, this is a good way to teach them. My son is helping whenever he feels comfortable, at restaraunts, at the store, etc. He likes it and others seem to think he is cute helping. (BTW, my son is 3 1/2.)

I like your idea of starting a group of SAHMs to volunteer somewhere together or watch each others kids while the others volunteer.
Hope this gives you some suggestions.

That sounds awesome!

I would just love it if another mom would go with me for blood donations; there are toys in the waiting room, but I can't leave my two-year old unattended for 45 min, or hold her in my lap.

My older daughter's elementary school allows parent volunteers to bring little ones into the teacher workroom, and they also have a "parent homework" shelf, where teachers can pile up stuff they need help with and the parents can sign it out, take it home to do it, and bring it back. This is usually cutting out things for art projects or collating workbooks or sorting puzzles or games (nothing with grades or names on it). If you're looking for something, you might see if any of your local schools have anything like that in place.

Check out meetup.com. You can sort of put out feelers for that there, and see if anyone else is interested before you actually set up a meetup group.

Great question. It is very difficult to volunteer with little ones in toe. I have always swapped kid sitting with friends. Right now my youngest is 5 and in kindergarten...3.5 hours a day. So I found 2 other moms among my circle of friends and they each watch my son one day a week after kindergarten. I watch their kids all on one day...it is one big play date at my house.

This has worked out every year with all 3 of my kids. You just have to find a mom or moms that you get a long with and that your kids get along with. But...overall it has worked so well and I use the days my kids are at the friend's house to volunteer at the school, go to the doctor, go grocery shopping or to just stay home and read a book and take a nap.

Good luck and best wishes! Yes your idea can work...you just have to take the ball and run with it!

This is the main reason I had to quit volunteering with the BIg Bros/Big Sis. not very family friendly.

For your food bank suggestion, they don't often have spare rooms that are child friendly, and especially dealing with food it could be a legal issue with children's safety. It would probably be best for the volunteer moms to babysit at their home, and the next time you all go, to rotate so the babysitting moms can serve while the others babysit.

I love the nursing home idea we have done that with older kids, but with babies.. yikes. There are tons of diseases the can be fatal to an elderly person like a simple cold from a baby and vice versa.

I am anxious to hear what other moms answer to this, as I have asked the same question. A group of moms from MOPS (Mothers of PreSchoolers, an organization all over the USA and beyond) went to sing and deliver wreaths to the local nursing home a couple of weeks ago. The elderly there were so happy we had come to see them and they loved seeing our little preschoolers (and the babies they just ooh'd and ahh'd over)(excuse my spelling!) I have considered going back to visit, perhaps for a craft-time or to eat our lunch with them once or twice a month. About half were alert and cognitive. The others lacked eye contact and were hard to understand - which made my son, who's never shy, hide behind my legs some. But worth a try one more time.