5 Part-Time Jobs for New Moms

So you’ve landed a new job: mom. The perks are incredible, but the hours are terrible and it pays nothing. Finding a paying job will help with diapers, but the 9-5 life doesn’t work for all new parents. A part-time job with flexible hours, though — that could just work. We talked to Suzanne Brown, who interviewed more than 100 working mothers for her book “Mompowerment: Insights from Successful Professional Part-time Working Moms who Balance Career and Family,” due in mid-2017, about what kinds of jobs might be doable for you.

1. Consulting
“About 40% of the moms I spoke with owned their own businesses because they couldn’t quite find the right fit for their needs at the company in which they worked [before baby],” says Brown. “In this 40%, most moms provided consulting services for whatever industry they specialized in previously (e.g., marketing, education, some aspect of financial services, consumer packaged goods, etc.).”

Put to work all those skills that you learned and honed in previous jobs. For instance: if you spent a decade working in HR, you might help small local businesses that don’t have full-time HR departments create employee handbooks.

2. Virtual Assisting
“I’ve noticed a trend with moms of younger kids, who want to work from home, do work as part-time virtual assistants (VAs),” Brown says. “Small business owners might need 2-5 hours of help a week, so they’re not hiring a full-time employee. Moms can work for a few clients at a time, based on what they can commit to.” VAs typically handle tasks like scheduling the boss’s appointments and managing email, but you might also be asked to do some bookkeeping or handle the person’s social media presence.

3. Sales
If you’re on social media, you’ve probably seen some of your friends advertising sales for skin care, makeup, jewelry, even leggings. These direct sales businesses are the modern version of Tupperware parties. Find a product you love, invest a little money upfront for the products and earn money by selling them to acquaintances and strangers online. Alternatively, if you’re crafty or artistic, consider opening your own Etsy shop to sell your adorable knitted hats or personalized jewelry.

4. Personal Coaching
In her research, Brown met some women who had built businesses out of encouraging others. She lists health and wellness, self-care, or business coaching as examples of jobs new moms have found to work for them. “Many of this group have younger children. They have the flexibility and ability to be the moms they want to be.” Depending on the type of coaching you want to do, you might need to get certification before taking on clients. Luckily, you may be able to do coursework online.

5. Child Care
Hey, you’re already doing it for free with your own baby. Why not get paid to take care of other children as well? There are a few ways to earn cash as a part-time caregiver. Spread the word to your friends that you’re looking to do baby-sitting at your home, or start looking for part-time openings at local child care centers. You might be able to find a center that has an opening for your infant while you work, at a discounted rate.



Kathryn Walsh is a freelance writer specializing in parenting and travel topics. Her work has appeared on mom.me, TheBump.com, and USAToday.com.