Having a baby is a joyous and life-changing experience. But it is also expensive. From non-refundable medical bills to diapers, bassinets, high chairs and baby clothes, new parents often find themselves with a pile of new bills. Side hustles can help pay the costs. But it’s important to be realistic about the side hustles you can make with an infant.
Baby 101
When determining which sides to do with an infant, consider some of the realities of having and caring for a newborn.
- Babies sleep a lot, but not necessarily when you want them to.
- They rely on you for everything – food, clothing, change, love. So when the baby calls, you have to answer, even when it’s inconvenient.
- Babies are messy You will be doing a lot of laundry.
- When babies are pregnant, their moms need extra nutrition and calories. These calories don’t just help the baby grow, they provide the energy to carry a rapidly growing human around 24/7. Consequently, the extra pounds don’t disappear the moment the baby arrives. Exercise can help with both post-baby weight and fatigue caused by sleep deprivation. (See item #1.)
- Babies delight in things that most adults have forgotten are wonderful. Seeing the world through their eyes can spark the imagination and spark creative ideas that can be extremely profitable.
- Because babies change your world dramatically, new parents often connect with other parents to share notes. These meetings help parents adjust to their new normal. But they’re also great as networking and brainstorming sessions for business parents.
Side hustles you can do with an infant
With these facts in mind, it’s clear that short-term projects that can’t be interrupted won’t work unless you have a nanny. But a wide range of versatile, practical, creative and healthy side endeavors can be made with an infant. ESPECIALLY:
Walk dogs
Not only does walking help new moms get back in shape, but a walk outdoors is often a good way to calm a fussy infant. And, since you’re already walking, why not take a dog with you to earn money from it?
Both Rover and Wag can help connect pet parents with someone willing to walk with them. Dog walkers typically earn $15 to $25 for a 30-minute walk.
However, the Rover is the best choice for a dog walker with an infant. This is because this site not only allows you to set your own prices, but allows you to determine the type of animals you are comfortable walking. So, if it is too difficult to juggle a large dog with an infant, you can only walk small or medium-sized dogs.
Rover also makes it easy to communicate with your customers. So you can discuss the dog’s mood – or schedule a meet and greet – before agreeing to a gig. If you’re okay boarding other people’s pets when they go on holiday, you can advertise this service with Rover too. (Typical overnight fees for a dog range from $25 to $100, depending on location and time of year.)
Even if you only schedule one 30-minute walk a day, this side hustle can earn over $500 a month, even after Rover’s 20% fee. If you do multiple rides or add a boarding night or two, you can obviously earn a lot more.
I’m watching
If you are at home full-time with your child, you may want to consider babysitting other children at the same time for a fee. A website called Care can help you find parents in your neighborhood who need occasional and regular childcare.
The site requires caregivers and parents to purchase a membership, but subscribing is cheap — about $9 a month. You set your own prices and determine how many and what ages of children you are comfortable watching. So if you only want to follow guys who are suitable teammates for yours, it’s easy to set that in your profile.
In particular, caregivers at Care set their own prices. But typical babysitting rates range from as low as $15 an hour to more than $35 an hour.
And if it turns out that you really enjoy watching children all day, you can take the next step and turn your babysitting business into a family daycare business. A website called Wonderschool can help you with licensing and administration.
Of course, you set your own prices and terms (such as hours and the number of children you can accommodate) here as well. But even a small family day care can easily bring in $3,000 or $4,000 a month. (The average daycare costs $321 a week, or about $1,284 a month, according to Care.) Wonderschool handles administration, including marketing and collection, for a 10 percent share of revenue.
Washing
Whether it’s because they’re so cute in dressing up—or because they spit up a lot (on you, as well as themselves)—babies produce a surprising amount of dirty laundry.
For people who don’t mind throwing in an extra load or two, some sites offer to pay you to clean other people’s laundry. Poplina pays by the pound. Huber pays with freight. Both employ independent laundromats who pick up, wash, fold and deliver.
How much you earn per hour will mostly depend on how far you agree to drive to pick up and deliver the clothes. A small geographic range is the most profitable, but may result in fewer job offers.
Freelancers who work with these sites say they typically make $10 to $25 an hour and can earn a nice side income when they’re willing to do it regularly.
Laurie Fulford, a mother of two young children from South Carolina, says she makes about $30,000 a year with this part-time gig.
Create
Before kids, Jessica Stamm worked full-time as a dietitian. But having children revived her artistic side, she says. So while she still consults with people who need help with healthy eating on a part-time basis, she’s been involved in creative side hustles.
“You really go through a transformation when you have kids,” she says. “Writing and creating things that are fun for my kids – and that are fun to do together – is not only good for my mental health, but also a source of income. It was a pleasant surprise.”
She now sells her own children’s book, Big Bug Feelings, and a variety of accessories on Etsy and Amazon.
Creating children’s products is ideal company for a parent, she adds. Not only do her kids inspire ideas, but their parent friends are a no-cost focus group for the types of products her peers need and want. Even better, Stamm can write, design and market her products at night when the kids are in bed.
There are dozens of side platforms that help creatives sell their work.
Etsy is one of the most well-known. However, print-to-order sites like Society6 and FineArtAmerica are another good option. These sites ask artists to upload artwork and select products they would like their art to depict. These products range from t-shirts and mugs to puzzles and prints. Print-on-demand shops then manufacture, market, and mail the products to customers. Artists simply earn royalties on each sale.
Answer
Most consumer surveys don’t pay a lot of money, but they’re easy to do in your spare time. However, when you have a new baby, the research options are better than average. Why; Babies need a ton of products, from diapers to car seats and recliners. So the manufacturers of all these products are eager to get new feedback from parents.
So while well-paid surveys are few and far between for the average consumer, they are much more common for new parents. And while you won’t get a survey every day, when you get a gig you’re likely to pay $60 to $150 an hour.
Some good sites to sign up for include Wynter, Respondent, UserInterviews, and Maven.
Notably, too, there are plenty of companies, from Amazon to Gerber, that will provide new parents with free products for much the same reason. They want your valuable feedback. Interested? Check out The Penny Hoarders recent list of 37 freebies for new parents.
2/16/2024
