12 Ideas for Free Childcare

August 1, 2024

FREE Childcare Ideas for Work-from-Home Moms.

Stay-at-home moms and mompreneurs often lack the back-up childcare they need to maintain their careers, businesses, and at the very least, their mental and physical health. I’m definitely speaking from personal experience here! My husband has a demanding career, often requiring him to work weekends, and I work from home while also caring for our two young children. Our closest relatives live four hours away. Because we’ve moved a lot in the last several years, making close friends whom we’d trust to watch our kiddos has been a real challenge. Childcare options can be scarce, especially challenging during the summer months when kids are out of school, but parents still have jobs to do —not to mention the added childcare squeeze every parent felt during the pandemic.

When the traditional paid childcare, like a baby sitter, nanny or nursery school, isn’t an option, here are a few creative solutions for discovering extra time in your day.

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1. Swap with a neighbor mom (or dad)

If you’re lucky enough to have a like-minded neighbor family nearby, offer to swap childcare a few times per month. Let their kiddos come over and play for a few hours and then vice versa the next week. Just be sure to be clear about your objective and parenting style, so you’re both on the same page and the childcare is shared equally.

2. Ask a grandparent to “babysit” via FaceTime while you’re in the next room

If your kiddos are at least four, then this can be pretty feasible. Ask the grandparent to come up with some games, stories, sharing old photographs or even “virtual class” type activities to entertain them. Grandparents have a wealth of knowledge to share and endless stories they love to tell. It may take a few sessions for everyone to get the hang of it, but the payoff is wonderful in more ways than one.

3. Enlist a mommy's helper

If you have younger toddlers or infants, don’t be afraid to ask a neighbor you feel close to for help a few hours per month.

In exchange for their help, offer to bring them dinner occasionally or take care of some yard work they may not be able to handle. Retired neighbors who are also grandparents may be more than thrilled to help out and often love feeling needed and connected to younger families in their communities, especially if their kids and grandkids live out of town. Even just an hour once or twice per week can make a massive impact. And if I know grandmas at all, then I can almost guarantee they’ll offer to do other tasks to help out. Hmmm, remind me to hug the next grandma I see!

As an alternative, especially during the summer months, trade your mom-friends for a “tween” mommy’s helper. Often parents don’t want to leave tween-aged kids home alone for hours on end, but they’re old enough to be independent and also entertain younger kiddos. Offer to supervise at your house while she or he helps out with your younger kids for a few hours.

Bonus: This is neighborly bonding at its best! Finding your “village” and creating meaningful relationships during your child-rearing season of life is absolutely crucial. In fact, mothers the world over (primarily in more developed countries like the U.S.) are desperately starving for a village. I could write and entire series of posts on this! And probably will . . . so stay tuned!

4. Check with your local faith center or community center for volunteers

Again, many senior citizens love to be involved with their community and are looking for ways to volunteer. Churches may also offer supervised play time after Sunday school or even during the week. The perfect time to grab your laptop and work in a nearby quiet room.

5. Use memberships you’re already paying for

Many modern wellness centers and gyms offer perks, such as free parents’ night out and daily child-care by the hour. In some cases, your health insurance plan may even cover part of your membership cost, which in turn can cover the nominal fee required to add your child to an existing membership.

Bonus: Most fitness clubs are open 7 days a week and offer extended hours, making using childcare amenities even easier.

6. Involve your other half

I know, I know, this can be a challenge, especially if you’re a SAHM. Hello, mom guilt! Delving into the nuances of sharing the caretaker responsibilities between spouses is really a topic for another post — probably more like ten of them, actually. For the sake of brevity, I’ve narrowed it down to two points:

Ask for their input on outside-the-box ideas
Work out at least one night per week that you can leave the house and go work with a friend, or at a coffee shop, or even just sit in your car at a park. Zero interruptions allowed, except for emergencies of course.

7. Make the most of any helpers and services you already have

If you have the occasional date-night or after-school sitter, let them know ahead of time that light chores are part of the gig. With fair compensation, most sitters are happy to take on small added tasks. Chores like cleaning dishes, making dinner, folding the kids clothes and tidying up the nursery will save you hours and a lot of subconscious to-do list stress.

Often overlooked time-saving options are bus transportation and school lunches. If you’re anything like me, then you’ve felt the mom guilt about personally driving your kids to school instead of making them take the bus or packing their “perfect” lunches in lieu of the cafeteria lunch line. It was a real eye opener to realize I was spending at least thirty minutes making lunches each morning and another two hours each day shuttling kids to and from school. That’s 12.5 hours per week! Reevaluate if these tasks are truly important for your family. Talk to your kids. They may be excited about the possibility of being a bus rider or buying their lunches. Both offer the opportunity for developing their independence and decision making skills. And remember, it doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. A few days per week will still free up hours of your time.

8. Let older kids take on responsibility

After the toddler years, kids are a great age to start developing their independence and learning about responsibility. Hand off chores like sweeping, cleaning windows, dusting, emptying the dishwasher, and even preparing snacks. They may not do them perfectly at first, but the older they get the more and more it will pay off. Hint: Put all of the kids plates, utensils, cups, etc. in an easily accessible lower cabinet and encourage them to prep their own meals by having them set the table or get out cooking ingredients. This is a wonderful segue to getting them interested in cooking and learning how to make basic meals, like sandwiches or cereal.

9. Pre-pack meals and pre-assemble outfits

This is one of my favorites, especially during the summer when the kids are home most of the day. I pre-pack their lunches and snacks each morning in easy-to-open containers just as I would during the school year. If they’re old enough, they can help you. Our motto has become “You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit.” Whatever is in the lunchbox is what they get choose from for the day, no negotiations. Keep their lunchboxes accessible and set your phone alarm or smart home device, to go off when it’s lunch and snack time, so meal times stay on track. Include your own lunch and snacks in the prep time too! Make a point to join the kiddos for some quality time during meals.

Bonus: Do this with outfits, too! Pre-assemble tops and bottoms in pairs on hangers, and getting dressed will be as easy as grabbing a hanger. Game changer. Seriously.

10. Take the show on the road

If you have family close enough for a weekend trip, plan ahead of time to make the most of your visits. Especially during summer vacation, kids can play with grandparents or aunts and uncles, while you use a spare bedroom to work. Schedule these “work-cations” at least every quarter. Your relatives will likely be more than happy for the extra bonding time with the kids.

11. Sign them up for free (or nearly free) after school clubs

Clubs like running club, theatre club, STEM and the like are often overlooked.

Often these activities are complimentary or require only a small supply fee. Because most are hosted on school grounds and typically start directly after school dismissal, you won’t have to worry about added transportation logistics. Plus, you gain an extra hour or two for yourself!

12. Embrace boredom as a teaching opportunity

You don’t have to or need to entertain your kids every minute of the day. Boredom is okay! For kids and adults alike, boredom is the mother of discovery and creativity and fosters independence. If your kiddos are used to days packed with pre-planned activities, it may be a rough transition at first. But after experiencing the sense of freedom and control over their lives that comes with it, they’ll love discovering activities they truly are excited about, which will often keep their attention much longer than something they’re forced to do. Over time they’ll learn how to create new activities independently and stay engaged for longer periods of time.

While not all of these options are realistic for everyone, combining two or three can account for days of work time for you. It may take a few months, but once you adjust your mindset and schedule to allow for these changes, you’ll never look back.

Do you have a favorite childcare fix? Share your genius by commenting below!

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