Balancing parenting with earning money can be a challenge, especially with rising child care costs making the decision to stay home even tougher. However, today’s flexible work options provide opportunities to add to family income while caring for your kids. Whether you want to use skills from your past career on a more flexible basis or try simple ways to earn extra cash that fit your schedule, there are numerous side hustle ideas that you can balance with parenting.
Best Side Hustles for Stay-at-Home Parents
Care and Service-Based Side Hustles
Child Care
Child care can be an ideal side business for stay-at-home parents. You’ll care for other children while being there for your own, using your parenting experience to help other families.
Pros:
Your kids get built-in playdates and social interaction
You can work from home in a familiar environment
You’ll use skills you already have as a parent
Cons:
Managing multiple children requires extra energy and attention
Your home becomes a workplace
Some states require licensing for informal home child care
Earning Potential: The average hourly rate for sitters is $21.50, though rates vary by location and local market prices.
How to Get Started: Chat with other parents in your neighborhood and see if they need daytime child care.
Pet Sitting
If you want to earn money caring for others without watching more children, consider dog walking or pet sitting.
Pros:
Work around your family’s schedule
Spend time outdoors with your kids while walking dogs
Choose which services to offer based on your preferences
Cons:
Some pets need special care or have dietary restrictions
You may need to travel to clients’ homes
High-energy pets require more attention and time
Earning Potential: Pet sitters typically charge $25 for a 30-minute visit. Overnight pet sitting in your home can earn even more.
How to Get Started: Create profiles on Rover or Wag, or advertise your services on Nextdoor.
Fitness Coaching
If you’re passionate about fitness, coaching could be your ideal side business.
Pros:
Set flexible hours for in-person or virtual training
Stay active while earning money
Build connections in your community
Cons:
May need to travel to gyms or training locations
Child care costs could affect your earning potential
Initial certification required
Earning Potential: Fitness coaches earn between $40 and $100 per hour, with $60 as the national average. Your location and specialty will affect your rates.
How to Get Started: Get certified in your chosen fitness specialty, then contact local gyms about training opportunities.
Online Tutoring
Share your expertise by teaching others online.
Pros:
Reach students worldwide from home
Set your own schedule
Choose subjects you’re passionate about
Cons:
Keeping students engaged virtually takes extra effort
Competition from established tutoring platforms
Finding consistent student bookings
Earning Potential: Tutors typically earn $18 to $30 per hour through online tutoring platforms. Set your own rates when working independently.
How to Get Started: Connect with mentees live through networks like Wyzant and Preplay.
Photography
Turn your eye for capturing family moments into a photography services business.
Pros:
Schedule shoots around family commitments
Work from home or on location
Build a creative portfolio
Cons:
Photo editing takes significant time
Equipment costs can be high initially
Managing client expectations and deadlines
Earning Potential: Experienced photographers can earn $100 to $300 per hour, according to VSCO.
How to Get Started: Start by offering your services to families in your network and increase your portfolio and business through social media and word-of-mouth referrals.
Creative and Design Side Hustles
Freelance Graphic Design
Use your graphic design skills to create logos, social media graphics, and marketing materials for clients.
Pros:
Work remotely on your schedule
Express creativity through work
Choose projects that interest you
Cons:
Building a consistent client base takes time
Managing multiple project deadlines
Staying current with design trends
Earning Potential: The national range for freelance graphic designer is $19 to $48 per hour on average.
How to Get Started: Create a portfolio of your work, including logos, social media graphics, and marketing materials. Then, connect with potential clients through freelance networks like Upwork or Dribbble.
Freelance Video Editing
With 88% of businesses prioritizing video marketing but lacking time to produce content, freelancers with video editing skills are in high demand.
Pros:
Work remotely on flexible hours
Choose from diverse projects, including YouTube videos, vlogs, social media ads, and TV commercials
Set your own rates
Cons:
Balancing video editing with child care
Managing multiple project deadlines
Keeping up with editing software updates
Earning Potential: Rates vary by experience. Beginners can earn $20 to $50 per hour, on average, while intermediate editors charge $50 to $100. Experienced editors are looking at $60 to $120 per hour.
How to Get Started: Share your portfolio with businesses, publishers, and editors who need help editing footage.
Freelance Web Development
Web development jobs are growing 16% faster than average, creating opportunities for parents with technical skills.
Pros:
Work remotely with flexible hours
Stay current with industry trends
Choose projects that match your expertise and interests
Cons:
Meeting tight deadlines
Managing client expectations
Balancing complex projects with family time
Earning Potential: Web developers typically earn around $75 per hour.
How to Get Started: Get started with web development by applying to freelance opportunities on sites like LinkedIn or Indeed.
Printables or Digital Designs
If you’ve got artistic talent or are developing your design skills, creating and selling digital designs or printables can be a profitable side business.
Pros:
Create flexible, scalable income selling digital products
No inventory or shipping costs
Work on your own schedule
Cons:
Competitive market
Takes time to build visibility
Requires consistent new designs
Earning Potential: Your income will vary based on your competition and pricing strategy. Research similar products in your niche to set competitive prices.
How to Get Started: Create original art and then decide where you’d like to sell it. A great option is to start your own Shopify store.
Content Creation
For creative and driven stay-at-home parents, content creation offers exciting opportunities to build a business around your interests and expertise.
Pros:
Work on your own schedule
Build multiple income streams like sponsored posts, brand partnerships, affiliate links, or even your own online store
Express creativity daily
Cons:
Income can be unpredictable
High competition
Takes time to build an audience
Earning Potential: Influencers creating content for businesses like blog posts, social media posts, or videos earn $30 to $50 per hour at entry level, and $100 to $150 per hour with expertise.
How to Get Started: Choose a niche, decide on a platform (like TikTok or Instagram), and start creating. If you’re going the corporate route, a detailed portfolio is essential.
Voice-Overs
With a quiet space and proper equipment, you can build a voice-over business from home. You’ll find opportunities to narrate commercials, audiobooks, video games, and educational content.
Pros:
Work from any quiet space
Choose diverse projects
Set flexible hours
Cons:
Competitive industry
Requires quality equipment
Need a consistently quiet environment
Earning Potential: Rates range from $35 to $850 per hour, depending on the type of work, according to Career Sidekick.
How to Get Started: Create a demo reel, set up a home studio, and join voice-over websites to connect with clients.
Writing and Content Side Hustles
Freelance Writing
Put your copywriting skills to work creating content for magazines, blogs, websites, and other publications. Whether you excel at long-form articles or snappy copy, there’s demand for skilled writers.
Pros:
Work remotely on your schedule
Express creativity through work
Choose projects that interest you
Cons:
Meeting strict deadlines
Managing multiple projects on top of parenting responsibilities
Income can vary monthly
Earning Potential: Your earnings will depend on your experience, industry focus, and the types of content you create. Writers can build substantial income by developing expertise in specific niches.
How to Get Started: Create a portfolio of writing samples, then connect with potential clients through networks like LinkedIn, Superpath, Upwork, Freelancer, or Fiverr.
Freelance Proofreading and Editing
If you have a sharp eye for detail and strong language skills, proofreading and editing can be an ideal side business.
Pros:
Flexible working hours
Work from anywhere
Choose your projects
Cons:
Managing tight deadlines
Coordinating with writers and content managers
Balancing multiple clients
Earning Potential: Income varies widely based on your experience, skill set, and clients. Check resources like the Content Marketing Salary report from Superpath to benchmark your rates against industry standards.
How to Get Started: Build your client base through freelance platforms like Upwork or join editing communities like Editage for networking opportunities.
Podcasting
Give yourself a creative outlet and connect with others by starting a podcast. You can record episodes on your schedule while sharing your expertise or discussing topics you love.
Pros:
Record on your own schedule
Discuss topics you’re passionate about
Start with minimal equipment
Cons:
Competitive market
Takes time to build an audience
Regular content creation required
Earning Potential: You can earn through sponsorships, ads, or listener support once you build an audience, but income varies widely.
How to Get Started: Identify a theme, decide on a format, get recording equipment, and record your first episode.
Social Media Management
Turn your social media expertise into a business by helping small businesses grow their online presence. If you’ve built a following on TikTok, you can leverage that experience to make money from your hobbies.
Pros:
Work remotely with flexible hours
Use your digital marketing skills
Choose your clients and projects
Cons:
Requires consistent online presence
Long hours monitoring feeds
Fast-paced environment
Earning Potential: Beginning social media managers typically earn $25 to $35 per hour, according to SocialPilot. Rates vary based on experience and whether you charge hourly or per project.
How to Get Started: Build a strong online presence, create a portfolio showcasing your skills, and find opportunities through Upwork, Fiverr, or LinkedIn.
Virtual Business Side Hustles
Virtual Bookkeeping
Put your financial management skills to the test by helping businesses track their finances. Managing your family’s budget gives you valuable experiences in tracking expenses and managing cash flow—skills that could lend themselves to a bookkeeping side hustle.
Pros:
Work remotely from home
Set flexible hours
Use existing financial skills
Cons:
Handle sensitive data
Stay current with tax laws
High attention to detail required
Earning Potential: Experienced bookkeepers typically earn $60 to $80 per hour.
How to Get Started: Choose a bookkeeping platform like FreshBooks or QuickBooks, create a professional website, and start marketing your services online.
Virtual Assistant
Your skills in multitasking, time management, and organization make you ideal for helping busy professionals manage their work. Virtual assistants handle schedules, meetings, emails, and other tasks remotely.
Pros:
Work from home
Set your own hours
Use organizational skills
Cons:
Workload can be unpredictable
Tasks may be repetitive
Needing to find reliable clients
Earning Potential: Virtual assistants earn around $19.19 per hour on average.
How to Get Started: Connect with potential clients through freelance networks like Upwork or Fiverr.
Online Customer Service
Help businesses support their customers through chat, email, or phone. Many companies need customer service representatives during all hours of the day.
Pros:
Work while kids are at school or asleep
Use communication and problem-solving skills
Choose flexible hours
Cons:
Can be emotionally demanding
Requires patience
May need specific hours
Earning Potential: Customer support reps typically earn $8 to $20 per hour.
How to Get Started: Learn popular customer service tools like Gorgias, Intercom, and Zendesk. Take customer service courses through Shopify Academy or Coursera, then apply for online customer service positions.
Data Entry
Put your attention to detail to work entering information from documents, updating records, or transcribing audio files. Data entry jobs can fit well around your family schedule and don’t require extensive technical skills.
Pros:
Start with basic technical skills
Work flexible hours
Easy to learn
Cons:
Work can be repetitive
Lower pay than other options
Competition for jobs
Earning Potential: Data entry specialists typically earn $10 to $30 per hour.
How to Get Started: Develop your typing skills, build a portfolio, and search for opportunities on LinkedIn, Fiverr, and Indeed.
Consulting
Use your professional experience to help businesses enhance performance, solve problems, and achieve their goals. Consulting lets you use your expertise without committing to full-time work.
Pros:
Leverage your industry experience
High hourly rates
Choose your clients
Cons:
Can have demanding deadlines
Income may be irregular
Building client base takes time
Earning Potential: Your rates will depend on your experience, industry, location, and specialty. Research competitors with similar experience to set appropriate rates.
How to Get Started: Create a strong LinkedIn profile showcasing your expertise. Reach out to prior work connections and ask if they need support, or apply directly to part-time consulting jobs online.
Digital Products and Marketing Side Hustles
Online Courses
Share your experience by creating and selling online courses. If you’re knowledgeable in a particular niche, online courses can generate ongoing income once you’ve done the initial work.
Pros:
Create passive income
Reach a global audience
Work at your own pace
Cons:
Significant upfront time investment
Competitive market
Platform fees may apply
Earning Potential: Income varies widely based on your topic, audience size, and marketing strategy.
How to Get Started: Create video lectures and course materials on platforms like Udemy and Teachable.
Dropshipping
Start an online dropshipping business to earn passive income without managing inventory by having suppliers ship products directly to your customers.
Pros:
Minimal overhead costs
No inventory management
Unlimited opportunity for growth
Cons:
Competitive market
Initial time investment needed
Managing supplier relationships
Earning Potential: The industry is expected to be worth more than $500 billion by 2026. Your earnings will depend on your products, pricing, and marketing strategy.
How to Get Started: Research profitable niches like dropshipping CBD products, jewelry, or one of 100 other dropshipping ideas.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing lets you earn commission by driving traffic or sales to other companies’ products through your social media presence, blog, or website.
Pros:
Create content about topics you enjoy
Work from anywhere
Choose products you believe in
Cons:
Requires strong marketing skills
Time-intensive content creation
Income can be unpredictable
Earning Potential: New affiliate marketers typically earn $0 to $1,000 per month, with potential to grow.
How to Get Started: Join affiliate programs like the Shopify Affiliate Program or Amazon Associates and start creating content to promote products you love.
Whether you’re interested in care and service-based side hustles, creative and design side hustles, writing and content side hustles, virtual business side hustles, or digital products and marketing side hustles, there are numerous opportunities for stay-at-home parents to earn extra income while balancing parenting responsibilities. With the right skills, dedication, and a bit of creativity, you can start your own side hustle and contribute to your family’s financial well-being. Don’t let your great idea sit on the shelf—start exploring how you can turn your skills into a successful business that works around your family life.
