7 Side Hustle Ideas for Stay-At-Home Parents

There’s no doubt about it: stay-at-home parents work hard. But while raising awesome children is rewarding in itself, the financial rewards are much less remarkable. Sure, you may be saving on daycare costs, but sometimes it would be nice to bring in a little extra cash. Luckily, with remote work and work-from-home jobs growing so rapidly these days, there are plenty of great side hustles for stay-at-home parents.

Wouldn’t it be nice to earn a little extra cash without leaving your child’s side? Depending on the side hustle you choose, the hours can be so flexible that you can fit the work in during nap time and sports practices. If you choose a job where you talk to coworkers or customers on a regular basis, there’s the added bonus of interacting with adults throughout the day, too!

So, without much further ado, here are some of our favorite side gigs for stay-at-home parents.

Online Teacher/Tutor

If you love watching your child learn and grow, you might also enjoy teaching others! There is a wide array of online teaching and tutoring positions available that fit varying skills, experiences, and personal preferences. You can find positions providing video-based lessons or written instruction. You could teach non-native English speakers, high school students studying for the SAT, college students, and more. Some positions have set schedules, while others allow you to set your own schedule.

Most online teaching and tutoring positions require a bachelor’s degree, and some require specific content knowledge. If you want to teach English learners, you might check out a program like VIPKid. If you prefer more flexibility with your schedule and topics, Tutor.com or similar sites.

Blogger

Blogging is hard work, but it can also be super flexible, especially if you run your own blog. You select your topics, you decide when you work, and you are responsible for your blog’s performance. If you hope to start a successful blog, we suggest you do your research. Consider what niches people will want to read about and look into how you will monetize your blog.

If you’re not up for the challenge of starting your own blog, no worries! Look at your favorite blogs and websites to see if they are looking for submissions or check listings on a freelance site like Upwork.

Photographer

If your friends and family are amazed by the amazing snapshots you take of your little ones, then you might consider starting a side hustle as a photographer. Families like yours are always looking for people to take pictures of them. If you have a natural ability to get children to smile, all the better!

Etsy Vendor

Feeling crafty? Selling on Etsy can help you get some money out of your crafting skills. While you can sell a wide range of crafts, selling digital products may be one of the easiest ways to make money on the site. If you’ve developed your own patterns or recipes, you can sell them on the site without having to go to all the work of sending physical products by mail.

eBay Vendor

Do you love finding a great deal? Selling some of your finds on eBay can help turn your next-level shopping skills into extra cash. You might look for deals at thrift shops, garage sales, auctions, or stores that frequently sell discontinued products (like T.J. Maxx). Not everything sells for a fortune, but if you have a good eye for what people like, eBay can be a flexible, fun income source.

Virtual Assistant

Virtual assistants serve as support staff. What precisely they do varies quite wildly based on their client’s needs. Some virtual assistants may respond to emails, others may manage schedules, while others may perform industry-specific tasks. Virtual assistants often work independently and source clients through freelance sites, like Upwork.

Whatever You’re Good At

You know your skills better than anyone else! Take a hard look at what you have to offer and consider how that can work with your life as a stay-at-home parent. With enough brainstorming, you might be able to come up with a great idea. For instance, if you have web design skills, you might take on freelance projects building websites for local companies. Do you have an accounting degree? Consider approaching small businesses and charities and offer your services as a bookkeeper.

If you’re a stay-at-home parent, have you found any other clever ways to make some extra money? Let us know in the comments section below!