How To Make Money On Maternity Leave: For Mothers Who Need To

Maternity leave is usually a magical time for a brand new mom (and mothers of multiple kids). It might probably even be fraught with financial and emotional strain. Many mothers are learning the right way to earn a living on maternity leave to cover their bills.

Although spending your maternity leave focusing 100% of your energy in your newborn may sound wonderful, not all mothers can try this.

On account of high living expenses and other aspects, you may have to learn the right way to earn a living while on maternity leave.

It’s not at all times possible to work full-time when you’re attending to know your toddler. But even making just a little money before going back to your regular job could help ease the pressure in your budget.

Why you may have to earn a living on maternity leave

In an ideal world, every mom would get loads of time to spend together with her newborn baby before heading back into the office.

Bonding with a brand new baby, getting the hang of breastfeeding or bottle feeding, and catching whatever sleep you may is good enough to replenish the time during maternity leave.

But we all know within the U.S., it’s a pipe dream for a lot of mothers. A startling percentage of American employees don’t have access to paid maternity leave, and a few don’t even get unpaid leave. That’s why having a baby is one in every of the key life events that impact your funds.

Varieties of leave and statistics about maternity leave

There are numerous forms of leave, similar to family leave, paid sick leave, or short-term disability coverage. Unfortunately, many mothers don’t get any financial coverage to remain home with a brand new baby.

As American Progress notes, 57% of personal sector employees don’t have short-term disability insurance through an employer.  Plus, over 76% don’t have the choice for paid family leave, which is used for maternity leave in addition to other family-related medical care.

And let’s not ignore hourly employees and contract employees. Loads of mothers fall into those categories, and their employers don’t at all times must offer advantages like maternity leave.

In accordance with federal law, you need to give 12 weeks of unpaid leave if an employer has 50 employees or greater than 50, as Business News Daily explains.

But that is just reassurance that your job can be waiting for you after 12 weeks, and never any kind of monetary profit to get you thru them.

Currently, U.S. law doesn’t require paid family or medical leave, which is why so many postpartum moms need assistance. In case you’re frightened about the right way to earn a living on maternity leave, you do have some options.

26 Ideas for the right way to earn a living on maternity leave

While I hope that Americans’ access to paid family and medical leave improves, mothers today have to determine their very own solutions.

In case you’re in a position to take unpaid maternity leave without losing your job, these are some ways to earn a living from home.

1. Buy short-term disability insurance (if possible)

This primary tip may not work for everybody, as you actually must be planning ahead. But for those who can know far enough upfront while you may be pregnant or adopt a baby, you could possibly possibly open a short-term disability policy.

Some employers offer this, so for those who get that already, you’re fortunate. But many employees can complement their income by paying for short-term disability insurance before they need it.

For instance, corporations like AFLAC sell short-term disability coverage. In case you know a few years before you intend to have a baby, you could possibly take out a low-cost plan that pays you back when you’re on maternity leave.

You should definitely calculate the associated fee against the advantages rigorously. Under the correct circumstances, you could possibly get a big payment from the insurance provider to enable you cover your bills.

2. Open a high-yield savings account

A high-yield savings account may very well be useful while on maternity leave for those who have already got savings you don’t need to the touch yet. It’s not going to make up for lost income but could make sure you earn a living off your savings.

Opening an interest-bearing savings account can enable you keep emergency savings accessible without sacrificing your entire returns.

3. Trim your budget

Next up, be sure you take a take a look at your budget. How much you spend every month is essential, as that impacts how much money you’ll want to earn.

In case you don’t have paid leave or a partner covering expenses, attempt to cut some costs.

Lots of us have a couple of areas where we are able to reduce our spending. Clothing, dining out, and entertainment may be good places to begin.

In case you can drop any of your recurring or variable expenses, that’ll lower the shortfall you face during maternity leave.

After all, a tough aspect of this goal is that having a baby increases your overall expenses.

Even probably the most frugal of oldsters still need a baby budget. Diapering supplies, formula, increases in insurance costs, and more will impact your funds.

This is the reason it’s so essential to streamline your budget wherever possible. Every little bit may also help.

4. Grow to be a virtual assistant

Virtual assistant (VA) work is a terrific option for a mom on maternity leave since you set your personal schedule.

Virtual assistants also can determine which tasks they’re willing to tackle for clients, so you may tailor the job to your talents and interests.

Becoming a VA can include doing tasks like social media management, email management, data entry, customer support, and more.

VA work could also be an excellent fit for the right way to earn a living on maternity leave due to its flexibility. You’ll be able to work from your property and set your hours (or work a couple of minutes at a time, as the newborn allows!).

5. Be a social media manager

One arena of tasks that might be a part of a VA’s schedule is handling social media for clients. Whether you’re an authority in Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, or the entire above, there are clients who need those skills.

Plenty of companies now depend on no less than one social media platform to attract in customers, so social media managers are essential! Plus, you may rating fairly flexible hours and tackle just as much work as you wish.

6. Become profitable on maternity leave by freelance writing

You’ve probably heard through the grapevine of no less than a couple of people being profitable via freelance writing. Writing is usually a side gig and even develop into a full-time gig for those who wish.

While on maternity leave, even only one or two clients for freelance writing work could help make up for any lost income. Writing blog posts or social media content is one technique to go.

If you’ve got a journalistic background you may additionally write for magazines or newspapers.

7. Try freelance bookkeeping

In case you’re more of a numbers-minded woman relatively than language-oriented, you may start a contract bookkeeping business. Corporations of all sizes employ bookkeepers who manage their financial accounts.

Bookkeeping isn’t as complex as accounting, so it’s easier to interrupt into the sphere even with zero experience. In case you might be organized and listen to detail, you may likely learn the abilities to be a contract bookkeeper.

8. Grow to be a contract proofreader

There are a ton of options for freelancing, including freelance proofreading. In case you consistently end up correcting people’s written errors, proofreading may be just the maternity side hustle for you.

As with many freelance jobs, you may start finding clients on Upwork or FlexJobs. Take a look at these other ideas for the right way to receives a commission to read books!

9. Write and sell an e-book

Now, this suggestion isn’t one which you could expect to easily do in a couple of hours and begin raking in money.

Nonetheless, if you’ve got writing skills and an interest in putting in real effort, writing an e-book to self-publish could earn you some extra income.

Perhaps that is the variety of work you could possibly do while your baby naps through the day. It’s likely going to be a tougher technique to earn a living, though, as there’s quite a little bit of initial effort with no guarantee of a payout.

You never know, though—whatever idea you’ve got for a children’s book, a book on latest motherhood, or some other topic, it could ring a bell with readers.

10. Take care of other children while on maternity leave

You’ll be able to likely earn a living while on maternity leave for those who’re in a position to offer childcare for other families. After all, your personal infant is your priority, but that doesn’t mean you may’t handle one other child or two.

In case you think you’ll have the energy to securely care for an additional child or multiple children during maternity leave, go for it. This doesn’t must be full-time care.

You may simply offer a few hours of after-school take care of a friend’s kids. Or be the “date night” sitter for a couple of months for couples in your area (you most likely aren’t going out much anyway).

11. Discover a part-time job with childcare

This may very well be a tough one. But you may look online and within the classifieds for part-time job opportunities.

Some places might find a way to supply childcare when you work, which might provide you with a break while letting you earn money.

Perhaps a gym would offer infant care when you work the front desk. Or you could possibly ask your local library in the event that they need part-time help and would assist you to bring the newborn along.

It’s not going to work all over the place, but you never know until you ask, right? If it doesn’t work out, try a “work-from-anywhere” job as a substitute.

12. Create a web based course for passive income

An increasing number of individuals are earning money by selling courses they’ve created. Spend a while pondering of what your skills are and whether there’s a technique to market them.

Selling a web based course is a unbelievable technique to earn passive income.

You do the research, preparation, writing or recording, and some other parts of the creative process first. Then, once every little thing is ready up, you may sell the course indefinitely.

In case you’d like some inspiration, these passive income books could provide you with ideas for making your personal online course.

13. Arrange an Etsy store

For creative types, the most effective ways to share your gifts with the world is Etsy.

Perhaps you could possibly make hand-drawn greeting cards or sell your famous crocheted hand towels. Or for those who’re good with making attractive printables, those are great to sell on Etsy.

While it is advisable to someday take your creations to local craft fairs and festivals during maternity leave, an Etsy store might be perfect. You don’t have to go away your property to create money-making crafts.

14. Do online customer support part-time

Would you enjoy answering product or delivery questions by email? Perhaps you could possibly start a small side business and learn the right way to earn a living on maternity leave doing customer support.

Online customer support is a worthwhile tool in today’s economy. Most of us don’t wish to spend time actually talking on the phone.

We’d relatively communicate through email or chatbots to handle business questions.

Search online for customer support jobs you may do remotely, and you may find something that matches your needs. This fashion, you may keep caring to your baby and being profitable, all from your personal home.

15. Provide catering or cooking services (on your personal schedule)

You’ll have a unbelievable skill in making a selected few meals or baking bread. While on maternity leave, you may find a way to sell your best food items to the general public.

This job could require lots of marketing, but through social media, it isn’t all that onerous to locate potential clients. Whether you’re baking bread or cakes for events or making whole-catered meals, you could possibly do all of it from home.

You should definitely check into the laws in your state and native area about food-related businesses first. Discover for those who fit the qualifications based on the variety of kitchen you’ve got and your qualifications to organize food.

16. Offer a laundry service

In case you’re not someone who hates the concept of piles of laundry, doing an in-home laundry service is a terrific idea for the right way to earn a living while on maternity leave.

One woman interviewed by Business Insider began her home laundry business with SudShare in 2021. She earns about $30,000 per 12 months now doing people’s laundry in her home.

You just join on the platform, select which jobs to just accept in your area, after which do an awesome job.

Providing extra touches like folding every little thing neatly and wrapping it with a ribbon could help bring you repeat customers.

17. Sell photos for stock sites

Each amateur and skilled photographers can earn a living by selling photos on stock image sites.

Places like iStockPhoto and Shutterstock are platforms for photographers to sell their work.

Photography is a terrific art form that may assist you to explore your creative side. You should use photos you’ve already taken or create latest images during any free time you’ve got while bonding together with your baby.

18. Start a print-on-demand shop

For one more idea of the right way to earn a living on maternity leave, have you ever ever considered a print-on-demand (POD) shop? That is while you use a web based storefront, submit your designs, and allow them to print orders for you.

POD shops are sometimes utilized by popular YouTubers, who might create apparel or coffee mugs, or other merchandise with their slogans and pictures on them.

If you’ve got some unique ideas for funny or interesting products, create images or logos that might be reproduced on them.

For a mom on maternity leave, POD shops are great since you don’t need inventory and might work each time you wish. The business mostly runs itself!

Many POD platforms exist, including:

19. Create a web based fitness or health-related business for brand spanking new mothers

Are you obsessed with health or fitness?

Perhaps you’ve got expertise in a certain area of health, possibly one which impacts latest mothers like yourself. Could you begin a web based health business?

A web-based business in the world of health or well-being may very well be a terrific technique to earn a living from home. This might involve posting inspirational content about your personal health or fitness journey, sharing products you like, and even selling your personal course.

You should definitely back up any claims you make, and don’t pretend to be more qualified than you might be. You don’t must be a physician, but you need to at all times be honest about what you may provide when making claims about health.

20. Be a health coach (for pregnant women or latest mothers)

In case you’re expert in healthy lifestyle areas, you could possibly try to begin a health coaching business. Perhaps you’d give attention to working with latest mothers, but possibly you’d be open to every kind of clientele.

Again, be sure you only tackle work that you just’re qualified to do. Perhaps you’ve got a small fitness area in your personal home and will welcome a couple of clients per week for personalized workouts.

Or you could possibly offer online coaching or prepare workout plans for specific people.

21. Grow to be a postpartum doula

A postpartum doula is someone who offers support to families with latest babies. As Postpartum.net explains, a postpartum doula could provide “information and support on infant feeding, emotional and physical recovery from childbirth, infant soothing”, etc.

You may be suited to being a postpartum doula if you’ve got the training and the will to assist women and families with their newest addition.

You’ll be able to check the next resources for information on the right way to develop into a postpartum doula:

22. Create video content on social media

Making video content for social media platforms is a technique to earn a living from your personal home. If you’ll want to earn a living while on maternity leave, you may create videos for social media.

This will include being a YouTuber or making videos for TikTok, in fact. There are people being profitable from every kind of video content, from information on fast food and grocery stores to inspirational content.

23. Be a notary public

One other way you may learn the right way to earn a living while on maternity leave involves signing documents. You do have to go away your property to be a notary public, but it could possibly still be a reasonably flexible side hustle.

A notary public is someone who witnesses the signing of essential documents similar to loan or mortgage papers.

In most states, you simply should be over 18 years old and never have a felony record to develop into a notary public.

Some states require you to take a course of several hours to develop into certified, and 12 states require you to pass an exam.

You may decide to develop into a notary signing agent who focuses on notary services in real estate transactions. Some people report charging as much as $200 per signing, which might make it well value your while.

24. Put money into dividend stocks

This money-making tip isn’t a side gig. As a substitute, it requires you to have already got money, then invest it in dividend stocks.

Dividend investing, put simply, is while you buy stocks that pay dividends or shares of an organization’s profits or earnings. This implies if the stock continues to pay dividends, you’ll earn a living in your investment even when the worth of that stock doesn’t go up.

If you ought to try dividend investing as a part of your investment strategy, be sure you weigh the professionals and cons.

This won’t likely be a terrific technique to cover your expenses during maternity leave, but more of a technique to proceed adding to your future nest egg.

25. Put money into real estate

If you ought to earn a living by investing in real estate, buying properties to rent out is one technique to go. After all, that might be time-consuming and require lots of money upfront.

You possibly can also invest through REITs, which allow you to buy shares as an asset whose underlying value is in real estate investments. These are ways to grow your total portfolio for the long run.

Again, this can be a potential technique to earn money when you’re on maternity leave. Nonetheless, it might not be a terrific solution if you’ve got to make money to live off until you return to work.

26. Use Amazon affiliate internet marketing on your personal blog or website

One other tip: you may earn a living with a blog by promoting products available on Amazon. Affiliate marketing is where you share products in articles that you just like or recommend.

When readers come to your site and click on your affiliate link and make a purchase order, you get a cut of that purchase.

It might probably take a while to construct a following before you make any money from affiliate internet marketing, but once it gets going, it could possibly be fairly passive income.

You’ll be able to learn the right way to earn a living on maternity leave and grow your income!

Being profitable on maternity leave is possible—you simply need to come to a decision where to place your energy. Because you won’t have unlimited time and energy, you’ll want to pick one or two money-making ideas that make sense for you.

Use these ideas to enable you determine the very best technique to manage your maternity leave together with your funds intact.