10 Great Ideas for Moms Who Want to Work at Home

7. Childcare

Before starting her accounting business, Brigitte T. offered licensed childcare services in her home. "My husband and I were determined to be the primary caregivers for our children, but we needed my income to meet basic living expenses," says the mother of three. "Working at home was the best way to satisfy both requirements." Each state sets its own guidelines for registering and licensing childcare providers. Although state laws seldom apply to day care for only one or two kids, it's important to contact the Department of Social Services about local regulations.

8. Teaching

While most teaching jobs do require leaving the house, some colleges or universities are in need of instructors to teach online classes from home. In addition, colleges and universities often need teachers to instruct courses at satellite branches during evening hours. Fran P. teaches English composition to college students one night a week. She prepares and grades course materials at home, which allows her to spend more time with her three-year-old son Mike. If you're able to arrange childcare quickly, another option is to substitute teach at your local schools. Some states require substitutes to have teacher certification while others require only a college degree. Contact your local school district about requirements.

9. Sales

If you're interested in earning both money and "free" products, then working as a sales consultant might be for you. From Mary Kay cosmetics, to Pampered Chef kitchenware, to Creative Memories scrapbooking, there's a wide range of sales opportunities available that only require you to work out of the home on the days or evenings when you agree to schedule a party. To determine if this career is right for you, think about the products that interest you, attend a few parties and talk to some consultants.

10. Case Manager

Paula H. was a content stay-at-home mom to then two-year-old Drew when she was approached by her state's early intervention program for infants and toddlers to provide case management services. As a case manager, Paula provides services for families with young children, from birth to age three, who have developmental delays or disabilities. She decides how many hours she works by choosing the number of clients she takes on. Case managers are required to have a college degree or to have a child with special needs. In addition, Paula recommends that you be "a good listener and good organizer/planner, easy to talk to, compassionate, and like babies/toddlers and doing lots of paperwork."

These ideas may well serve as a springboard for more, and may set your imagination flying to other ways to uniquely match your own set of skills, experience and capablities to very real, money-making possibilities. If that truly is your goal, then the main thing is to set the wheels in motion and you'll be surprised at the options that open up to you!