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DH doesn't work on Monday and Tuesday so he finds stuff for the kids to do and they stay away from my office. The LOs are in daycare and preschool for the rest of the week.

So I am just getting started with this, but I have two days set aside as "work" days. I drop off the toddler with a babysitter (a SAHM who has her own son who is close in age) from 8-12. I keep the baby with me, but that will only work until she is a little older. I work as much as I can from 8-12, then pick up lo and then we come home, have lunch, and I work some more while he naps. When he wakes up we have an hour or two to play before DH gets home...we eat as soon as DH is home, and then I work the rest of the evening. I can get about 6-7 hours of work in on those days. I also work on Sunday afternoons and don't need childcare because DH is home. I leave the other days open because I only want part time hours and we do play dates etc. on those days. Saturday is family day and I don't work at all.

My MIL watched both kids for their first year of life at home while I WFH - it wasn't an issue until they became toddlers and started trying to knock down my door (then I felt guilty for not being able to be with them), so after they became toddlers they started attending a daycare/preschool full-time. It was more stressful being at home with them because in-between meetings or work, every spare second I had I'd try to take my kids off my MIL's hands to give her a break, and I just felt so pulled in so many different directions. That might not be an issue for you though since you are paying a professional.

Following! Thinking about hiring a babysitter/nanny 2 days per week when I return to work in January after mat leave and will WFH those days.

We have a PT nanny from 8-330 M-TH. My LOs are 4 and 20 months. Her schedule will be a bit different in the fall when DS goes back to preschool but total hours the same.

I just try to pretend I'm not home as much as possible, and she has access to the car so most mornings they do some sort of outing or at the very least play for awhile outside. And once it's lunchtime I usually head out for a workout and then may do a little more work outside the house (coffee shop etc) or run errands if my workload allows.

ETA my older DS is used to the arrangement and doesn't give me much trouble if I'm in and out. Sometimes the little one clings if I am around, so I try to minimize it.

@winniebee: Yep! I was still in the office a few days a wk so she was pretty on top of his feeding times and would bring him to the den or come get me so I could step out to nurse!

I WFH about 30 hours/week. We have a baby sitter who comes 9-1...after she leaves I put LO down for nap and (hopefully) finish work. during busier times I work before she's up/after she goes to bed.

I tried daycare but it was too much hassle getting her stuff packed up, driving 20+ minutes each way...I felt like if I drove back home it was a waste of time and if I found a place to work (library/starbucks) it was too distracting.

When babysitter doesn't come, I pretty much just do my best to keep up with e-mail/lync and catch up later.

She tries to come into my office occasionally, but if she's having a good time/entertained she pretty much goes about her day fine even though she knows i'm in the house.

I'm self employed and WAH. Both of my LOs go to daycare. LO1 goes full time (but hours are shorter here and I pick him up around 4) and LO2 has a slightly shorter day. LO2 will start full time in the fall. Before LO2 started daycare I had a babysitter who would come every morning until 12 or 1 and then I would put her down for a nap and cross my fingers that she would sleep.

@FaithFertility: Feel free to wall me! During the school year I tutor 4 afternoons a week and also was at school two afternoons a week as an interventionist teacher (focusing on ELL students this past year). It's been a really lovely way to work part-time in education. I'm lucky! I have my own tutoring business and I'm happy to answer any questions/send you my website, etc., if you're looking to get started and want to run ideas past someone!