I have a 10 yr old and a 4 yr old. Both actually can entertain themselves, but I have found that when I am down to the crunch time..that is when they start acting up and getting noisy. I lay down the law explain to them they need to be quiet..go in their rooms to play and then everything settles back down again. Our 10 year old has helped me bake and make icing.

I too have little ones- a calm 5 year old and very active, energetic, curious 19 month old. I have a full time job and another part time job. Getting cakes done for me takes a ton of organization. I start by baking one day, and freezing. Next day I make my fondant (including making all my different colors) Day before I make my fillings and cover my cake boards. Day of I make my BC, thaw my cakes while the BC is mixing. I crumb coat my cakes and stick them into the fridge until my boys go to sleep. Then im off to decorating! All this has to be done in seperate days because I work till 5 (3) days a week and until 7 (2) days a week plus go home and make a full meal for my family. Its not ideal but its the best I can do if I want to continue doing cakes...and I LOVE decorating cakes!!! Oh and I try to do all these things while im making dinner so it doesnt take more time out of my day! Like while the meat is on the grill outside ill throw the cakes in the oven! HTH!

I have a 3 year old and 11 year old. I try to do most of my baking after the kids go to sleep. I squeeze smaller projects in during my 3 year olds nap or a playdate at the neighbors. I use a sitter when my workload is too big. Consider the cost of a sitter part of your business expense. Also if you can get hubby to watch the kid(s) in the evening for a hour or two that really helps.

I Work fulltime and have 3 kids ages 3,7 and 12. I have it down to a science now I bake in the early mornings before I go to work the first day; then I fill and frost and decorate the second -all in the early morning hours before the kids get up. My two little ones were the most demanding and my daughter is the hanger-on. It gets better as they are being older.... Now when I'm working on fondant or gumpaste figures my 3 year old will come over to me ask me how I'm doing and ask to taste the cream (her word for frosting) or a little ball (fondant) and walk away.

Believe me.... You will have an "a-ha" moment and it will all come together

Being a single mother of 4 kids, when my kids were younger what I did was teach them what I was doing. I made it fun. My oldest daughter was 5 when she was painting cabbage patch kids with chocolate in the candy molds. I'm talking colored chocolate too. My 50 year old cousin who had been doing chocolate for 25 years thought I had done them. These were so perfect that I couldn't believe it when they were done, I couldn't bare to sell them so I bought them myself and gave her the money. I do a number of winter craft shows and I told the kids for $5.00 for supplies they can make what they wanted and whatever sold was theirs to keep. That in order to make money, you had to spend it for supplies. Needless to say, they did very very well. I am a perfectionist when it comes to my cakes and chocolates and if didn't look good and taste good, it didn't go on the table. Now my kids are all in their twenties (20, 21, 24 ,28 now) and to this day they still help and its a great time for making memories. I also remember having so many Easter candy orders that my living room was loaded with chocolates, you couldn't sit anywhere that's how many orders I had. That when my girls were 3 & 4 they would look, but no one would touch anything, because they knew that mommie was the Easter bunnies helper and these were going to help the Easter bunny, It does get better and easier.as they get older. But if they learn what your doing they can be a big help doing the smaller things.

Thank you so much for posting this! I have a 3 1/2 year old and a 22 month old, both boys. They are attached at the hip to me. I have such a hard time because I feel guilty taking away time from them to make cakes so I leave it all to the night time. I was never getting enough sleep so I was exhausted and unfortunately my husband is not very "helpful" with the kids. I take breaks where I will bake for two weeks and then rest up for a few. This is definitely not a good time for me to be starting a full time cake business but mostly just for hobby. Good luck we are on the same boat

I think all these "mommy" posts are beautiful. Whether you have kids, 2 jobs, are a hobbiest, or running your own business, we all get it. Caking is a joy for us all, but the reality is, caking takes up so much time and effort. MrsBiggs06, thats a beautiful mantra! =)

The reality is there is no secret to doing a baking business with kids. Simply because each kid is sooooo unique. Don't beat yourself up!

I have friends that if you gave their kids playdoh or fondant and a cutter set, you could get a couple of hours from them. My daughter, I couldn't have gotten 15 minutes. She doesn't like to "play" she likes to socialize. She loves to sit and talk, go to lunch, go shopping at the mall, watch movies.... but not play. I finally gave up and she's not getting toys for Christmas, she'd rather have clothes.

I was in your shoes just a few years ago (mine is now 4), and it DOES get better. I hate to admit I used movies a lot, I made naptime or quiet time a necessity, and bedtime was between 7 and 7:30, NO exceptions.

I remember one day we were at the bank drive-thru and next door was a daycare center. My then 18month old asked what the fun place was, and I told her it was for kids whose mommies had to go to work. She didn't like that thought. She said, "Will I ever have to go there?" I said, "As long as you let mommy focus on cakes sometimes and don't bug her, you won't."

Being the little adult she is, she totally got it, and every time she started bugging me, I said, "Why does mommy need to do this?" and she parroted, "So I don't have to go to daycare!"

Like I said, every kid is unique, and mine is just plain weird.

I want to say that I also understand exactly where you are coming from. I watch my 2 yr old grand daughter several days a week. I have her almost around the clock when mommy works, minus the few hours between mom getting off work and dinner time when she goes home to see her parents. Then it's back to Me maw's house. I don't have the patience I used to and it's a bear to try to do cakes with her under foot. When I absolutely have to work with her here I try to include her as much as I can handle so that I can keep an eye on her and get my work done. She loves to help cook. I give her the trash to throw away, so up and down her step stool she goes (with enough trips up and down, I get a tired g-baby - lol). When I have to frost with her here, I have give her cake scraps, frosting and spatula and let her decorate her own cake while I work. I never attempt detail work with her here, it's too frustrating. And sometimes I have to wait til she walks out the door with Mommy in the afternoon to get as much done as I can before she returns. Making cupcakes for my daughter's school the other day I ended up with the dog's water bowl flooding my living room floor!!

It's hard, I know. You just have to find what works best for you. And sometimes that means squeezing work in during nap time or after someone else is home to help keep an eye on the little one.
Hang in there and good luck!!

OMG, the outpouring of empathy is making me tear up <3 <3 <3

Although I may not be able to "fix" this issue right now, I feel so much better knowing that others have to deal with this same thing and that it's not "abnormal" for my situation!

I also have two older daughters, 9.5 and 7.5 years old but they are in school all day and even when they are home, they're not as willing to help with my youngest as much as I had hoped But they are here in the afternoons/evenings to help as much as I can beg for!

Thank you everyone <3

Looks like there are a lot of us in the same boat! I have a 2 boys, 4 and 2. I work 8-1 mon through fri at my day job and cake on nights and weekends. I get the baking/crumb coating, etc. done while they are running around me in circles because it doesn't require too much concentration. And the detail work just has to wait until nap time or bed time - which is at 7:30 every night. I also have a great hubby who will take them out for a few hours if I'm on a deadline, but mostly I have just learned that there is only so much you can do in any given day with the little ones around. And when you start trying to do more, you get burnt out, stressed, and you stop enjoying it. That was my biggest lesson, I won't book more than 1 or 2 cakes a week now, because the cakes start to suffer as well as my sanity. It wouldn't be fair to them if I expected them just to amuse themselves while I worked, they're only this little once, you don't want to miss it : )

I have 5 kids; 5 months, 4, 5,6, and 8. I am a teacher and also hold an evening job once a week. I work best in the am so I often awake at 4 or 4:30 to work on cake. The worst is when my baby wakes up to nurse then too! I've had my share of fingers in cake or frosting and having to fix on short notice. But for the most part, my kids are respectful of my work and like to watch or even offer to help. If the cake is for someone else, I just let them watch but if it is for a family member...they can help and they think this is the best. Who can resist a taste of b/c off a spoon or a bally of fondant? I once had a play date here (a mom and daughter duo) and the friend was standing on a chair next to the cake. I told her to please get down and move away since I was working hard and didn't want any mistakes. SHe didn't listen and lo and behold she fell and her elbow landed in the b/c. I was annoyed; and the mom didn't even apologize. She just said, "oh well, kids." Obviously she doesn't do cake!

I have a 10 month old and started back up baking when she was 1 month old. We built our kitchen knowing that we were going to start a family and that i wanted to be home for our kids and not have someone else watch them. I used to do 7-10 cakes a week. NOW im down to 4 it makes me sad that i have to turn so many people away, but this is what i chose to do knowing i wanted kids as my baby comes first and i dont want to scafice any of her daily activities and our time together. I am able to bake well she is up and i have a little area i call "her cage" thats full of toys lol. But she will only last 1 hr in there then about half an hour out of her "cage" and in the kitchen with me (thats about as much as i can handle) She has a 2 hour nap everyday and thats when i do my decorating. Also when my husband comes home from work he will play with our daughter and bath her well i work in the basement if i need to catch up on anything. I also realize now that when i have another baby i will have to quit cakes the whole pregnancy as im high risk and will be on bed rest and i think i will also take a year off once i have 2 as i get pretty stressed out some days thinking i cant finish my cakes and with 2 it will be more hard for me. (in canada we get 1 year of mat leave)

It makes me feel so much better to hear that I am not the only one! Mine are a little older (6 & 3) and cakes are still just a hobby of mine as I work FT outside the home but I do the same as others, baking and prep one day and decorating the next...mostly after the little ones are asleep. I will often include my youngest in the baking and prep part...she already knows to put her hair in a ponytail and wash her hands before she comes into the kitchen to "help" me...it's just easier for me that way and she is generally happy to just hang around and keep me company. I also tend to share mrsbriggs philosophy...and have completely (and happily) given up trying to do "everything".

I do remember trying to do it all when they were younger though and it was even more of a challenge...so to the OP, I say "hang in there, this too shall pass and don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it."

I am TOTALLY there with ya sister! I have 4 kids. ages 11, 9, 23 months, and 7 months. My 23 mo old KNOWS when I'm baking. He is a totaly cake freak and wants it He has ruined a few and I have had to run to the store for more ingredients to make a total new cake! He even now recognizes the foil when I wrap them up after baking. I have a few pics of him swiping the cooling cakes. One thing I have tried to do is wait till they are asleep or my older ones are home. I, too, am trying to get my business off the ground and just home baking. Don't give up! It is my enjoyment and my down time. So, I wait for naps and bedtimes to work on my fondant creating and decorating etc. This mmeans I am up at 11pm or 4am, but so worth it to not give up my passion! I have started working on my cakes a week before they are due. I start with the fondant charactors, flowers, etc first. Then i bake one day and decorate the next. It helps the cake settle, too and has prevented a lot of breaking layers. I have put my 7 month old in the high chair or jumpy thing by the kitchen so she can see me. and have bribed my 23 mo old with toys I keep up so he is not tired of them and will sit for a bit or Elmo when desperite! You will find what works for you, I did. my husband does shift work as a nurse, so he is gone 24 hrs every other day and then does a 72 hr shift before he is home, so I had to make it work if I wanted somthing for me. i'm here sweetie if you need to vent or get ideas! I know what it's like Hang in there!!

I can understand your frustration, I have a 15, 13 and 3 year old and a 3 month old. And a full time job! But I'm still caking!! I love doing it and sometimes I just have to say no if I think its too much for me. Kids come first, but I also have them help me. My 13 yearold helps me a lot with the little ones, she's a great babysitter. But my 3 year old loves to get in on the action, so I make him my little helper. I measure stuff out and he helps me pour it in and mix. He loves it! And when its fondant decorating time, I get out his own little mat and give him a piece on fondant. He loves to sit next to me and create his own little stuff. Who needs play-doh when you got the better edible stuff! He plays, he munches, he has fun and spends time with mommy! What could be better. Don't get me wrong, there are times that I have to stop what I'm doing to tend to them. Sometimes things just have to wait. I also get a lot done during naptime, they go down and I get a move on. But maybe you could include her and set up her own station next to you, that way she feels like a party of the fun. Good luck to you and don't give up. It does get better as they get older. HTH