Some moms have a job that they love, so they make the (still difficult) decision to go back to work after they become mothers. Other women decide that being a mom is just what they want to do, and all they want to do.

And in-between, there’s most of us – we want to spend as much time with our child(ren) as possible, but we want to work, or we need to work too. What’s a mom to do?

More and more innovative mothers have found another way to combine work and baby – starting their own business at home.

Katra Knoernschild started her business Teeni Banini five years ago. She recognized the growing appeal of natural, chemical-free baby products, and started a website selling eco-friendly baby toys and baby products. She’s now expanded to sell bedding, furniture and clothing, all made by environmentally responsible manufacturers.

Other moms start crafting or making what they love, and with a little encouragement from friends and family, sell their products over the internet.

Stacy Hampton, a mom of three, loved her son’s cloth diapers but thought they were boring. Being a creative person, she started decorating and embellishing them. Her husband thought they were good enough to sell to other mothers, so she opened Purple Butterfly Boutique to sell her diapers, and sure enough, orders for her custom-dyed diapers came pouring in. She added customized cloth wipes, baby tees and onesies to her range, and last month, she was able to quit her full-time job. She says she doesn’t make as much money as she used to, but she’s having much more fun!

Kristina Vanderwater is another crafty mama, who turned a pre-baby profession into a post-baby vocation. Kristina is a painter and painted murals for a living before her first son was born in 2006. Her business Bouncing Off The Walls changed focus to hand-painted nursery decor, furniture, wall letters and more, everything hand-painted and customized for each baby’s room. Kristina has baby number two on the way (congratulations!) and she says “I am so happy that I will be able to be here for both of my children every day and yet still follow a dream of my own… I am lucky to be able to say that I am doing exactly what I love and every day is such a gift!”

Have you ever said “Why isn’t there a baby product that does….?” or “Why can’t they make….?” Next time you do, you’ve probably had a great idea! Instead of waiting for someone else to make that product, why don’t you do it?

That’s what mom-of-three Jennifer Indiana did with her business, Punkin Booty Bits. Her youngest daughter had such sensitive skin, she couldn’t use any commercial baby wipes on her. Necessity was the mother of invention for this clever mom: She formulated Punkin Booty Bits, a concentrated baby wipe solution made using the most gentle, natural ingredients. The Booty Bits are dissolved in water to make an all-natural solution to wet your own baby wipes with. Jennifer makes them in sweet little animal shapes – clever and cute too!

Let’s not forget that the owner and creator of Babies Online, and the Babies Online Blog that you are reading right now for that matter, is also a work from home mom!

With the rise of the internet, entrepreneurial moms like these have a wonderful opportunity to do something they love, and make a little money too. And the great thing is – you can do it too. So if people are telling you how amazing the things you make are, or you are sitting there with a great idea for a new product, saying, “what if?” change that to “lets do it!”