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Side Gigs Physicians Can Do Together with Their Young Kids

7 days ago
9 min read

We all know that a career in medicine is already all-encompassing. One of the biggest things that those on our online communities for physicians struggle with is weighing the desire for a side gig with the opportunity cost of even more time not spent with their families. Occasionally, we’ll get posts asking about ideas that physicians have for doing side gigs alongside their young children. Many of these times, it’s not solely (or even at all) about the money - it’s about the educational value and the opportunities to model entrepreneurship, creativity, and financial literacy for the next generation. Other times, the topic comes up in the context of doctors trying to find ways to fund a Roth IRA for their kids, which is a wonderful financial gift when compounded over decades. Below, we’ll cover some ideas for side gigs for physician families with young kids - with the hopes that they spark a fun, and possibly lucrative, idea for your family.


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Family friendly side gigs physicians can do together with their young children


Why should physicians with young children even consider family-friendly side gigs?


Most physicians seeking side gigs to do alongside their young children know that it’s not likely to generate significant income when compared to other physician side gigs. They’re actually usually looking to use the side gig as a fun way to do something unique with their children, teach them new skills like entrepreneurship or finance, or find a way to fund Roth IRAs for their children as the amount of money that can compound from 6+ decades of tax advantaged growth is quite significant.



Over time, as the children grow, these side gigs could evolve into other things, help your children gain a competitive edge for college, and teach them the value of money or other lessons that no classroom can replicate.



What are the best side gigs physicians can do with their young kids?


While what constitutes ‘best’ is going to vary a lot by your family’s goals and the ultimate success or performance of your side gig endeavor, here are popular options that doctors often mention on our communities as ways to both engage their children and build something meaningful.



Medical content creation (YouTube, podcasting, social media, or blogging)


The physician influencer space has skyrocketed over the past decade. Particularly as younger med students, residents, and fellows develop social media presences and side gigs, many doctors on social media have younger children that they incorporate into their content. This may be that they are actively featured in the content as models in pictures, or that the children are themselves creating content alongside of their physician parents.


Additionally, physician-led content is in high demand. Parents and patients want trustworthy medical information, and doctors who communicate clearly and authentically can build meaningful audiences online by creating content about health topics, parenting, or physician life.


Of course, you’ll have to decide if you want your children’s faces and information on social media, which comes with it’s own set of pros and cons and risks. Even if you ultimately decide you’d prefer to keep their likeness off social media, you can still involve your children in your own content creation side gigs. They can get involved in filming, editing thumbnails or videos, brainstorming topics, or otherwise be involved in the production or publishing process. Slightly older children may be able to also get involved in the business side of things or take some of the more tedious tasks involved in these side gigs off of your plate. 




Educational social media channel or blog


Piggybacking off of the last one, there’s nothing to say that your content has to be related to medicine. If you’re a physician, chances are you were pretty good at school, and you’ve picked up some teaching skills along the way while supervising medical students, interns, or residents.


Teaching can also become a shared learning experience and side gig at home. As you explain concepts to your children, or if they’ve learned concepts, you can together use the experience to educate others. As they get older, they may even be able to help with organizing notes, scheduling content, and researching certain topics.



Writing and/or illustrating a children’s book


A lot of physicians love writing, and many endeavor into the world of children’s books or educational resources. Writing a children’s book together could be a fun and collaborative experience that gives you and your child the satisfaction of a finished product.  Depending on the age of your child, they may be able to help come up with the story line, help write the text, or help illustrate the book that you write. They could also help you to market it.


This may not be the highest paid side gig, but there’s always the chance the book could take off. It could also open up the door to some tax deductions.


Learn more about how to publish a book.



Cooking, baking, or food business


Physician-parents who love cooking have built successful food blogs, YouTube channels, catering side businesses, and even product lines. This could genuinely be one of the most family-inclusive options on the list. There are many roles that a child could participate in, from helping with shopping, putting away groceries, cooking, taste testing, filming, social media, packaging goods for sale or to mail, or even selling them at fairs or on the sidewalk.


If you have a particular interest in baking, cooking, or otherwise being creative with food or beverages, this could be a very fun side gig for the family.



Crafts side gig


If you and your children love doing arts and crafts together, there may be several ways to turn that hobby into a side gig, particularly if what you’re producing has a niche where people may want to buy it. Some ideas include:


  • Unique friendship bracelets, necklaces, or other jewelry

  • Assembling coloring or crafting kits for sale

  • Creating slime

  • Sensory toys

  • Holiday crafts like ornaments, wreaths, Halloween decor, Valentine’s crafts, gift boxes

  • Greeting cards

  • Get well soon kits

  • T-shirts


The possibilities are endless. You could sell these in the neighborhood, at farmers markets, or online, depending on how big that you want to scale the business. For certain things like T-shirts, you could even have the production online, avoiding the need for inventory.



Product development 


If you've identified a problem in your clinical practice or personal life and have an idea for solving it, entrepreneurship can turn that insight into something tangible. These days, between 3D printers, online stores, and AI, the barriers to creating a product have never been lower.


There are so many ways for kids to get involved in these journeys. Depending on what the product is (and especially if they’re the target audience, like for a toy or a game), they may be able to help test the product and give you ideas for how to make it better. 


If this is another sort of product (let’s say you develop a scrubs company or a tea company or a board game), there are so many roles within the business, even for young children who may be able to help as child models, in marketing the product, in sales, or in packaging.


By the way, these are all things members of our online physician community have done as side gigs! Check them out our member physician side gigs page.


Unlike many traditional side gigs, entrepreneurship naturally invites collaboration and learning. Kids can sit in on brainstorming sessions, help test a new idea, offer surprisingly creative feedback, or learn alongside you as a project takes shape. Even simple conversations about naming a product, designing a logo, or thinking through a problem can become valuable teaching moments.


Beyond this, they’re gaining valuable life skills. They're getting a front-row seat to creativity, innovation, and problem-solving. They see firsthand how ideas evolve into real-world solutions, while learning lessons about persistence, adaptability, and entrepreneurship that extend far beyond medicine.



Photography or videography


Many physicians have a passion for photography. That hobby can become a legitimate income stream - whether it be event photography, family portraits, landscapes, headshots, or otherwise. 


Kids can join you on shoots, carry gear, serve as models, or help in the production process. As they get older, they can also learn editing or photoshopping software.


This side gig has a natural family-first and flexible rhythm, given that it can likely be done around your schedule.



Chores based or gig worker type side gig


This one may be more trouble than you want to take on, but it’s worth considering if you want to help set your kid up for jobs in the future when they’re old enough to do it on their own. This includes things like:


  • Dog walking

  • Babysitting

  • Car washes

  • Lawn/yard cleanup



Gardening side gig


If you love gardening and enjoy doing this alongside your children, you could consider turning this into a small side gig. If you grow something others want, it could be both fun and relaxing, as well as a way to teach your children basic entrepreneurship (and of course, gardening). 


Whether you’re growing seedlings, herbs, vegetables, flowers, or small plants, these all have a market. Depending on how much you produce, you could sell them locally or in farmers markets.



Is it really worth it to turn these into side gigs, and can they actually scale?


Only you can answer that question. Successfully balancing a side gig with the demands of medicine and parenting requires intentional planning and realistic expectations. No side gig is completely effortless, no matter how trivial it may sound, and you’re already managing demanding schedules. 


However, approaching a side gig as a family activity rather than an individual pursuit can create opportunities to spend meaningful time together while building an additional source of income (or to fund your child’s Roth IRA). When your kids are young, you may want to emphasize side gigs that are especially flexible, have easy to meet deadlines, and most importantly, are fun. Involve your children in age appropriate ways, and see where it goes! 


How to balance parenting with family side gigs: 4 habits to keep it from tipping into burnout & household misery


Can these side gigs scale?


The fact is, you never know when a business will take off. There are things that you can do to intentionally aim for scale if your desire is to build substantial revenue from the business. In these situations, you’ll want to focus on side gigs that have operations that can be deployed at scale, as well as towards higher priced or higher demand products. You’ll also want to leverage social media and other available tools.


That said, at the end of the day, with social media offering virality and revenue through views, and with self-publishing, drop-shipping, AI, and other internet based businesses becoming more and more common, anything is possible. While things like dog walking or making friendship bracelets may seem like they can only scale so much, if you were to turn them into a social media account that went viral and got sponsors, etc, even these could end up being very profitable.



Conclusion


For those physicians who are eager to develop side gigs but are worried about sacrificing time with their young children, one option may be to incorporate Side gigs don’t have to compete with your family life, and they can actually enhance it. By choosing family-friendly opportunities, you’re not just earning extra income. You’re teaching your kids valuable life skills, sharing meaningful experiences, and creating memories that will last a lifetime.


The key to success is starting small, staying flexible, and choosing a side gig that aligns with your family’s unique needs and interests. Whether you’re brainstorming YouTube content, tutoring curious students, or baking cookies with your kids, the opportunities to work and thrive with your family is endless.



Related resources for physicians


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