2. Not enough space. As any parent will tell you when you have a child space is of a premium. Push chairs and playpens, toys and changing mats all take up valuable space in what was once a neat spacious home.

The change a child makes to your life is always a shock but the fact that they seem to spread themselves into every corner of every room comes as a big surprise to most. What was once your dining table has become the place you put the things you don't want them to break, chew or swallow and the older they get the more space they seem to consume.

With this in mind it can be nearly impossible to find a space to work where you can keep your important order forms and papers from becoming "art".

3. Being taken seriously. It can be difficult to be taken seriously by your spouse or partner when you work at home and look after your children. They can think you are just making a few pence rather than trying to carve a career. Friends and family all seem to think they can pop in for a cup of tea at any time as you're not really busy and you don't do a real job. Finding a way to look professional and create an atmosphere where you can be taken seriously can be difficult.

4. Cannot do any work.   It takes a strong commitment, creativity in juggling various roles and tasks, and willingness to work beyond normal working hours to be able to successfully work from home. Your children and partner may demand your attention, your neighbours could drop in for a chat, housework that needs doing, dogs barking, even the daytime soap operas! Working at home is especially tough if you have a baby or very small children who demand your full and complete attention. Maybe you think you need to take a course first on time management to be able to work effectively from your home.

5. Lack of privacy. If you are either working or running some sort of business from home it may be that you don't want anyone who pops in to visit to see what you are doing for fear of ridicule or sheer nosiness. Perhaps when your parents or in-laws are visiting you may not want them to see the extent of the work you are involved in so that they can not criticise you for how much time you are spending "away" form your child. Or perhaps you simply don't want your creative children drawing on the all important forms you have on the dinning table. All of these issues can cause unnecessary stress.

6. Strain on family relationships. Be sure that your family understands what it takes to operate a home business. Talk to your husband or wife and ask for their support, and explain to the children your need to be given time to work. Some members of your family may resent the fact that while you stay in the house the whole day your attention is not focused on them. However, be sure also to know when to stop working and start living as part of the family.

7. Working too much. When working at home, the line between work and family sometimes crosses. There is always the temptation to work long hours that may be difficult to resist, like checking and answering emails after dinnertime. Instead of spending quality time with the rest of the family, a home based parent sometimes falls into the trap of being consumed with work. They do not know when to stop.

8. Feeling isolated. With no co-employees or bosses hovering in your workplace, the stay-at-home parent often finds it difficult to adjust in a solitary work environment. With the increase in workload and looking after a child there can seem to be little adult conversation in the day.

9. Self-discipline or self-management. Your productivity as a home-based worker may go up or down, depending on your self-discipline. Working on your own at home means that you are boss - there are no codes of conduct to follow, no strict regime to adhere to. Some could find that they are spending way too much time watching television, or they are having a hard time not going back to bed. If you fail to maintain a certain level of discipline, compounded by ineffective time management, it will be hard to manage to complete the necessary tasks. Stay-at-home mums also have the distraction of children, not only everyday issues, becoming ill or simply being a bit more clingy than usual, a hurdle that can be very difficult to jump.

10. Home office legal constraints  Before you finalize your plans be sure to know the rules and regulations that govern your circumstances. If you rent an apartment, check with the landlord the level of business activity that they can tolerate. Your may not be allowed to receive too many visitors or the frequent comings-and-goings of delivery trucks may not be acceptable.Is there a clause in your contract that does not allow you to use your home for business purposes. Think about storage space you may need so not to block doorways or exits and keep potentially harmful substances well away form children. It is better to be aware of the restrictions governing your business at the very start of your enterprise.

I Hope we have highlighted the pitfalls of working at home, while also covering some of the benefits. The solution is an obvious one, we all desperately need to create professional, secure and dedicated office space within our home environment for home working to succeed at all. Its these exact needs that garden offices address.

Garden offices are designed to solve the need to work at home for as many hours as you need without your work becoming a problem in your life.

So, now lets look at some garden office solutions to these problems facing the stay-at-home Mum...