Chores for an 18-month old?!

cherylnicole

Does your LO have chores? I was suprised when I saw this (initially saw it on pinterest) link where it has chores for kids from 18 months on. It's nothing really too extreme, I just never thought to have DS "wipe baseboards"! lol...I do want to start to get in the habit of having him help me put his toys away though...

https://parentingsquad.com/45-chores-young-children-can-do

Shamlet123

I am all for it. I guess you didn't see that they sell mini "play" swiffers and such at one step ahead?

DS will have a whole cleaning set soon!

Jillibean85

She doesn't have chores... she knows how to pick up her toys and put them in her toy box when we ask her, and when she's done eating I'll hand her a wipe and say, "Wipe your hands, wipe your face" and she'll also start cleaning her tray too But we'll probably hold off on actual cleaning and dishes, etc. for 4 or 5 more years... but even then we'll probably start small. I never had chores growing up, i think it'd be a good idea to have mine do chores for an allowance and open up  savings accounts for them to add money to weekly, i was never taught to save either! Sorry for rambling, haha!

nealbl

LO is in charge of putting her dirty clothes in the basket which she loves to do. She has to help pick up her toys. She takes a wet towel and cleans her spot on the table. Thats about it

cherylnicole

Jillibean85:

She doesn't have chores... she knows how to pick up her toys and put them in her toy box when we ask her, and when she's done eating I'll hand her a wipe and say, "Wipe your hands, wipe your face" and she'll also start cleaning her tray too But we'll probably hold off on actual cleaning and dishes, etc. for 4 or 5 more years... but even then we'll probably start small. I never had chores growing up, i think it'd be a good idea to have mine do chores for an allowance and open up  savings accounts for them to add money to weekly, i was never taught to save either! Sorry for rambling, haha!

haha, DH and I want to do something similar too with savings/chores, etc...I had a lot of chores growing up so I want to have DS do something in the middle, not too many chores, not too few....but juuuust right lol

diana.filipi

I guess the only quasi chore DD has is to set the table with silver ware for dinner.  She comes into the kitchen and I give her the dinner knives and forks and she takes them to the table and lays them out on the napkins for dinner.  She's been doing that for about 2 weeks now.  We didn't even know she knew how the first time she did it!

MrsWindyCity

I don't consider them chores, but DS cleans up after himself usually.

He loves to dust the wainscoting, when DH or I am doing it, too, lol. He will grab a towel and go to town.

Also he LOVES doing laundry with me. Actually, he gets flat out pissed if there is no laundry. Sometimes he will have like 2 things in his basket/hamper, drag it to the laundry area and pitch a fit when I tell him it's not time to do laundry. 

cherylnicole

MrsWindyCity:

I don't consider them chores, but DS cleans up after himself usually.

He loves to dust the wainscoting, when DH or I am doing it, too, lol. He will grab a towel and go to town.

Also he LOVES doing laundry with me. Actually, he gets flat out pissed if there is no laundry. Sometimes he will have like 2 things in his basket/hamper, drag it to the laundry area and pitch a fit when I tell him it's not time to do laundry. 

Haha!! That's too funny!

Jillibean85

cherylnicole:

Jillibean85:

She doesn't have chores... she knows how to pick up her toys and put them in her toy box when we ask her, and when she's done eating I'll hand her a wipe and say, "Wipe your hands, wipe your face" and she'll also start cleaning her tray too But we'll probably hold off on actual cleaning and dishes, etc. for 4 or 5 more years... but even then we'll probably start small. I never had chores growing up, i think it'd be a good idea to have mine do chores for an allowance and open up  savings accounts for them to add money to weekly, i was never taught to save either! Sorry for rambling, haha!

haha, DH and I want to do something similar too with savings/chores, etc...I had a lot of chores growing up so I want to have DS do something in the middle, not too many chores, not too few....but juuuust right lol

 

Agreed!  

jknigh8

DD doesnt have chores she must do or anything, but always wants to help when I am cleaning. She puts toys away, puts laundry in the dryer, wipes dishes, helps load the dishwasher (usually with her own toy dishes....) and anything else she sees me doing and is capable of. I provide opportunities for her to help though. For example, she loves helping with the laundry basket so instead of carrying it to a bedroom to put them away, I let her push while I pull it there and she hands me the clothes. She loves helping pass me groceries out of the bags too.

momamatthews

My DD loves to help me clean so I just have her help me with whatever I am doing.  She hands me laundry out of the basket and then I fold it, she carries laundry to put it away, picks up her own toys, "helps" wash dishes, wipes off the table, dusts, etc.  She can actually help a lot but I would never expect her to do it. Once she looses interest I let her go and do something else.  I am not so sure I will ever have a chore list, just more of a do what I say, when I say kind of a deal.  That sounds harsh but I don't know how else to say it.  I swear I am a loving mom.

bancbev

For those of you that are going to tie allowances to chores.  You might want to rethink that.  If your LO isn't money motivated, then they can simply decide they don't want to do chores for money.  Chores/helping should be a non negotiable that has to be done without any reward.

jenkm

bancbev:

For those of you that are going to tie allowances to chores.  You might want to rethink that.  If your LO isn't money motivated, then they can simply decide they don't want to do chores for money.  Chores/helping should be a non negotiable that has to be done without any reward.

You can have a balance.  I was expected to do certain chores - clean my room, clean up after dinner, etc.  But some chores were allowance driven - for me it was mow the lawn ($5 a week, for 3 acres!).  I think there should be some chores that you just do because you have the right to live here, and others that are for allowance.  And not for anything, if you only give your kids money via allowance, they will do the chores.  You only run into issues with that if you slip your kids a $20 here and there with no work required.  IMO

cherylnicole

jenkm:

bancbev:

For those of you that are going to tie allowances to chores.  You might want to rethink that.  If your LO isn't money motivated, then they can simply decide they don't want to do chores for money.  Chores/helping should be a non negotiable that has to be done without any reward.

You can have a balance.  I was expected to do certain chores - clean my room, clean up after dinner, etc.  But some chores were allowance driven - for me it was mow the lawn ($5 a week, for 3 acres!).  I think there should be some chores that you just do because you have the right to live here, and others that are for allowance.  And not for anything, if you only give your kids money via allowance, they will do the chores.  You only run into issues with that if you slip your kids a $20 here and there with no work required.  IMO

agreed. 100%

Fiasco77

diana.filipi:

I guess the only quasi chore DD has is to set the table with silver ware for dinner.  She comes into the kitchen and I give her the dinner knives and forks and she takes them to the table and lays them out on the napkins for dinner.  She's been doing that for about 2 weeks now.  We didn't even know she knew how the first time she did it!

Unless my knives were made of play doh, I can't imagine handing them to a toddler.  

etude de la vie

She picks up her toys when I say clean up and will throw a diaper in a trash can if I ash her because she loves the diaper champ!

kcisthebombdotcom

I never considered them "chores", but yes my son does help out around the house.

Since 18 months, he empties the dishwasher besides the knives (great for practicing words like cup/spoon/plate, etc), throws away trash, throws dirty clothes down the laundry chute, cleans up his toys when he is done with them, help me put away groceries, etc. I cant say I ever thought to have him wipe baseboards though. LOL!

kcisthebombdotcom

jenkm:

bancbev:

For those of you that are going to tie allowances to chores.  You might want to rethink that.  If your LO isn't money motivated, then they can simply decide they don't want to do chores for money.  Chores/helping should be a non negotiable that has to be done without any reward.

You can have a balance.  I was expected to do certain chores - clean my room, clean up after dinner, etc.  But some chores were allowance driven - for me it was mow the lawn ($5 a week, for 3 acres!).  I think there should be some chores that you just do because you have the right to live here, and others that are for allowance.  And not for anything, if you only give your kids money via allowance, they will do the chores.  You only run into issues with that if you slip your kids a $20 here and there with no work required.  IMO

ITA. I think either extreme is negative. I think a system like that is a good balance.

amykins1283

Liam feeds the dogs (I help) but he puts the food in the bowls and carries them over to the dogs' mat and tells them to "sit!" and then puts the bowls down and then says "Okay!" to signal to them that they can eat.  This is all with prompting but he's getting pretty good at it. 

I am going to check that site out to see what else he can do.  He loves to help and I might as well take advantage of it.  

lite-bright

They're not things we expect her to do, but DD2 does love to help, and she wants to do everything her big sister does.

So she puts the clean silverware in the silverware drawer, knows how to put laundry in the washer, and knows how to start the washing machine. She loves to push the button. 

MrsSR

I don't have set chores for DD, but I do expect her to pick her toys up (which she does).

She loves to help clean.  Whenever I'm in the kitchen cooking or baking I give her a microfiber cloth and she walks around wiping things.

ETA: She also helps put clothes into the dryer (I hand her small things like her shirts or our socks) and recently she will try to throw something away if you ask her to (but our trash lid is heavy and opens by standing on a pedal, so she will walk it over to the trash).

 

Cherryblossoms07

DD has chores in the sense that she helps mommy out every day doing many of the same things but she would not understand a written chore chart.  Everyday DD helps: by giving the dog his milk bone every morning, helps empties the dishwasher (hands mommy dishes and puts the utensils away), she cleans up her messes/spills (she just started doing this on her own), puts away her toys before bed.....

marriedinaugust

I am the same as most of you.  LO doesn't have chores but he does help around the house.  He unloads the dishwasher, puts dirty clothes in the laundry basket, sorts clean clothes, picks up his toys, brushes his teeth, sweeps the floor, wipes his hands and face.  He knows they are things to be done and generally has no problem doing them, normally he starts doing them before I ask.

gardenandread

DS loves to help us out around the house, but we don't consider it a chore for him.  He is really good about throwing things away (sometimes a little too good!) and he will help us take items to the room they belong in too.  Right now I am just focusing on encouraging him to help out, I figure we might start giving him actual "chores" when he is 4-5.  Like making his bed, picking his room up, etc..

Kingston54

Well, we do not have chores for him, BUT he does love to help.  He does many of the things on that list and then some, but not as a chore.  If he wants to help, then it's great, if not, I let him go back to playing or whatever.