Cleaning

celiabwatson

What do you do when your child makes a mess?

We're working with my son on the idea that you clean up one mess before moving on to the next thing. This works maybe 30% of the time. The other 70% he does not clean up. Some of the time when he does not clean up I'm able to clean up after him because he's playing independently and not making a new mess and the baby doesn't need me right that moment. Another large percent of the time I am unable to clean up right away. Either I'm in the middle of doing something for the baby when the mess is made, or my son moves on to something even more destructive or he wants to go into another room/outside. I realize there are some discipline issues here as well and I accept that and will keep working on it.

In the meantime, I'm left at the end of the day with an overwhelming amount of messes that need to be cleaned up. I'm really tired by the time I get both kids in bed and sometimes can't bring myself to do it. This is a problem because we have a dog. She's normally very good but if toys/messes get ignored for too long she assumes we're done with those things and she's allowed to chew on them.

I'm home alone in the evenings because my husband works 2nd shift.

Any suggestions? Just suck it up and clean my darn house? Ignore the kids for a minute and clean as we go? Put my son in time out every time he refuses to help clean up?  

Daisy22

We have 2 areas of toys - our living room/kitchen area  then upstairs in their room. I only make the boys pick up toys twice a day - before nap time and before bedtime. We watch an Oso or mickey episode before nap and bedtime but only if the toys are picked up. And if either doens't help they go to time out until they are ready to help clean up the toys. There are few things like coloring stuff or art supplies or playdoh that I make them clean up before going on to something else.

 When it comes to spilling stuff or making a mess with food, they have to clean up their mess if not they go to time out.

MAMAxB

Honestly - I try not to be overly anal about it. They are kids. They are young. Yes, she helps me pick up before nap time and again before bed.. the rest I do as I go if I can and if I can't, I do it when I can. 

We also only have two "toy areas" so it never gets TOO crazy and if it is, then the first thing we do the next morning is clean