Cleaning the house with a toddler...

MJN9510

How do you girls do it.  I find it difficult to do much cleaning around the house with DD when I am home alone with her.  Yes, It can be done but it is so stressful.  Any tips?  Do you do all your cleaning while your LO naps or after bed?

Swainb

I have her help, but she's always loved cleaning. I just give her a wet rag or let her "sweep" or hold the dustpan, and we have a little vacuum sweeper that she loves to use. She also helps fold laundry, not really but she thinks she's helping, but she can put the washcloths in their drawer, and the rags where they go. 

MarSamWhitney

It never seems to matter. I usually pick up after she goes to bed and sometimes during a nap time.  I can not keep this place picked up!

rimjobrock

Ellie loves when I run the vacum.  I chase her around with it and she has the best time, it takes a little longer but it gets done and everyone is happy.  When I dust I give her a towel to use and pretend to put cleaner on it.  Dishes is a hit or miss though.  I don't have a dishwasher so it takes a little longer.  We have a play kitchen in our kitchen and sometimes she pretends to do dishes while I do them but usually this is the Sprout time.  I have giving up on sweeping or mopping when she is awake at this point because she just runs through the piles and makes a huge mess so I just wait till she is napping and then run around the house like a crazy person doing all the things that I can't do with her.  Good times...

SGC29

I do it all during nap time. It's impossible when she is awake.

seahorse102410

I was going to say it is impossible.  I do it during his nap or after he goes to bed.  And I'm sorry to say it is the bare minimum.

missmuffin87

I do most cleaning while she is asleep or while SO is home to play with her.

Echowysp

Cleaning the with kids at home is like brushing your teeth while eating Oreos. 

mrebecca

Abigail likes to "help" me.
It takes longer, but that's fine with me.
The only reason my house isn't clean is because I make excuses not to do it.

MJN9510

seahorse102410:

I was going to say it is impossible.  I do it during his nap or after he goes to bed.  And I'm sorry to say it is the bare minimum.

Yea this is how I feel.  I need to do better and keep the house cleaner, but its not horrible now.  But I just feel like when DD goes to bed is the only me time i get.  I know its selfish, but I dont want to do anything cleaning related during me time.  I work 40 hours a week, so even during nap times on the weekends, I just dont feel like I get much done.

ASmallWonder

I saw a post (on here? FB? Pinterest?  Who knows) once that said "Trying to clean with a toddler is like brushing your teeth while eating Oreos."  Or something close to that.  It made me chuckle because it's true.  I do what I can while he's up like dishes, the counters, etc.  But vacuuming and picking up toys happens when he's asleep or I'd just walk in a circle all day doing the same things over and over again with him one step ahead of me.

MissNikki007

Echowysp:

Cleaning the with kids at home is like brushing your teeth while eating Oreos. 

True story.

Sonadora

Nap times on the weekends are when house stuff gets done. Except vacuuming because that would wake her up. She's terrified of the vacuum, so one of us takes her outside to play while the other does it.

MJN9510

Yea, I do laundry after she is in bed and pick up clutter.  DH is gone a lot for work so its just me most of the time.  He says he doesnt know why I cant get more done with her and I just laugh at him.

scoutkate

I clean on Saturday mornings.  I clean her playroom while she's eating breakfast, and then I put her in her playroom with Nick Jr on the TV while I clean the rest of the house.  Her playroom is a sun porch with double glass doors, which I close.  With our home's layout, I can keep an eye on her while I clean the kitchen, dining room, and living room.  That at least takes care of what a guest would see, so if I have to stop there I don't feel too badly.   

numeria11

I have one of those swiffer sweeper brooms that you attach the disposible cloths to.  It has a handle that snaps appart so I snap off a couple sections and put the handle on lower and let her go to town with that and with a sweepr cloth on it.  She loves it and it gets the wood floors cleaner. 

Swiffer duster or a damp cloth to "help clean" also works wonders.  

When I do dishes I will run the water at a dribble in the empty sink, put her on a chair/stepstool next to me and let her play with the stream of water from the faucet. 

Give her specfic tasks (put your animals in your crib, put your book on the shelf) etc one at a time while you do the major cleaning in that room.

There's no way around it cleaning with a kid in tow just takes way longer so you just have to have an extra store of patience with you when you do and allot a LOT more time to do even the simple stuff.

RayRay007

I hired a housekeeper.

kcisthebombdotcom

Some things I have the kids help me with. They love to throw trash away and help empty/load the dishwasher. My 2.5 year old can help sort laundry into piles.

Things like scrubbing the bathroom I wait until the kids are napping.

FezzesAreCool

I only clean during naptime.  It's an exercise in futility to try to clean when they're awake. 

hmp1

He loves to help and follow me around. The only things I really wait and do while he is napping is steam cleaning the floors and scrubbing the bathroom.

AshasaurusRex

I usually wash dishes and do some straightening while they are eating breakfast and again while they eat lunch. They have to help pick up their toys before snacks and lunch, and I also clean during naps. After dinner, DH plays with them and gets them ready for bed while I clean up after dinner. It' almost impossible to clean if they aren't either "helping", sleeping, or distracted with food LOL.