How Much Do You Actually Get Done w/LO?

kalyth76 · October 2013

Hi All --

I'm just curious...When its me & LO alone, I get absolutely nothing completely done around the house. I can start a load of laundry, start the dishes, start something else, but can never seem to finish anything because I don't get more than a few minutes to use both hands (w/o carrying LO around or breastfeeding him). He doesn't like the Ergo and is very mobile (crawling and trying to walk). However, his mobility means watching him with a close eye and every 5 minutes, pulling him away from something that he shouldn't get into.

I feel like maybe I just don't know how to juggle the house & the baby like I should. Is it me or do you all experience the same?

Thanks,

Kate

Drea926 · October 2013

It definitely can be a balancing act! I work during the week so I try to squeeze most of my chores in on the weekend. I usually wait until naptime or I put DS in his exersaucer or super seat because he's really active too! I try to do a little after I feed him dinner and he's still in his high chair. I find a handful of puffs buys some decent time! I also am lucky to have a helpful DH who either helps clean or takes LO for me. I've started prioritizing as well - like what HAS to get done and what can wait.

Hope some of that is helpful!

kleigh926 · October 2013

It gets very difficult when they become mobile. I'm just finding that out now that DD can really motor around. I try to get as much as I can done during her naps (although those haven't been so great either lately, blah). Other than that, I use the high chair, walker, or play pen to contain her for short periods of time so I can get something done.

jd614 · October 2013

I get nothing done . He's good in the jumparoo so that can buy me like 15 min for laundry or dishes etc but that's it . I get so little time with him
I try to wait until
He's asleep to do anything

Meggiemuggins · October 2013

I'm very lucky in that DS is happy to play by himself quietly for a few minutes. When that happens, I dash to the kitchen and empty the dishwasher as quickly as possible. DH made a corner of our living room into a big pillow fort so DS is confined. He's walking like a champ, so it's essential to keep him in one place.

wifeofadam · October 2013

If my baby wouldn't tolerate the Ergo, I would get nothing done. I don't know how moms do it without one! With one I can do just about anything I want to, it just happens with a sleeping baby on my back

But I should add that my house is a total disaster, there are dishes in the sink and my laundry isn't caught up. I guess I get everything done that I want to - with EXTREMELY low expectations. I cook three meals, get lessons taught, keep the kids entertained and do VERY minimal work around the house. I could never meet my pre-baby expectations of cleanliness and organization now. It's impossible with the kids. Our loved ones have just learned to accept the squalor we live in

musicalmama5 · October 2013

I too have lowered my standards a lot! And learning to get things done is small bursts. There is a reason women are better multi-taskers!

But when I need to do some serious cleaning, like scrubbing the bathroom, I ask DH to take DS out of the house for a couple hours. It is AMAZING how much you can get done in two hours when you have the house to yourself...

Rosebean · October 2013

I can manage putski chores, but usually wait for DH to be off so we can trade DS off. Vacuuming gets done like this. And deep cleans will be done either during naps or again, when I can pass him off to his dad. I am guilty of trying to gain more time with Cheerios in his high chair, using the jolly jumper or his exersaucer. He's getting much more interested in moving around now, so being stationary isn't exactly his favourite thing.

SidraJedi · October 2013

Some days DD and I just lay around and get nothing done except for dinner. But most days I just keep it to a minimum. I schedule one major chore a day and can pretty much stick to it. On the really good days I can double up and bank a chore for a bad day.

Today we did household laundry, diaper laundry, hung up DH's winter clothes from our of storage (they had been in bags and boxes in our bedroom since Sunday), roasted our chicken for the week, made dinner and went to the grocery. Today was a good day. Tomorrow we can slack a little If we need to.

The ergo played a huge role in all if this. DD hates when I am too stationary on the ergo of she is in the back carry but otherwise I can do so much. Even with limited options as far as chores in the carrier I still get a lot done b/c of the ergo. But DD hates the play pen and we don't have anything like a Johnny jump-up/exersaucer and I'm sure those would help instead if the ergo didn't work.

krisphil · October 2013

I manage to do the dishes and laundry while DD is asleep. DH cooks while I entertain DD. DD will let us pick up the house while she's in the exersaucer or napping. All the rest of the chores pretty much don't get done. <<sigh>>

tamarar5 · October 2013

+adamwife+ said:
If my baby wouldn't tolerate the Ergo, I would get nothing done. I don't know how moms do it without one! With one I can do just about anything I want to, it just happens with a sleeping baby on my back

But I should add that my house is a total disaster, there are dishes in the sink and my laundry isn't caught up. I guess I get everything done that I want to - with EXTREMELY low expectations. I cook three meals, get lessons taught, keep the kids entertained and do VERY minimal work around the house. I could never meet my pre-baby expectations of cleanliness and organization now. It's impossible with the kids. Our loved ones have just learned to accept the squalor we live in

You made my day when you said there are dishes in your sink! Makes me feel so much better about the ones in mine! I'd just rather sit here watching TV and snuggling my Sicky baby.

Funnurse81 · October 2013

I do most of my chores in the evening after putting dd down. What makes it harder for me is that I work three 12 hour night shifts a week, basically Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights. So my off days are spent trying to recover (aka sleep) plus I still have to care for LO. We pretty much spend the day napping, playing, and hanging out, and in the afternoon we usually run errands. So basically I get nothing one during the day except maybe dinner. Once she sleeps I'm able to get some housework done. On weekends Dh takes over so I can get a little more done. But like man here, I've learned to lower my expectations. However, I think I've managed to keep the house fairly decent.

kelly321 · October 2013

I have to admit that I don't even use nap times for chores. Or work. I use it as my veg-out time to read or watch a bit of TV. When I put the girls to bed at night, that's when I clean. I just can't work up the motivation in the middle of the day when I know everything's going to get trashed again as soon as they wake up from their naps. Plus their naps vary from 0 min of overlap time to 2 hours together, so I can't really plan chores around that.

penguingrrl · October 2013

Drew is good for a few minutes at a time just playing, so I do my best to get things done then. When it's time to make dinner I have my oldest entertain him and that usually works pretty well.

But the deep cleaning doesn't happen when I'm alone with him. It can't. He's busy and mobile and I can't do it. He's either following me around crawling and crying (which is the saddest thing ever) or getting into trouble! I used to wear him in a mai tei, but since he got mobile he has absolutely no tolerance for being worn.

Some days he'll nap in his crib and I'll clean then as well, but usually naps are on me, in which case that time's useless.

My house is definitely not as neat and clean as I would like, but I do what I can on the weekends and keep up the bare minimum of dishes and laundry (although often we're pulling clean clothes out of the dryer to wear).

Puck1182 · October 2013

DD isn't mobile yet, which helps. I can put her in a laundry basket with some plastic balls (her favorite activity lately) and she will entertain herself while I wash dishes, cook, or tidy up. I do laundry during the evenings most days. I start before dinner and finish up after DD is in bed. Dusting, vacuuming an cleaning the bathroom usually happen on the weekends when DH can hang out with DD and give me a couple hours to myself.

The inside of our house is actually quite presentable most of the time, I get anxiety attacks if it gets too messy (Uhh, yeah, I have the most stereotypical OCD ever... When it was really bad, I'd be vacuuming at 3 in the morning because I couldn't sleep thinking about how messy our apartment was!), but the back yard is kind of a mess right now. The gardens are overgrown and the filter for our pond pump is clogged, so the water is stagnant and gross. So not good. The problem is that I work all day, so I want to spend the late afternoon/evening hours hanging out with DD, and I can't do yard work after dark the way I can with the inside stuff. So I keep hoping for weekends with nothing scheduled AND decent weather, but those two things haven't coincided just yet...

colinsfebmommy · October 2013

We have to vac daily with three dogs, so whomever is home first gets to do that, it is mostly me tho lol LO is fascinated with it though, so he follows me the entire time I do that. When I am done we get in the high chair and he gets a snack while I open mail, put anything needed in the dishwasher and feed dogs and so forth. After he goes to bed I wash dishes from dinner and my hubby helps with whatever is left. Usually on weekends I do the inside cleaning and LO hangs with me and Hubby does all the outside stuff.

singingsea · October 2013

Because I work and only get to see him a limited amount of time per day I try not to focus on major chores during the work week. Dinner gets made and maybe a load of laundry goes in and dishes get done but that's it. I'm such a neat freak but it's important to me to get quality time in with kiddo.

On the weekends I'm super lucky to have grandmas willing to watch him if I need to get major housework done.

mishka29 · October 2013

I do little bits but truth is I'm crazy lazy so I could do more when she's happy about playing alone. Ahh well

meechellebelle · October 2013

I try to get as much done as I can while the twins nap so that on the nights that I'm not working I can relax when they're in bed and so that I don't have to worry about it when I get home from work.
I make sure dishes are in the dishwasher and dirty laundry is next to the machine to make it easier. I sweep the kitchen and clean the counters and kitchen table once a day. Besides that deep cleans have to be done when DH is home but doesn't happen as often as it should.

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