@wh2 I’ve given up personally. We’re neat, it’s never disgusting, filthy, or moldy. Clean clothes in baskets. Plenty of food. I try to look at it like if we have dishes that means we ate at home and everyone is fed, if there’s dirty clothes that mean we all played hard and got dirty. When the kids are older we’ll have plenty of time to worry about things being perfect. Also minimizing helps so much. I’ve been getting rid of anything extra around and it feels so much better. Less clutter. More storage too. Lots of ikea bins.
Keeping house tidy
- Thread starter wh2
- Start date
-
- Tags
- stay-at-home parents
keepwalkingon
New member
@wh2 My husband brought up tidiness to me a while ago and I told him that my primary role is stay at home PARENT, not housekeeper. My primary role is to make sure the children are loved, fed well, clothed appropriately, stimulated/given developmentally appropriate activities, taught appropriate life skills, and kept safe, not necessarily in that order, and I’m sure there are a couple other things in there that I’m forgetting because mom brain.
If I have time and energy after that to attend to housekeeping, I most certainly will make an effort, but while they are little and not going to school of any sort, there will most certainly be more days than not where I do not have that time and he is welcome to jump in when he sees the need.
If he does not feel like it, that is also fine, but we will be living in a less than perfect home until they go to school and that’s OK too.
If I have time and energy after that to attend to housekeeping, I most certainly will make an effort, but while they are little and not going to school of any sort, there will most certainly be more days than not where I do not have that time and he is welcome to jump in when he sees the need.
If he does not feel like it, that is also fine, but we will be living in a less than perfect home until they go to school and that’s OK too.
@keepwalkingon Love this. And agree with everything you mention in your first paragraph. I feel the same. Luckily my husband doesn’t give me a hard time and if anything he tells me to worry about it less. I’ll try to keep what you shared in mind more.
goldenbell
New member
@wh2 I really struggled with this when my kids were around this age! It's super hard and as you say, come the evening you're too exhausted!
It is what it is, the mess ain't going nowhere!
Now they are a bit older it's some what easier, but no easy feat by any means. Like you sometimes my shit is so so together and it feels great, others not so much!
I think summer is a bit of a problem here, we're up and rushing to get out, come home rushing for dinner & baths etc, the days out alone are exhausting.
They are so little and will only play unattended for so long, Screen time is not ideal, but they do sit still. For my sanity I will Chuck on some Netflix, if I really need to get on with chores, it's you tube for the win, they are transfixed.
Do I like it, no, do I need that time, yes!
they love it as it's a novelty and I can get jobs done. Win win.
Just don't stress if they have a bit of tv, set them up with some colouring stickers etc first encourage them to play but if they are becoming bored do not feel guilty for them watching some tv. Just do what you need to! It's hard, it's not forever, we're all just doing the best we can!
It is what it is, the mess ain't going nowhere!
Now they are a bit older it's some what easier, but no easy feat by any means. Like you sometimes my shit is so so together and it feels great, others not so much!
I think summer is a bit of a problem here, we're up and rushing to get out, come home rushing for dinner & baths etc, the days out alone are exhausting.
They are so little and will only play unattended for so long, Screen time is not ideal, but they do sit still. For my sanity I will Chuck on some Netflix, if I really need to get on with chores, it's you tube for the win, they are transfixed.
Do I like it, no, do I need that time, yes!
they love it as it's a novelty and I can get jobs done. Win win.
Just don't stress if they have a bit of tv, set them up with some colouring stickers etc first encourage them to play but if they are becoming bored do not feel guilty for them watching some tv. Just do what you need to! It's hard, it's not forever, we're all just doing the best we can!
katrina2017
New member
@katrina2017 I disagree.
My house is very tidy. The worst it gets is a few toys scattered around the living room that take at most five minutes to clean up.
My house is very tidy. The worst it gets is a few toys scattered around the living room that take at most five minutes to clean up.
katrina2017
New member
katrina2017
New member
Cope. No, not everyone with a tidy house is lying.
@katrina2017 For the people that say it’s true- I would like to hear their kids ages, what help they have (partner, babysitters, parents watching the kid, any childcare, if they just stick the kid in front of the TV, paid help (cleaner service). I’m just curious
katrina2017
New member
@katrina2017 My 3 year old would sit and watch 8 hours of tv if I let her. My 1 year old is a stage 5 clinger and wants to be wherever I am 24/7 so I have about 10 minutes from him 
we do some tv too so I’m not judging but I limit it.
we do some tv too so I’m not judging but I limit it.@wh2 I have a very clean and tidy house. I have only one child who is 2.5 years old. I also have a husband who works from home and is fairly involved with childcare. My MIL comes over almost daily, we have a nanny that comes 3x a week (I don’t clean while she’s here) and a housecleaner that comes twice a month to do a deep clean.
From day one, I’ve made it a rule that my child needs to clean up the messes he makes before moving onto the next activity. Want to color and spread crayons all over the table? Sure, but when he’s done, they go back in the box before other toys/activities are taken out.
Food is only eaten at the table. Dishes go straight into the dishwasher, never set in the sink. I clean as I cook. All the countertops in my house are free of clutter.
Everything has a home. I’ve organized the house so that the “stuff” is neatly packed away in cubbies and bins behind closed doors and cabinets. It’s far easier to clean when you have minimal things to work around. If I see something out of place, I immediate put it away.
I have a cleaning schedule. In the mornings, I empty the dishwasher, vacuum, clean the glass for smears, do a load or two or laundry, plan our meals for the day, dust, and wipe down surfaces. In the evening, I take out the trash, start the dishwasher, wipe down more surfaces, make sure the kitchen is clean (I clean it every time I cook which is daily), take care of pets, fold and put away any remaining laundry, sweep any crumbs off the floor, etc. I do things like bedrooms and bathrooms once a week.
I think the key is to never let your house become a disaster. It’s easier and quicker to clean up a mostly-tidy house than one that requires hours and hours of organization and moving stuff around.
Since no one task takes more than 30 minutes, my child is happy to play by himself while I do what needs to be done. A lot of the time, he helps me!
From day one, I’ve made it a rule that my child needs to clean up the messes he makes before moving onto the next activity. Want to color and spread crayons all over the table? Sure, but when he’s done, they go back in the box before other toys/activities are taken out.
Food is only eaten at the table. Dishes go straight into the dishwasher, never set in the sink. I clean as I cook. All the countertops in my house are free of clutter.
Everything has a home. I’ve organized the house so that the “stuff” is neatly packed away in cubbies and bins behind closed doors and cabinets. It’s far easier to clean when you have minimal things to work around. If I see something out of place, I immediate put it away.
I have a cleaning schedule. In the mornings, I empty the dishwasher, vacuum, clean the glass for smears, do a load or two or laundry, plan our meals for the day, dust, and wipe down surfaces. In the evening, I take out the trash, start the dishwasher, wipe down more surfaces, make sure the kitchen is clean (I clean it every time I cook which is daily), take care of pets, fold and put away any remaining laundry, sweep any crumbs off the floor, etc. I do things like bedrooms and bathrooms once a week.
I think the key is to never let your house become a disaster. It’s easier and quicker to clean up a mostly-tidy house than one that requires hours and hours of organization and moving stuff around.
Since no one task takes more than 30 minutes, my child is happy to play by himself while I do what needs to be done. A lot of the time, he helps me!
@sarah6722 Thank you for being upfront in your first paragraph about all your unpaid and paid help. That helps me set realistic expectations so I do appreciate you mentioning it. Most people don’t!
katrina2017
New member
@wh2 Just do stuff with your kids at your feet 
or put them in a baby proofed room with a camera and get stuff done. At those ages you really don’t do in depth play with kids cuz of their short attention span so you don’t have to hover all the time. Don’t leave dishes in the sink-rinse them and stack at the very least. Close off some rooms that don’t need to be used for play-it’s unnecessary to let your kids wander the entire house and trash it.
or put them in a baby proofed room with a camera and get stuff done. At those ages you really don’t do in depth play with kids cuz of their short attention span so you don’t have to hover all the time. Don’t leave dishes in the sink-rinse them and stack at the very least. Close off some rooms that don’t need to be used for play-it’s unnecessary to let your kids wander the entire house and trash it.prestonmcghee
New member
@wh2 I have started keeping my home clean and tidy in the majority of time since being a parent only this past year, after my only started preschool. Before then, cleaning was done if it was done and could not become a priority. But it got better and better after I realized kitchen was the main culprit taking the biggest chunk of my super limited time and I’ve started meal planning. After that with kitchen clean, other things were manageable. Another thing was cleaning the bathrooms immediately and very often. Another thing is I have been listening to books and podcasts while cleaning and thanks to them cleaning has become a me time thing. I’ve finished a lot of classics and stuff that I’ve always wanted to get to but couldn’t. Once I even ended up deep cleaning in the middle of the night listening to a nice thriller.