Help! I'm about to have two under two anything to do now to make domestic life easier?

[sedgieloo]

Family help is limited.

I am 37 wks with a 23 month old

I remember last time having a newborn who wouldn't be put down. It looked like my house had been burgled.

Just wondering if you had any tips to help me prepare and make things easier. Dh works long hours too. Could be a long long winter.

I have in mind to use a small tax rebate to hire a cleaner for a few hours a week for just a few weeks, but have very limited funds for this.

Am organising lots of additional storage at the moment. Spring cleaning. Throwing out clutter. And buying books and toys to amuse dd. Appreciate any words of experience and practical suggestions.

[sedgieloo]

Oh I have bought a baby sling carrier thing. And a gtech lightweight vac.
I have bought another toy chests to sling things in for a tidy up. I have a small freezer but think I may have space for a small chest one under the stairs, good idea?

Also never ever hired a cleaner what should I ask her to do if I can afford one for a few weeks? Thank you

[javotte]

Duplo to keep toddler busy. A big plastic box in the living room for toys.
Keep a "changing box" (nappies, wipes, etc.) in several rooms (at least 1 per floor).
Try to synchronize naps so you can sleep for a couple of hours in the afternoon.

[doublecakeplease]

I only have 1 dc but tried to get organised before going back to work - it's kind of working. Things I did and do -
= batch cooked for the freezer (so the one under the stairs would be good) then dp and I have a lie in each on weekends - on,my early day I top up the freezer. 1 hour in a Sunday morning rather than an hour a night cooking!
= organised all the crap in the house as far as poss (there was a thread in aibu 'sseriosly, how do you get organised' or something - motivated me massively!
= Divided the jobs so dp was doing his share. We made a list and picked rather than me saying 'you're doing...'
=got on top of the washing and ironing so now I'm only battling 'current clothes' rather than the massive pile!

Good luck :-)

[MarjorieAntrobus]

Ask the cleaner to hoover/mop all floors, clean bathroom(s) and kitchen. That should be enough to keep you feeling on top of things.

[HappyHippyChick]

Meal planning and Internet shopping, as dragging two round the supermarket isn't fun! There is 15 months between my eldest two (now 8 & 9) and 16 months between ds3 and 4 (ds3 has just turned 2) so I know how you feel.

I've never had a cleaner so can't help there!

Good luck, hope it all goes well!

[RationalBrain]

Internet shopping
Tumble dryer if you can (I would think a better use of money than a cleaner if you can only afford a cleaner for a few weeks anyway)
Batch cooking and freezing massive portions - a slow cooker is very good for enormous vats of bolognese, chilli etc
Getting your DH to do more?
Those floor/window/cleaning wipes - that way you can have a 2 minute clean without having to get all the cleaning stuff out
Not worrying about it until they get older!

[sedgieloo]

Brilliant suggestions thanks so much. I am getting all my junk organised quite well. I will get some nappy change stations installed upstairs and down and have a go at Internet shopping this week. The wipes idea also good! Will attempt some cooking just hope I have time and energy for that as running out of steam here.

Just bought a great washer dryer so sorted there now.

[kalidasa]

Start internet shopping now because the first few times - until it learns your basic regular list and you get used to the system - are a bit of a faff. Some supermarkets allow you to reserve a regular weekly slot for delivery rather than choosing and booking one separately each time. You could also do a big order (possibly from a different cheaper site) to stock up on storecupboard stuff - loo roll, pasta, lentils, beans, oil, stock, sauces, tinned fish etc. Maybe especially with an eye on meals that are really quick and easy (pasta + sauce) or ideal for doing big batches to keep you going for a few days (soups, dhal etc).

Re: cleaner, it depends on the size of your house/flat, but if it's not huge they should be able to run a hoover over everywhere and clean the kitchen and bathroom in a couple of hours. Ours also does anything that obviously needs doing (e.g. will empty dishwasher or washing machine if full, or wash up a stray pan) and empties all the bins and takes the rubbish out as she leaves. Optional extras depending on time/budget: changing bed linen, ironing, tidying. If you want maximum cleaning in the time available, you will have to tidy a bit in advance.

With a couple of weeks to go, you could also try to fit in any routine stuff that needs doing - car serviced, dentist, optician, routine doctor appointment (flu jab? whooping cough?), handyman for any bits of minor maintenance, bills all set up with direct debit so you don't have to think about them etc.