Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Housework and 1 year old

91 replies

cheekypickle · 10/08/2012 12:25

Is it me or is it jut impossible unless their asleep? I know DH will come home today and ask what I have done and it won't be very much.

Took DD to a group for 45 mins this morning and a group this afternoon for an hour. Other than that been at home the whole time

OP posts:
TantrumsAndOlympicGoldBalloons · 10/08/2012 17:55

Leave the tidying up, do you really want to lose precious moments with your dc just to wash up?
Plenty of time for that.

catgirl2012 · 10/08/2012 18:01

oohhh ooooohhhh

aaah aaahhhhh

oooooooooohhhhhh precious moments..........

Latara · 10/08/2012 18:04

You could of course fix some pads to your 1 yr olds knees & get the baby to clean the floor Grin

TidyDancer · 10/08/2012 18:07

No, it's not impossible.

Unless you have a particularly difficult baby, there should be some time during the day. Yes, you do need to be organised, but really it's about getting on top of things once and then maintaining it by having short spells each day.

If you've been at home the whole time other than those two periods, I would be surprised if there was no time in the day you could've done some housework. I'm not saying you absolutely should've done it, just that you could have.

GhostShip · 10/08/2012 18:09

'practically impossible. Get a cleaner' and other posts like this..

Is it balls. Not everyone can afford a cleaner, what do you think they do, live in squalor?
And no-one is a 'born houswife' you've just got to get on with it. Obviously some people can afford the easy way out but some can't, like myself. Buggers Envy

bigkidsdidit · 10/08/2012 18:13

Of course it's not impossible

Bit by but throughout the day - dishwasher stacked, sides wiped, washing on

Sweep / mop during her nap

Clean properly for half an hour (both of you!) after she's in bed.

This is what we do and it's fine

rollmeover · 10/08/2012 18:28

My standards have dropped, and I spend more time on some things now than others. Eg pre dd I would clean the toliets/bathroom all the time but not be so fussed about hoovering. Now the toilet gets cleaned less frequently but I clean the floors most days.
My dd (now 18 mths) sleeps for 2 hours in the afternoon and I have one hour for "me", mumsnet, email, admin, lunch, crap tv etc and then one hour of housework/ironing/cooking usually alternating or doing whatever has to be done. It means some things (washing the windows) never get done, but I do feel kind of on top of it.

My dh does bath time so when he takes dd for that I will take 5 mins to do the floors/take rubbish out/ do a quick job.
I cant do housework with her about, we both end up frustrated, apart from the washing which she is a great help with.......sometimes..........
Id bloody love a cleaner though, cant justify it, but if my dh dared to pass comment on the state of the house then he knows one would be employed quite smart and hes too tight for that........

altinkum · 10/08/2012 18:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

AThingInYourLife · 10/08/2012 18:34

"Oh for gods sakes, of course it isnt impossible. Millions of other mothers have managed, without a cleaner!"

How many one year olds have you had?

OP - don't clean if you don't have time. You can get it done at the weekend when there are two of you home.

I'm sure your husband doesn't expect you to be cleaning all day when you are looking after a toddler.

Sirzy · 10/08/2012 18:37

Unless you have a baby that is a cling on then I dont see why it needs to be a struggle to keep on top of the daily housework. Yes things like cleaning ovens and whatever is harder but general tidying/polishing etc is more than possible with children around.

BlingBubbles · 10/08/2012 18:38

This thread has made me laugh, I have been having the same conversation with my DH who came home last night and asked what had I been doing all day a the house wasnt as tidy as he would like. I have read him some of these replies and I think he now realises I wasn't making it up when i said it was difficult to tidy with my 1yr old DD running around.

We are now looking circa cleaner .... Yah!

altinkum · 10/08/2012 18:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

FredFredGeorge · 10/08/2012 18:41

When people say get a playpen for their 1 year old - does that mean the toddler doesn't have the run of the house? Our DD - 14 months now is pretty free to go anywhere, and she does - wonders in to the kitchen, the conservatory, upstairs even. She's not constantly in our sight or shut away in a pen?

I can look after DD and work (my work is done on the sofa at the laptop), and do things like washing/cooking without shutting her away - not that I do often of course, as a man with a wife I have someone for such things... But DD wonders around playing and we talk and play as we work.

Of course if you think housework takes many hours a day (because that's your standard) then you probably won't get it all done and devote the sort of time to your baby that you want - but housework really doesn't need that much time.

altinkum · 10/08/2012 18:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

bigkidsdidit · 10/08/2012 18:45

It really puzzles me. It's just wiping he kitchen as stacking the dishwasher while the baby plays on te kitchen floor, hanging out washing while they nap, cleaning the bathroom at the weekend. It's not a choice between cleaning for hours a day or playing wih your child Confused

(assuming we are taking about one baby that is and not the youngest of 3!)

TallDwarf · 10/08/2012 18:45

Of course it's possible! The house may not be as clean and tidy as you like it but you should still be able to get at least pots washed, hoovering done, bit of polishing, and a quick tidy up before DP comes home done.

Sirzy · 10/08/2012 18:51

And no I wouldn't dream of giving a 14 month old free run of the house.

Shoshe · 10/08/2012 18:52

Of course its not impossible.

How do you think your mothers managed, most didnt have as many labour saving devices as most mothers have today.

And yes most mothers did play with their children, and a lot didnt drive so walked or bussed everywhere so shopping, school runs, etc took longer.

You organise yourself.

Sheesh

shuffleballchange · 10/08/2012 18:54

Surely this is a joke? Of course you can clean with a one year old, millions of people manage it on a daily basis sometime with more than one child. I do a big clean once a week and a little bit here and there to keep on top of it every day. My children do not suffer because I have a clean and tidy house. If you can afford a cleaner then great, if not, its really not that difficult. My 20 month old either 'helps' or goes in the playpen and my 7 year old prides himself on dusting the bits I always forget.

AThingInYourLife · 10/08/2012 18:56

If you let a 14 month old have the run of the house, you are not looking after them properly.

80sMum · 10/08/2012 18:59

Firstly, lower your standards so you don't fret when things don't get done. Then just do the minimum, keep toilets and kitchen clean and forget the rest. Don't buy anything that needs ironing!

butterfingerz · 10/08/2012 19:04

My 14 month is a proper velcro baby, I literally walk with him hanging off my trousers. My DD was never like this and housework was manageable. Neither of them have tolerated our bloody waste of money babydan playden, they know it's a glorified cage and will not have anything to do with it.

But still, I hoover daily, DS loves the hoover. Pegged out a wash while they both play in the garden. Various dishes done. Various tidying. Cooked lunch and dinner. It's not easy though, wish I could have a cleaner but we're too poor.

GhostShip · 10/08/2012 19:08

athinginyourlife

I wasnnt aware I had to have a child to know its not impossible. It might not be easy but it's not impossible. Like I said some people can't afford the hired help like quite a lot of fortunate people on here can, they cope so it's obviously not impossible.

AThingInYourLife · 10/08/2012 19:19

Ghostship - if you don't have a child, you know fuck all about what's possible and what's not when you have a child.

You're just imagining stuff based on no knowledge and then dispensing your lack of wisdom as though it were in any way useful.

It's not.

GhostShip · 10/08/2012 19:27

You have no have absolutely no idea what experience I've had with children so kindly do one with your assumptions. Someone doesn't need to have a child to know what they are like.

Funny how dont pick on anyone else who's said its not impossible, but because you know I'm young and don't have children you think I'm an easy target.