To be so fed up of tidying up?

[merrykerrysherry]

I have a baby so I am home all summer holidays with the 3 children, something I was really looking forward to but it’s just a nightmare.
kids arguing 24/7 and the house looks like a tip.
I seem to spend all my time cleaning up after them and keeping on at them to keep their stuff tidy.
I put one thing away while they get 3 out.
I have been taking them out as much as possible and we’ve had days out nearly everyday but it seems to take 0.5 seconds to turn the house upside down and all my spare time to restore it.
This is not my idea of fun and it’s really getting me down, I’m absolutely exhausted and looking after a baby. Dh does help out when he gets home but the tidying feels relentless.

How old are your children?

Have you tried toy rotation? Only decent bit of advice my MIL ever gave me.

Put some rooms out of bounds.

Don’t allow them access to everything all the time.

Have a schedule: meals, play, naps, out, music, bathtime etc

Give into it a bit. You have to expect the children are going to make a mess.

Don’t tide during the day. Tidy at the end when they’re in bed. It’ll take 10 mins max, 5 if you get them to help you before bathtime.

I feel your pain. It seems like all I do is cook and load/unload the dishwasher. Why does everyone eat so much constantly 🫨

7 months 2 and 4

Get rid of some of the stuff, slowly so they don't notice.

You’re in the trenches, no particular advice but solidarity. Is there anyone else who can have them so you can have a day to yourself?

Big clear plastic boxes with lids they can't open. Only open the next one when the first is refilled and closed.

Storage and routines worked for me. We were lucky to have a conservatory we could dedicate as a play room but you could designate the biggest bedroom or another room for that job. All toys stay in that room. Get some IKEA Kallax and boxes, tidy it away once a day. Have a blanket on the floor in another room for snack times so you can just fold it and shake the crumbs outside. Get your other half to make up packed lunches the night before that you can just grab from the fridge. Take turns to cook and do dishes vs bathe and put the kids to bed.

Oh my goodness your children are tiny! No wonder you’re finding it hard.

The only time I ever had the full six weeks off was when dd was 5 (nearly 6) and ds was 6 months and so I was on maternity. At the time it felt soooo hard although actually I look back at it now as amazing.

What helped for me was giving my dd some “quiet time” whilst DS was napping in the morning, which gave me a chance for a bit of a break. Then we would always go out in the pm, often for picnics with friends.

We also spent quite a bit of the holiday staying with different parts of the family - grandparents etc Do you have the option to do that?

Far fewer toys out, the rest put away in boxes out of reach and rotate.