Is it possible to iron with a toddler running round the house?

[MrsHelsBels74]

To be honest the idea terrifies me. I'm scared he's either going to tug on the cord & pull the iron down on himself or get caught in the steam & get scalded.

I prefer to do it when he's asleep but at the moment by the time he goes to bed I'm too exhausted to think about ironing.

He's not really the type I can just plonk in front of the tv while I do it.

Any tips?

Out yourself in a large play pen with the ironing board. Worked for me!!

don't iron!
strategic drying does the trick and is not as dangerous.

When DS was small, I did mine in the kitchen, where the flex ran from above the worktop to the top of the ironing board, so there wasn't a big loop of flex hanging down (or if it was, it was in the little gap between the front of the cupboards and the back of the ironing board). And if I had to move away, I moved the iron and put it right at the back of the worktop with the flex out of reach. That way he could play behind me on the floor, or on the kitchen table, so he was still visible but not at risk.

I usually wait til the DC are asleep, but occasionally I have some things that need doing. I tend to choose a moment when they are already engrossed in something on TV rather than putting the TV on when I want to iron IYSWIM.

I then go and iron in the utility room with the door open so that I can see/hear them but I'm still in a separate space and they're not chasing round me.

Since having DC my standards of what and how I iron have changed dramatically. I rarely iron anything of theirs these days and have become much more lax about which things of mine and DHs I iron. The only bugger is DH's shirts. Those I can not get away without ironing. They tend to be done in batches in the evenings when kids are in bed.

Yes DH's work shirts are the problem, I'd happily leave everything else unironed!

Ironing is about the only thing I won't do with the kids awake.

The play pen sounds like a good idea if you have one. I'm assuming he doesn't sleep in the day any more?

Or if you have a stair gate across a room door, or a travel stair gate, you could iron in that room, and have him visible on the other side? (or child in the room with toys, and you in the rest of the house!)

your dh's work shirts you say.
let him do them himself then in the evenings or when you can look after your dc.

Buy polycotton easy car shirts (M&S and Debenhams are best), Wash shirts, remove immediately, hang over corner of clothes horse (like a coat on a peg).

Don't know why, but this leaves them looking much neater than pegging them out straight.

Thanks! I probably sound like a down-trodden housewife, which I'm not

DH does do his own shirts sometimes. But fair's fair, he's out of the house from 7-6 and when he's home I'd rather he played with the kids, or did jobs round the house that I can't or don't want to do.

Plus whoever is ironing (if we're doing it in the evening) gets to choose the tv channel. So I can watch my food/property porn tv while ironing and DH can't complain!

This is a bit of a cheat's tip, but it does work (or should at the very least make the shirts easier to iron)! Just hang the shirts up in your bathroom when you have a hot bath/shower & the steam will cause creases to drop out.

Also, regarding your DS, could you put him in a high chair for 20 mins or so (length of In the Night Garden ) with a few snacks or a toy that suctions onto the high chair whilst you do any jobs you need to do & can't have him in the way for?