Tips for housekeeping with a new baby

[Thyeternalsummer]

Expecting my first baby in a couple of weeks, and getting a bit annoyed by all the assumptions that I'll be happy to let the house go to pot. Midwife mentioned that obviously it wouldn't be a priority post child-birth and that I shouldn't worry about hcps seeing my house in a state - and lots MNers of made 'your in for a rude awakening' type comments when I've previously mentioned my preference for ironing pants and socks (they fold neater this way!)
Whilst I will be wanting to spend time caring for/bonding with with my new son, and undoubtedly I'll need to rest up - I have no intention of letting my home turn into a chaotic mess. I'm reasonably fit and healthy (could easily run 15k before pregnancy), and am happiest in a well organised and comfortable home.
Looking for tips/advice on how other MNers managed with a new baby. Any advice on how to keep my home reasonably comfortable during those first few turbulent weeks would be gratefully received!

Ironing pants and socks indicates extremely high standards to me.

With a new baby you might find that you haven't time to keep those standards, and I think you might find it difficult to let your standards slip.

All I can suggest, seriously, is that you recruit a cleaner for a few hours a week.

If disorder or mess is likely to stress you out, I would hire a cleaner.

Either bring in some help or lower your standards.

I'm sure this sounds harsh, but I fear you may be setting yourself up for a fall if you expect to keep up your current standards in the first few weeks after birth. I'd hate for you to not enjoy this precious time because of worry about mess.

To answer your question, I suggest you and DP agree your must-do tasks - washing up before bed, dishwasher/washing machine on every day, floors swept or hoovered at regular intervals. Then at least you can have a focus, and try avoid doing it all.

Well, from the tone of your post OP it's going to be hard to help you as you seem set on maintaining your usual crazy IMO standards of ironing pants and socks!

What you might find, is that you change your mind slightly anyway with a new baby. I couldn't believe just how much I loved DS when he was born and I spent many hours on the sofa just watching him. The urge was so powerful to just watch him there's no way I could have done anything else. Before I had him there's no way I could have anticipated this.

Lots of people recommend a sling to give you some time with both hands free to get on with things whilst your baby sleeps on you. This might really help you.

Get a supply of vanish carpet wipes in your lounge and the room where you will change your baby. It will be sick on your carpet at least 3 times a day for months even if they're not particularly 'sicky', and sooner or later will wee and poo during a nappy change. If you have the carpet wipes to hand you can quickly deal with the mess then vacuum later.

Make the most of the early months where they're happy to sit and watch you in a bouncy chair. At 16 MO my ds follows me around the house whilst I clean and tidy, uncleaning and tidying in my wake.

Do you have a DP - how much do they contribute? It might be helpful for them to have a list of things you want them to do every morning or evening so you don't have to think about them - such as am - empty dishwasher, hang out washing, rinse around toilet. Or you might find that you'd prefer your DP to look after the baby while you get up and brush your teeth and change your clothes. In the aftermath of DS, if I didn't get sorted whilst DH was still at home before work it would normally be at least 11am before I got to brush my teeth! I'm not trying to scare you - this was just the reality. But it was such a lovely 'nesting' time I really didn't care.

When they get older and can sit unsupported in bath (around 6-7 months) you can clean the bathroom while watching them in the bath.

As for ironing - do not start ironing babygrows, vests etc. in fact I still don't iron ANYTHING for DS now. Shake and fold! Ironing small things is the way madness lies.

And actually - enjoy the lack of mess that comes with a new baby. Once your DC is a toddler your house will never be the same again! Food is scattered on our floor 4 times a day, using a beaker of milk as a 'watering can', using the sofa as a tissue, weeing all over the lower shelf of the bookcase.... the list continues - and I supervise my DS quite heavily!

If you plan on bf you may well be stuck on the soda or in bed as they feed that frequently to start with.

Unless you can iron and bf at the same time. If that's the case I'll hire you for a bit please

Definitely a sling. But I agree it's fairly easy to keep things presentable with a newborn, toddlers are the biggest problem. I'm not particularly houseproud but I cannot believe the anount of mess a toddler can make in a very short time.

I was like you-except for the ironing bit. I vowed before DD1 that I wouls keep on top of things.........ha ha ha. As has been mentioned you will spend ours glued to the sofa feeding and when not feeding you will be so tired you will need to rest. Even if you formula feed in the early days it is an endless cycle of feed, nappy change etc. night blends in to day. Plus you have to find time to eat, go to the toilet, get dressed, have a drink in all of this. More difficult than it sounds with a baby.

Don't fight against the chaos. Honestly not worth it. Eventually things sort the,selves out and you can get some sort of order but don't stress it. You will regret not spening time with your baby if you use it to do housework. Honestly you will.

Or hire a cleaner if you can afford it.

Sorry for typos.

A new baby brings turbulence to a home, no matter how organised. You may have a straightforward delivery from which you recover in mere hours, or you might have a section or post-partum haemorrhage that lays you out for weeks.

Almost every new mother needs plenty of rest in at least the first few days. A lot of ironing can mount up in that time, and dust and washing up and and and and... I was absolutely astonished by how completely exhausted I was in the first few days, and how little I could do in that time that I had previously considered not difficult or strenuous or timeconsuming in the least.

If it's normal for you to do all the housework, you need to be prepared to let the house get messier than usual or get someone else (family, friend or employee) to do some jobs in the first days or weeks.

Most women are back to something approaching normal physical fitness by six weeks or so. What stops most of them from doing their previously normal housework is the small person - either by keeping you up all night so you're tired, or by doubling your laundry burden, or by refusing to be put down, or being so squidgey and delicious that you want to stare at them all day.

It isn't impossible to keep a clean house after a baby, particularly if you start from a good foundation (eg having places to put things away, good laundry facilities, surfaces that are easily cleaned), but you are underestimating how much your life will change.

My top tips: prioritise (and your priorities will be different from mine but I prioritise bathroom and kitchen and laundry over dusting and hoovering, for example) and get a sling. If your baby needs to be upright, eg for reflux, or likes to be held a lot, you can sling and get on with it.

Expect the unexpected - postnatal recovery can be slow with a section or forceps delivery, getting off the sofa was a major achievement for me for months after the latter first time round, but was on the swings at the park within days of having DC2!

You may get a sleeper....or you may not. Regardless, your life will revolve on a 3 hour (disclaimer: talking generally!)cycle of nappies, feeding, comforting so as already said, boil down the essentials to a list to be executed daily in priority order. And if you don't get to the bottom of the list, don't try and catch up the next day.Just start at number one again and see how far you get.

On the upside, when you do get time to do things, you will be shocked at how much more efficient you are than you were pre-baby!

Depends on your baby. If you get one like DC2 who slept for most of the first few weeks and is happy to entertain herself for hours, then it will be a piece of piss.

If you get a crying non-sleeper like DC1, you might consider it a triumph to get showered and dressed.

Thanks for the replies - can tell the general consensus is that I'm some mental lady with serious OCD issues.

Seriously though ironing underwear is not that crazy - it only takes a few seconds with the rest of the ironing and it maximises draw space as items fold flatter.

Was hoping there might be some Bree VanDerKamp type figure around who could reassure me that toddlers and seasonal sofa covers were completely compatible!

Think I might have to look into the sling thing, as a way of being able to keep baby happy/amused whilst still being able to some housework done. Definitely plan on getting a baby bouncer. And figured lack of clutter and MANY toy chests were the key to keeping toddler-related mess at bay??

Don't think DP will be much help at housekeeping tbh. He's brill at the necessary stuff like unloading dishwasher, emptying bins, cooking dinner, bringing cups of tea etc. - he just doesn't see clutter as a problem. Will still need to be attending to that metaphorical 'pile of stuff at the bottom of the stairs'.

I managed to keep the house tidy with 1 dc. However, now I have 3dc and work my standards have slipped. I now do no ironing whatsoever (imagine that OP!), and the house gets a quick once over once a week when the dc are at school and... wait for it... never when they are on holiday.

I remember when mine were toddlers, the downstairs of the house would be littered with toys all day.

And OP, ironing underwear IS crazy

It's not so much clutter which is a problem with toddlers - like you say, this can be bundled in to boxes. It's their habit of distributing fluids and crumbs (bodily or otherwise) everywhere!

In fact, one way of minimising washing I find is to have an 'In the house' top where food/bogies etc can get smeared on it. Wear it at messy times of day for 3 days then swap for another. Obviously change if you're going out/expecting people. Instead of 7 extra dirty tops a week you only get 2! Both DH and I do this.

Never ignore an offer of help. If anyone offers to wash up, pick up bits from the shop, hold the baby for a few mins while you relax...anything, take them up on it. People really mean it so take them up on it. It all helps.

I am a baby foster carer and get a newborn every 3-4 months. Babies really vary. Some sleep all the time some are very unsettled, so it's impossible to predict how easy it will be to be houseproud. I generally follow this routine, doing each job as I get the opportunity through the day. If laundry is done and I know what's for dinner, the world doesn't fall apart.

1 do a load of laundry
2 wash bottles/ dummies etc and restock changing bag

1. Make sure dinner is defrosting or vaguely prepared
2. Clean kitchen
3. Clean other rooms ( just a bit£
4. Pull up a few weeds ( usually while on phone)

7 ironing Anything else is a bonus. There are many days I only get 1-3 done. Currently I have a cleaner for 3 hours a week as my baby is quite poorly.

My house has never been cleaner and tidier than when I had one newborn. Nowadays with 2 toddlers it is messier a tip

I did used to do essential things with DC2 in a sling because he was not so easily settled as DC1. I found it quite awkward to be honest but needs must.

Definitely get a sling, and luckily the Hoover counts as white noise so they will go to sleep! I think you just get a bit more efficient and get things done quickly.
Buy lots of easy cleaning items, such as wipes for the bathrooms and give it a quick zap when you're giving them a bath, or out of the shower etc. The ironing thing is something that you will find difficult to keep up with as you will be washing things all the time. Are you going to iron all bibs and baby clothes? Your baby will drool or be sick after every feed, so if you go though 3/4 bibs a day, plus 2/3 outfits, plus 4/5 muslins that is a lot of ironing!! You may need to ditch the ironing, or hire someone to do it. If you buy loads of bibs, muslins, bed sheets etc then you won't need to wash them as often.

The rest of the house though I think is quite easy to keep on top of.... However my DD is only 3 months, and I have very domesticated husband!

Oh an as an alternative to a Hoover..... Get a dog! :-)

I am like you op. I clean everyday. Before my DS was born I would come home from work have dinner and then clean for about an hour... I'd have other things scheduled during the week like ironing, laundry etc... But cleaning happened daily.

DS came and nothing changed. DH would take him out in his pram for an hour so I could clean. I'd still iron everything, I ironed whilst he slept, I hoovered and dusted while he slept.

He's now 3, and still my standards haven't slipped in fact I got him to mop the kitchen floor yesterday and he 'dusts' his own bedroom. So I'm sharing the love! . I find I have to clean as I go nowadays and it's relentless because every biscuit results in a mess, every game, every but of craft... But my DustBuster is my friend.

Ignore people who say they're a good mum because they're having so much time with their child that they don't have time to clean. I'm a good mum, I spend time with my child and I clean as well. It is possible. I have to do it, I'm not happy in my home unless it's clean and tidy, I can't relax until it is.

Good luck!

There is a limit, though.

All that a friend of mine remembers from her childhood is that her mother was always too busy cleaning to play with the children. She is one of the neatest and cleanest people I know but she also deliberately puts her children first.

That is, my friend puts her children first and still manages to keep a clean home.

Frankly amazed at those who managed to clean with a new born in the early weeks. Were you breastfeeding? If so, hats off to you. I spent hours feeding on the sofa and when eventually baby fell asleep I usually tried to get something to eat. Occasionally I dragged myself to the shops with baby in the pram.

I you JamesTKirk. Was starting to think that I really was going to have to abandon all hope of a tidy house until baby leaves home. So glad to hear that there are mums out there still fighting the good fight with the DustBuster

And no, I don't plan to clean to the point of having no time to play with my child - just want a reasonable balance. Did a lot of looking after my younger brother (14 year age difference) as a teenager - every pre/after school and school holiday, plus being responsible for most of the housework - so I'm not completely clueless about babies/toddlers. I just like to be organised ...lots of weekend arguments about mislaid socks (FFS!!), not knowing where clothing was etc. in my house growing up - so I just like to keep on top of stuff now as an adult.

De-clutter as much as possible now. Seriously, throw out EVERYTHING you don't need to have around. Babies=stuff in vast quantities. So clear the decks.