SAHPS - how much do you get done in a day?

[scantilymad]

I am on maternity leave and as much as I love all the cuddles and baby time, I am also extremely houseproud! I seem to have lost my motivation a little and can't seem to stick to my usual routines. The house feels to me like it is starting to fall apart a little at the edges. (I used to be a vacuum daily, change bedding once a week kind of a girl).

I am guilty of watching far too much trashy television and have made a resolution to stop watching during the day in the hope of achieving more. But what is realistic? Do I just set myself a time limit each day for housework, or a list of jobs?

Can I ask any full time stay at home parents - how much/what do you typically get done in a day? What are your bare minimum tasks and what are your "wishlist" tasks that you just never seem to get round to?

Basically nothing! Baby is 5 weeks old and I get maybe one lot of washing in the machine (DH hangs it out when he gets home). The rest of the day is feeding, sterilising, changing, expressing and cuddling/play time. Oh, and lots of trashy TV!

Hmm well when ds was little I didn't do very much as he would be sure to wake in the middle of it! And I was always house proud too!

Now he is 18 months and normally has a 2 hour nap during the day I do as much as I can fit into nap time. Washing I can do when he's waddling about,same as hoovering but bathroom cleaning and beds etc I save for nap time.

When I really need to do something I have a play pen I can put him in so I know he's safe for a few mins !

Hello OP

It must be difficult if you are house proud and have a new baby, but honestly don't worry.
Anything at all more than even getting yourself dressed is a bonus.
It is a long time ago for me now but it used to bother me if the washing up wasn't done and if I hadn't started tea.
Just do what you can and leave the rest, do what is important to you and sod everything else.
I can remember the awful tiredness and permanently feeling like you need to catch up on a weeks sleep. It does get better, you get house proud and for some silly reason decide to do it all again and then again

It's varied greatly with different children.
With dd I struggled to even eat my lunch; ds1 & 2 I could do an hour or two of housework most days.
If you are desperate to vacuum every day etc have you tried doing it with the baby tied to your front in a sling? Personally I'd let the daily cleaning go, but if it's getting you down, might be worth a try.

Sling the baby! Do you really need to vacuum daily? A temporary relaxing of the standards will not harm you (My experience)

My DC are 7 and 23months. I can usually sort washing and load/unload machine. Make beds and strip/remake weekly. Clean kitchen floor as and when needed, vacuum somewhere daily, swish and swipe daily, deep clean bathroom weekly.

I'd love to fully dust everything, but DS2 will be in nursery before long and I'll get it done.

If all else fails hire a cleaner.

I am useless. Manage some tidying and vague cleaning in kitchen, Loading dishwasher. Keep up with all the washing. Shopping for food and cooking. Everything else waits and I have a cleaner once a fortnight that does the whole house. Bedding used to be ironed and once a week, now rarely ironed and may be nearer 2. I should add DC is 2 and i did little more than cuddle and feed for first few months. Enjoy...you don't get the time back.

My DD is 18mo, still naps 2 hours a day. The basics I try to get done are tidy toys in the living room, quick vaccum (the kids eat in the living room), empty and fill the dishwasher and wipe down surfaces. Anything I do on top is a bonus! I'll usually manage to stick a load of washing on most days too, depending on what's in the washer/dryer.
My bathrooms get done at the weekend, beds are stripped when they need it
Cat I would love a cleaner

Do kitchen cleaning and clothes washing daily, although usually end up with a huge pile of clean clothes to put away! Clean toilets daily, hoover once or maybe twice a week, dustpan and brush in between. Don't bother ironing unless absolutely needed. Clean shower quickly when in it and bathroom when eldest having a bath. Use slow cooker or do something like lasagne or cottage pie that can be prepared whenever and shoved in the oven when needed.

I have a 4mo and a 22mo and although I used to be a bit Monica Geller these days I think stimulating the children is more important than aniimmaculate house.

Also always start downstairs where people are more likely to see, and end up with piles of stuff to sort upstairs which happens normally when I go to bed!

My twins are 15 months and I try to get housework done when they are having their afternoon nap sometimes I just sit on my arse, drinking tea and reading MN

I do washing while they are around, they like to "help" me load and unload the machine.

While they sleep I change bedding, clean the bathroom, dust, clean the kitchen. Our house is not as tidy as it used to be, I have to turn a blind eye on some of the chaos or I would go mad.

DP vacuums.

We did have a cleaner once a week until I started mat leave but her mat leave was finishing at the same time and she had to go back to work!
I like the sling idea so will try that! I have started using the slow cooker as it's so easy and I think DH likes to smell food when he gets in at 8pm! Will just focus on having one space "guest ready" and keeping on top of one laundry load a day!

I always got the dishwasher on and unloaded and a load of washing done/put away each day-even with a newborn and a 1 year old together. I hoovered every couple of days and downstairs was always tidy by the time I took them up for a bath. DH used to get back earlier then so I think he cooked when he got in.

I don't hold with trying to Hoover with them in a sling-that would have knackered my back. Hoovering doesn't take long-what's the worst they can do? Cry for a few minutes in their cot?!

Too tiiirreeddd!

Mine are 3 and 2 and I get precious little done really.
Most of my minimal housework gets done at the weekends because dh is around to field them.

I have 4 children, 16 (she goes to school) ds1 6 home schooled, ds2 13 months and a baby girl 7 weeks. I promise I get next to no housework done! I throw laundry in when it needs it, one or two loads a day and I cook from scratch but this is mostly done in bulk and then frozen-that's all I have time for, luckily my mum helps out and my dd is a whizz with the Hoover

My twins are 2. I work part time but am home 2 1/2 days plus weekends (though we have a trip out most days). When dts were newborn I got very little done and it got me down. My mum did my hoovering! Possibility?

Anyway my tip is lower your standards they will return I promise (messy toddlers see to it that they must). I used to have cleaning 'days'. Now its little and often. Washing every day. Keeps it down. I put away as soon as dry and I get time (even if only half of it is dry and there's still some on radiators). Big bathroom clean twice a week during a nap. Takes 15 mins. Same for kitchen (not on the same days. I clean furniture about once a month! I hoover most days downstairs out of necessity takes 10 mins. Dts slow me down though. I hoover upstairs twice a week. Once weekly I also do a more thorough hoover under cushions pull out furniture etc normall on weekend when dh is home. I usually hoover at the end of day between tea and bath. Also wipe surfaces every day and general put away.

So my tips are dont worry, enjoy your baby for now. Lower your standards. Change your cleaning to routine (to a very easy one). Stick to it. Leaves plenty of time for trashy telly (well mine does :D)

Oh and congratulations!

Minimum everyday:

Hoover downstairs x1
Dishwasher x 2
Wipe down the surfaces in the kitchen x numerous
Mop kitchen floor x 1
Laundry wash & dryer x 1 (needs to be 2 at least if I don't want it backing up)
Living room clean/tidy up x 2
Dining room tidy up & wash table/baby chair x 2
Bleach down the toilet/bleach potty x 1
Take the bins out x 1

At some time through the week I'll scrub the kitchen properly, clean the bathroom, change the beds and tidy the playroom/utility/bedrooms. At some time through the month I'll clean the fridge and the oven.

The house is still a tip everyday. The windows are filthy. The cupboards are a mess. The garden is a state. The outbuildings are my nemesis. There's stuff everywhere. I've got 14 bags of clothes in the bedroom cupboard waiting to go on ebay. I looked up the prices of skips the other day - frigging hell! I'm going to have to start taking stuff out in the nappy bag and discreetly depositing an item or two a day in to the public bins I think

Mine are 5, 3, and 1.

To keep on top of it I really need to not stop tidying/cleaning at all. I feel like running off (with the dc's obv).

Errr today I've done a load of laundry, school run and some ironing.

So not much! I'm really struggling to get motivated and whenever I start something 19 week old DS decides he needs milk or a bum change.

Not much houseworky but yesterday the toddler made a spaceship, the baby learned to climb and we all learned just how wet we can get from one small bottle of water. We went on a monkey hunt (didn't find any) in the woods, discovered puddlesuits have secret places squishy mud can gain entry and during their nap I made a nice dent in the sofa.

On top of general personal hygiene and feeding I think that's plenty

Housework ain't going anywhere.

By the end of the day, everyone is fed and the house is tidyish and the washing up done. Usually there is loads of clean washing kicking about.

Other than that, not much. I am lazy and a slattern.

Ignore housework guilt, but if you love doing it then break it down into tiny tasks you can do in between feeds/cuddles/cheesy tv movies.

uri you've just shamed me into realising how much I've been relying on the tv for the pre-schooler.

Today I'm going to get the house to a reasonable standard and play all day tomorrow.

Dont walk into a room empty handed. Theres always somrthing that needs taking into that room.

One thing I am guilty of - when tidying the lounge, anything that belongs in the bedroom just gets thrown in, rather than taken in and put away - this then results in MORE work to do in the bedroom.

I have three kids aged 9,5, and 7months.

I always get dishwasher emptied and a load of washing done,dried and put away. Also older kids get where they needs to go (play dates,activities,school). Baby's bottles get done and everyone gets fed! I also do shopping once a week and cleaning once a week with general tidying, wiping down surfaces and sweeping in between.

I also sit down playing chatting or reading quite a bit but my strength is task focussed,so getting things done (eg reading or homework) comes more naturally than sitting chilling with my kids.

Like many others, I say main priority is that the kids are occupied and fed. Two things which help me, house-wise:

1. on our way out of the house I try to stick either the washing machine or dishwasher on, that way, a job is getting done even while we're out.
2. I have a list of about 8 jobs which I try to do each week. E.g. Ironing, strip beds, etc. I write this list each Monday and tick off as many as I can throughout the week. I never get everything done, but I get more done than if I didn't have a weekly list.

I used to be very house proud too, but with a 4 month old playful DS who is learning so much every day, I tend to favour play time with him over housework. In the newborn days if I wasn't feeding/changing/cuddling etc I caught up on sleep!

I am just now starting to get some order back in the house during nap times, but this means I very rarely get to sit down with a cup of tea --or eat lunch-, but I get my cuppa quota by visiting family or friends a couple of times a week :).

Some great replies and tips, thanks! I seemed to have a spurt of energy last Thursday and managed a full house clean and organise during nap times and once DH got home. I even saw the bottom of our laundry basket for the first time in ages!
I liked the idea of breaking down the jobs in to bite size pieces. I found an app called Chore Checklist which divides everything into weekly, fortnightly and monthly checklists. I'm a bit addicted now!
Still plenty of cuddles and playtime too! DS is almost rolling over....I can't believe how excited I am about it!