How do you cope with endless crumbs and sticky fingers?

[sleepyhead]

Prevention or constant cleaning?

Ds2 is 2 and there's a big gap between dcs so I'd forgotten the relentless drudgery of trying to keep on top of the detritus of a toddler's everyday life.

I did a deep clean of our (small) flat about a fortnight ago and the place was spotless. Now everything seems once again coated with sticky marks and the bloody crumbs

I suspect part of it is differences in the way dh & I do things, we split childcare approx 50/50 and I don't think he's as hot on wiping hands as I am.

Urrrrgh. I gutted the car last night as it was going in for its MOT and you could have grown potatoes underneath ds2's carseat...

Lower standards!

Oh believe me, my standards are low

We only have food and drinks at the kitchen table and wipes in the middle so every thing is cleaned before leaving the table

I have gradually come to the realisation that if I let my 4 and 2yrs olds eat anywhere other than at the table then my house will be filled with crumbs and spilt drinks and squished banana. Now they have to sit bloody down and finish their food or drink before getting up to run about again.

The house is still slightly grubby after a few hours indoors but the worst excesses are contained to the area around the kitchen table. I can live with that.

Yep. I think the answer is confining all eating to the table.

Unfortunately we don't have room for a kitchen table so all eating is done at the table in the living room - a dining table, but a bit too big for the room so its usually pushed into the corner and only pulled out for meals.

I suspect adhoc snacks (digestive bloody biscuits) cause most of the mess.

Only eat and drink at the table here also so all crumbs contained to that area, hands washed as soon as they get down

Eat at table or outside, packet of wipes on the table, hands are wiped before getting down.

Dining room and kitchen tables are wiped down at least once a day (usually after each meal), floors swept after each meal and moped daily too, reduces crumbs moving round the house.

If your table is pushed into the corner, is there at least one chair still accessable when the table is pushed in? I'd make it a policy of eating snacks there, or replacing biscuits which make lots of crumbs with stuff like chopped apple or veg sticks where the mess is easier to contain...

At the least, get them to sit down for all drinks and snacks, and try to wipe their hands if sticky after. And get DH to do more of the cleaning!

Manage what I allow him to eat away from the table. Cups with lids and straws to prevent spills. Nothing sticky and crumbs get dealt with straight away with a dustpan and brush.

We only eat in the kitchen. Never in the livingroom.

Keeps it contained.

We have a tiny child size table from ikea in the living room that ive taped a wipe clean table cloth to. Dd 17 mo eats snacks there.