Children & Cleaning

[Emprexia]

I'm not exactly a New Mum.. but i am new to trying to clean house around a toddler.

HELP!!!

My DH works nights, so he's asleep all day, and my house is a dust bomb at the moment, i need to clean it quite seriously, but i have a 15mo who's terrified of the hoover and gets in the way when i try to dust, running off with things and generally being a PITA.

How on EARTH do you keep a house clean around a toddler?!!?

you don't

i agree. you don't.

helpful aren't we

you can't say "you don't" I need help too. and hope.

I am sick of living in an embarassement of a house.

well obviously I do clean, it's just not very easy. My problem is clutter. I do clean, my house is clean it's just not tidy, ever!

but it would help if I wasn't on the pc but I have to have some time

when they are asleep
or get a cleaner

I was toying with waking at 6.30. ha, ha. as too tired in the evenings.

clutter is the bane of my life.. and toys, and CD's, and DVDs and Ornaments.

i am drowing under a sea of... stuff.. with a coating of dust everywhere.

I HATE cleaning with a passion, but even i get to the point my head is screaming CLEAN THE HOUSE DAMMIT...which is where i am atm.. only i can't, because of the Dreaded Toddler...

You could get toddler involved, give them a duster and they'll copy you, make it into a game. Or put them in a playpen, busy with their own thing while you get it done, maybe have an allocated time everyday which is time for playing in the playpen/tv time etc while you clean.

I keep thinking I should get up earlier as thats when I have more energy. My mantra is when I get on top of it, it will then be eaiser to remain on top of it. It's just never happened!

I fastened ds in his pram and either sit him in the room with me, and stick on his knees a cloth, whisk and random toy and ask him to give them a wipe, or plonk the pram in front of cbeebies, with drink and raisins/cheerios in a pot. ( will I go to hell for the beebies bit?? - probably, but sod it. there are only so many hours in a day!) There is only so much mess I can tolerate. Call me fussy, but I do like to see patches of floor through the toys, and patches of garden through the snot covered window.

Try hoovering when she is asleep. They can sleep through all sorts ime so long as you do it towards the beginning of the sleep when they are most deeply asleep and not towards the end.

Take one room at a time and don't try to do it all at once.

Can DH not take her out for a while when he wakes up or at the weekend?

My DSs were both terrified of the hoover at some point but I used to end up doing one room at a time and carrying them around whilst I hoovered. It was completely knackering but in the end they got used to the hoover. The thing that helped DS1 was buying him a toy hoover as well.

If your DC is scared of the hoover then you get your DH to do it when he gets up while you sit with your child or vice-versa. I used to leave the hoovering until DH came home from work for this reason. Other than that you do it a room at a time and get them to "help". Or send them to find a book, read it, then do a bit more while they take it back and get another.

two of these

you dust she dusts

it is almost impossible to wreck anything with one of these and they are fun

oh and flylady