If you have young children/babies, when do you get a chance to clean their rooms?

[chloejessmeg]

I usually get most of the housework done when DD is napping. But her room is always getting messy, and her clothes pile up instead of getting put straight away. Obviously I can't do it when she is asleep because she is in there and she doesn't really play for more than about 10 mins in there.

I am hoping now she is moving to a bigger room I can keep more toys in there which will keep her more occupied. But there will soon be a second baby in april!

Mine play in their rooms for ages as long as I am in there too I find.
They only go in there for 10 mins or so on their own.
Mine are 3 yrs and 10 months and both will hapily play in DS1's room while I hang clothes up, tidy toys away, change sheets etc.
Of course they get as many toys out as I tidy away lol

Mine tend to help dd1 has a hoover and will hoover alongside me and tbh it never takes more than 1/2 hour. DD2 often just wanders around moving stuff from place to place (dd1 is 3 and dd2 is 1)

I do tend to put dd2's clothes away when she is sleeping but that's just cos it's easier.

Mine are 4 and 3 and I did their rooms today (DD3 still in with us so easy)

I get them to put everything up onto the beds so I can hoover, then when thats done we straighten everything out, clothes get hung up straight after ironing.

Mine don't nap anymore either

Don't know why I bother within 10 mins it's a mess again, every night before bed we have a quick tidy up everything back in correct box. I like to know that under the mess the carpet is at least hoovered. I even polished the mirroed wardrobe doors on the toy cupboard, why do I do this???

When they get up, keep them in the cot.

I clean their rooms with them (2.6 and 3.9) they have a cloth and polish too and also vacume etc with me. They also help put their clothes away.

I also can do pretty much anything in there when they are alseep too inc putting ironed clothes away - we never kept the noise down

I put clothes away when DCs are asleep at night, about an hour after they have dropped off they are deep asleep. The light from the hall is sufficient.

Dusting and windows can be done when they are playing nearby, they like to join in.

Vacuuming - they went through a phase of being scared of vacuum cleaner so I used to do their rooms when they were watching TV. They tend to hover nearby now, or keep themselves busy in another room.

My main difficulty is washing the wooden floors as they can't go in for about 20 mins so that gets infrequently.

We have a permanent "tidy" policy as Im very lazy and I have four! So never anything in dd1's room, the boys have to make sure their rooms are tidy before coming down for breakfast and before bed, when I help.

I have a big problem as Ds 2 is still sleeping in his cot in our room.(he's 9 months) I can never even get to put my own clothes away LOL I did manage to get some sorting done the other day though whilst he played with some toys in his cot -he used to hate this but he seems more ameanable to doing this now as long as I'm in the room. Can't really let him crawl round in there as too many corners and he's prone to banging his head off everything LOL