Why is my house so sticky?

[lollystix]

4 boys aged 6 to 1. Does anyone else have a sticky house? They pour juice and milk all over it, wee where they shouldn't (ds3 in particular) and smear yoghurt, chocolate everywhere. I am trying to wash my sofa as we speak but as I was trying to get the covers off the cushions on the floor I could feel myself sticking to the carpet. I feel sad (and sticky).

[mysweetie]

I just have one,.but we have 3 kids at the house because of my 2 nephews. Its was always sticky specially this past few days,. with my DD it was not that sticky or dirty but when we started to encourage them to eat on their own their spillage can't be control specially with the toddler's undevelop motor skills. plus my 2 nephews are always going in/out of the house so our tiles would always be sticky. After cleaning expect another mess in less than 30 minutes,. so I'm really need to be decided when I will plan to have my second.

[mybabyweightiseightyearsold]

Ohmaigawsh - I've just realised WHY my house is disgusting...

...I've been reading the suggestions thinking "yep, we do that, we do that, we do that" and thinking "despite this, we have a disgusting home, it's just the way of tiny kids"...

...and, right now, I've realised that WE don't do that. I do, but DH lets them.

Buggrit. I'm not sure I've got the energy for tidy training DH. Might tie damp rags to his feet though, Anne?

[BlackholesAndRevelations]

We have a kitchen table but crumbs get stuck to feet and tailed through the house anyway, despite best efforts to keep it all in the kitchen! Not sure about the poo/wee issues as we have the occasional wee on carpet when she's too busy playing... Mind you I haven't tried to train the DS yet!

[lollystix]

Hi justabout - we have 2 little ones. I lived with one in the kitchen until the furniture arrived on the boat but I kept falling over it and baby is at the table now. Need to find a new rental for various reasons and no carpet under table will be top of my agenda.

[JamesAndTheGiantBanana]

To be honest we never eat at the table these days in my defence though we used to every single day, i was really into the family dinner time thing having watched lots of supernanny but it was a nightmare, the eldest inhales his food, the youngest hardly eats anything, so the oldest would be finished and demanding yoghurt/pudding when the youngest still had a full plate, then she'd give up and demand yoghurt too, no amount of cajoling/telling off would get her to eat as she has a will of steel. And he won't slow down or be considerate. We seemed to spend every meal just constantly talking at them, warning him and coaxing her, and refereeing their constant fighting, it was so stressful. Then one day I gave them their tea in the living room in front of you've been framed and they just quietly munched their way through with no fighting, whinging or persuasion needed. It's so much easier, anything for an easy life. It's just the mess!

My ds who wipes poo on the walls is really tricky. His whole attitude to the toilet is odd, he gets completely naked then squats on the seat with his feet. He uses so much loo roll he regularly blocks the loo. We haven't tried punishment other than telling him off, but we've tried giving him toilet "lessons" (he's 5.5) but nothing sinks in. He has very mild learning difficulties, I don't know if that's why nothing we do or say helps. It's very frustrating. He's always been a very messy child.

[lollystix]

Actually I should probably get the wee table out on the deck again. They just are so Noisey I don't like them going out there before 9 for the neighbours sake.

Obvious really but I think the way forward is table in kitchen. We had that in UK and didn't have the same issues.

I do feel like I constantly clean and wipe things. I go to work for a break

[cheddarcheeselover]

I really sympathise lollystix, it was really getting me down, and once I knew we were moving I pretty much just gave up and it got HIDEOUS.

Is there not even room for a small plastic children's table? At my mum's there's not room for a table, but at the kid's meal times they sit at a plastic table - it takes up most the kitchen but at least contains the mess there. Might be a solution for breakfast/lunch/snacks if not dinner?

In the summer feed them outside!!!

[AnnIonicIsoTronic]

Tie damp rags to the baby's knees?

( which is daft - but a little boy with a damp rag can be surprisingly effective)

[sweetkitty]

I have four DC eldest 8, youngest 2, I don't know the sticky house thing. Mine only drink open top cups at the table, they eat most things at the table apart from biscuits and the odd sweets. DS has only been toilet trained 2 weeks or so but so far no pee. Mine hate having sticky hands though "mum wipe" is a common phrase in our house.

House is also messy with plastic tat though and upstairs are a fright but downstairs generally presentable.

[forevergreek]

james - in that situation of doing things on purpose i would add consequences. ie: wiping poo all over the place would equal a punishment of some sort (favorite toy gone/ no tv if usually has etc), snacks thrown behind toilet or other random places would simply mean no snacks..

might be harsh, but it wont happen for long. you cant possibly start to get control of anything if they are wandering through pissing/ smearing stuff as your cleaning away the last bit! i simply wouldnt have time to reclean something all day which has just been cleaned. how old is youngest? maybe they need a nappy on again if not really potty trained (goes to the loo when needed)

[JamesAndTheGiantBanana]

I've just realised this was in larger families so I shouldn't really have posted here, but if it helps I have another one on the way!

[JamesAndTheGiantBanana]

I feel your pain, I live in stickyland too. I have 2 dc but they are both really messy, they both trail food and juice/milk everywhere, throw things everywhere, decide random places are the bin despite me never changing the location of the two bins we have, they'll just decide to throw their fruit peel or rubbish down behind the toilet, in a kitchen drawer, the laundry basket etc

The youngest pees randomly despite being potty trained (she just gets engrossed in whatever she's doing and suddenly oops...) the eldest pees in the bathroom but seems to experiment with how high he can get his pee, or perhaps just doesn't bother looking/holding his willy at all, and he also wipes pooey hands on the walls/sink/bath and leaves random turds on the seat which I once sat on. I could cry honestly.We are at our wits end with this, it seems like every time I go in there's a fresh pool of piss on the floor and on the top of the cistern. This week he managed to piss into an open packet of loo roll, soaking the rolls. Wits. End. I've done nothing but shout and reason and explain today! Makes NO difference.

There are little sticky handprints all up the stairs wall, the cream leather sofas are pretty revolting right now, there are slobbery marks on every mirror and window. The toys all seem to end up covered in a thin layer of hairy biscuit. I do clean and an hour later it's as bad again. God forbid I should properly deep clean the rug as someone will definitely vomit or wee on it before it's even had a chance to dry, Sod's law.

It does get me down. I've done a fair bit of cleaning today but there's nothing really to show for it as they were just trashing another room while I did it. It's like shovelling snow in a blizzard here!

[lollystix]

Cheddar - I'm living with a situation like your previous one. Toys/sofa/table (with carpet under) all within 3 foot of each other. Have no room for table in kitchen

[cheddarcheeselover]

It has seriously changed my life! I now live in a house that people can just pop round to without me having to clean up beforehand. It's a total joy having weetabix free carpets.

[RyleDup]

Oh chedder, I want that sort of house. Where the kitchen is big enough for at least a small table. Life would be easier.

[RyleDup]

Goodness, I only have 2 children and my house is sticky. Our table is in the living room which doesn't help. So the floor around it always gets splattered with food at meal times. And if my youngest keeps weeing on the floor

baby wipes are your friend though.

[MoreBeta]

Strictly no food or drink outside the kitchen. Its the only way.

[cheddarcheeselover]

Our last house was VERY sticky, the dining table was in the living room as was all the kids toys and so the food/drink/toys all combined into a hideous soup.

We've just moved and looked for somewhere that meant all food and drink could be contained. All eating and drinking, apart from water and only pure water, takes place in the kitchen and the children are throughly decontaminated before they leave the kitchen.

It's the only way.

[lollystix]

PMSL mybabyweight. I have loads of cupboards in this rented house - id never thought of using those as the solution. KWYM about the frigging wellies that are swimming round hallway.

Must stop msnetting - ds4 has emptied the baking cupboard.

[HDee]

Fergus, come back when you have three.

[mybabyweightiseightyearsold]

If it helps, my three (only 3, though. Am hoping not to be blessed anymore...) were wee grubbers despite my best efforts. They are now 9, 7 and 5 - and we are out the worst of it.

I really think that if you have a bunch of kids in quick succession that 1. your house will be sticky and smell a bit peculiar 2. your carpet will have those tiny, weird black stains 3. you will have welly boots breeding in your hall and 3. your bikini line will extend to your ankles.

There was just not enough time or eyes in the back of my head to keep a clean house in my experience. Mind, there are freaks better women than me who managed it...though, I suspect their kids lived in a cupboard most of the time...

It gets better. We're about to decorate, never really seen the point until now.

HTH
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