Getting things done (like housework!) with an almost 1yo

[tinkerbug]

DS is almost a year old. He is very active and spends most of the time we are in the house crawling round or pulling himself up, often swiftly followed by falling over! Am finding it very hard to get anything done round the house as I feel like I have to constantly watch him! We also have a dog, so I obv can't leave them alone together. Just wondered how people get stuff done when their DCs are still so young and have to be watched like hawks to ensure they don't fall over / fling themselves off sofa / eat dust off the floor etc?! Naps are generally for me to get a bit more sleep as overnight sleep a bit hit and miss, so generally have to get cleaning and things done when he is awake. Any tips anyone?

Playpen. Playpen. Playpen.

It really depends on the baby I'm afraid
You'll get a load of "just sit him on the floor and surround him with toys" type posts, completely overlooking the fact that as soon as you avert your eyes he will be abseiling off the sofa.
DS was like this and i honestly felt a failure. Then i had DD who will happily potter with minimal supervision while i get on - she can even be trusted not to climb stairs most of the time! DS is now almost 4 & can be left.
so no advice but sympathy

change that to "swinging off his playpen and screaming"
worth a try though I agree :o

Oh he swings and screams. I just ignore him.

Hmm. Don't have playpen but do have travel cot...will do the job though I guess?! Not sure how DS will react, being put in any confined space usually results in screaming and varied attempts to get out of said confined space!! May try putting Waybuloo on tv at the same time...usually keeps him quiet (if not still) for a while...

Fill travel cot with plastic play balls (cheaper in argos than elc) and some toys. Literally just done this for 9mo ds. Jumperoo or activity station also handy especially if its one you can move to where you're working so they can see you.

I would carry mine around while I was doing things. Just took longer to do them.

Playpen. There was no possibility of carrying a squirming 11mth old who wanted to get down.

If they squirmed, I put them down. Most of the time they were interested in what I was doing and would be carried.
I suppose it's a case of trial and error. Crying when put down, then I'd pick up and carry around. Squirming/whinging when being carried then I'd put down or check whether needing a nap. Fit in whatever needed doing around that. Or if won't be picked up or settle put down, I'd probably put in the pushchair and go for a walk.

How much housework do you have? Things like loading the machine and hanging washing out, DS would happily "help" (he crawled at 7 months, walked at 10months so needed eyes in back of head). Making food - he has a cupboard full of stuff which he plays in for a few mins at a time so could quickly prepare things.
Vacuuming - he didn't like it until recently so did at weekends when DH could watch him.

Eating my meals - we ate together and still do. Can you put him in highchair while you wash up and give him snacks to keep him quiet? (timing it for snacks)

I think the hardest thing is accepting that things do take longer and some things can't be done easily! Also can you do some childproofing?

I didn't use a playpen - we have one (DS is now 16 months) - but it's a toy storage area!

Try and break jobs down into 5 or 10 minutes slots. You can do quite a lot in 5-10 minutes and do this several times a day.

For example, when dd1 was that age I used to put her highchair in kitchen with sandwich or snack. Empty dishwasher = 4-5 minutes. Wipe worktops, 2 minutes etc.

Shut yourself in bedroom with dc. Change bed = 5 minutes.

I know it doesn't suit everyone but dh and I find housework so much more managable if we do a few "chunks" through the day.

Do you have a dp? If so perhaps one of you could watch your ds say early evening (or bath him?) while the other does a 30 minutes blitz of chores?

It's not the way I used to do housework, but with a young child I no longer get a block of a few hours to do the jobs undisturbed which is my preferred method.

Don't try to do too much though, last week I fell up the stairs carrying bucket of soapy water in one hand and vacuum cleaner in the other!

Jumperoo

if at all possible, a cleaner (I know, typical mumsnet response)

failing that, this stage only lasts a few months, then you can rope him into helping you

Have you tried slings? My almost 1 year old sits in her ring sling on my hip and 'helps' with the housework (obviously no sharp knifes or cooking!) leaving my hands free and DD2 safely contained. I also turn as much housework into a game - for example if I need to mop the floor, I sweep with DD2 in a sling and then park DD1 and DD2 with a bowl of water and a few toys in the middle of the floor and mop around them. Or making the beds they bounce on the bed while i bundle them onto the old stuff and then whip on the clean sheets while they untangle themselves. Takes longer but still gets done!

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions! I think carrying DS or putting him in a sling probably out for me, he weighs a ton! So travel cot it is, and I like the idea of breaking it down into smaller chunks, rather than doing a 3 hour blitz! It remains to be seen what DS will think of it though....

tinker you don't need to put him in the travel cot for everything though although he will get used to it.

I was going to suggest highchair too. My DD is 14 months old and the only time I get to do anything in the kitchen is if I put her in her highchair with a snack. She's so clingy so the travel cot just didn't work with her as it did with my son. The only time I get to do other things around the house is when she is napping!

If you can stand the noise, I find the highchair with a saucepan and a wooden spoon keeps my ds (10months) occupied long enough for dishwashers or quick food prep. Seriously though, try and think about what really needs doing, and do it in small bursts as already suggested.