How do you manage housework and childcare balance with a full-time job?

[michalsasasx]

I'm a working mum struggling to find a balance between my full-time job, housework, and taking care of the kids. It often feels like there's not enough time in the day, and I end up feeling overwhelmed. How do other working mums manage it all? Do you have any tips or routines that make things easier? I'd love to hear how you handle everything without burning out!

I got a cleaner for 2 hours a week.

Figured it was just the cost of two take aways that I wouldn't think twice about!

Edited: I am not a MN high earner! I earn an average wage.

I don't think most people can do everything.

Do you have a husband/partner and do they do 50% of housework and childcare?

Lowered standards and got a cleaner.

Got a cleaner....

We're considering a cleaner now both DC are school age and we're no longer paying nursery fees.
Lower standards do help especially in terms of untidiness levels during the week. We blitz the house on Saturday morning, either one of us takes DC out and the other does it, or we both do it while they play with their toys / watch TV.

I lowered my standards mainly. I could get a cleaner but would rather spend £100-150 a month on other things. I wfh which allows me to keep up with laundry quite easily and I usually have about 30 mins each morning after DH and DC have left to do something quick like hoover the stairs.
At the weekend I'll spend an hour cleaning the bathrooms. Other than that the house just gets tidied as we go and if something looks dirty it gets cleaned but I don't routinely scrub skirting boards or anything like that.

I have a husband who does 50% of everything? We work the same hours. Do an online food delivery. We don’t have a cleaner, one of us will take kids out for a few hours at weekend whilst the other cleans the house,

My house is a shit tip. Me and DH had a massive argument about it this morning actually. So I'm not sure I have any words of wisdom! Getting a cleaner helps. So does WFH.

Went down to 4 days a week at work. Then I get a day for admin/appointments/cleaning etc

Similar. I’m away half the week so he does 100% of it while I’m away. Everyone pitches in when they’re around is how we work it.

Pretty extreme if no other challenging circs in your household!

Dh does 50%
Weekly cleaner
Food shopping delivered based on a meal plan
Washing on a strict schedule
Keep on top of daily tasks

It's a bit of a treadmill though!

You don't say you are a single parent so I assume you are not? My DH, when he was FT (even he eventually went PT), managed by sharing the work with myself, the other child's parent, who worked PT. Now with two kids and a third on the way we both work PT and it makes life soo much more comfortable for everyone. It also isn't really an income drop for us most of the time whilst they're little because of the cost of having two in childcare was basically the same so we aren't even financially worse off really.

These are my non negotiables that make our house run smooth when I travel for work and my wife works shifts.

Weekly food shop delivered every Sunday morning.
I meal plan and cook 2/3 meals on Sunday morning for the week ahead.
Cleaner in fortnightly
I get up at 5am before my daughter gets up, I have a coffee in silence, put washing on the airer and make my to-do lists. I workout, shower and get ready before my daughter is awake
Washing out in before bed on a night and put on the airer first thing in a morning then the clothes are dry when I get home from work.

I iron during meetings that require me not to participate but have to attend (runs and hides)

I'm a single parent. I got a cleaner and have most things delivered (inc milk man etc). Automate as much as possible.

Maintain an impeccably organised diary.

Only one child. DH does 50%. Cleaner 3 hours once a fortnight. Low standards.

I don't do anything really. It helps that we only have one child I think. And that I really like my job. Other than laundry and a bit of tidying, we don't do housework. We have school uniform that I can go the whole week without doing any washing. I've never really understood the concept of 'life admin' as I just do things when I need to. I'm currently eating cake, watching an old episode of A Place in the Sun while I send a couple of emails.

I have a cleaner. DH does 50%. That's all really. It's pretty manageable; we both have social lives and I also study.

I clean on some of my lunch breaks (wfh). Also I co-parent so I don’t always have my kids here and then can do some stuff in the evenings. I’m very slowly redecorating my little house in the scraps of time I have

It’s a struggle isn’t it. We have a cleaner once a fortnight. I try to use the slow cooker as much as possible for food and work from home as much as I can. Tend to use my lunch hours to do washing. DH takes baby to bed about 8 every night and I do the house whilst he puts the baby down so we have some time to ourselves in the evening

You delegate or outsource.
Childcare, cleaner, 50/50 with husband.
You can have it all but not do it all at the same time on your own!

I don't view it as my responsibility to work out how to do the housework or childcare. We work as a partnership to do what needs to be done. The key to this is a family planner where everything is marked, so all clubs, parties, activities, work events out of normal hours etc are written and we can easily see what needs done and who is available to do it. Laundry is done when the basket is full, whoever uses the last of something adds it to the online delivery list, whoever is cooking the various meals next week adds what they need to the list.

Me and DH, 3x Primary DCs and a Dog at Home. Both Work F/T.
Wake up (very early) and go to bed late, keep on top of washing by doing 1x load a day and we tidy the House every night before going to bed, also lay out uniforms, work clothes, pack school bags etc..
Meal Plan for the Week ahead, use Doggy Daycare and we don't make any plans on Saturdays - that's spent organising the Week ahead and doing big cleans.
Our House is very sparse and a bit clinical to be honest though, so it's fairly easy to maintain. Less stuff, less cleaning 😅

I get up early so I can get things done uninterrupted. There’s just me and DD so no man making a mess nor his washing and ironing. Downside is only me to mow the lawns, trim hedges and clean car every week 🫤