how do you keep up with a 3yo and 7mo?

[simplygreen]

I'm a SAHM and I can't keep up with my house... I have a 3yo and a 7mo. both are not strong consistant nappers, and both are not (3yr old) is not self directed play on your own, unless is it is chucking folded laundry around the house or beating on the poor dog. I feel like I do not get anything accomplished.. our house is cluttered and dirty. I'm dead tired by 9pm and ususally have a babe on my boob both after my son is in bed and before he gets up! So How do you mamas do it??

[chely7425]

I found the main thing was decluttering... That alone has made my house so much more manageable!! I also started doing the motivated moms chore chart it is hard with littles thi, we have a 1 and a 2 year old and I'm pregnant with our third so I feel your pain!!

[ElliesMomma]

i'm there with ya. mine are 4 years old, and 9 months old.

it's hard.

very hard.

i get some work done each night after everyone else is asleep. also during the day i do a bit here and there, as i can.

the kids will start to play together more and more the older they get.

take heart, they are only young once.

i'm doing my best to forgive my lack of housework, and spend my time and energy on my LOs.

good luck!

[Biscuits & Gravy]

When my boys were those ages the only way I got things done was with the baby on my back in the ergo. My older DS has always been pretty good at entertaining himself though. If he was having a hard time and I needed to get things done I had him help me. A spray bottle and a rag can be fun. I'd let him spray the floor and wipe it up. Same with cabinets, the refrigerator, table, things like that. I use vinegar and water for cleaning, so it is safe for him to use. Also, you could save the socks in the laundry for your 3yo and let him do the matching up. Other than that, I just made sure the important stuff was clean. To me that was the bathroom and the kitchen, and vacuuming the floors.

[Oliver's Mama]

I have a 3 year old and a 3 month old.. and the 3 year old doesn't nap and rarely plays on his own, and is potty training, so things are crazy messy all day long. Luckily, all his constant noise keeps the baby up a lot during the day, so they both crash by 730 for 12 hours of overnight sleep (baby makes it til 3 or 4 for a feeding)
So, I go on a cleaning spree from 730-9 ish- general picking up, dishes, laundry, ironing, bathroom, etc. If you can manage to tweak your baby's feeding times, it could really help you. Mentally, I really need to have some awake time of my own without kids around.. I think we all do!
To save my sanity, I have also officially given up the concept of cleaning during the day, or cleaning as we go along. It just gets too frustrating because the house will definately get torn up again in another 20 minutes.
Sometimes if I really need to do some cleaning during the day, I wait til the baby takes a cat-nap and let ds1 watch a dvd.. it's the closest to "napping" as I can get with him.. he's contained to just squirming and jumping on the couch, which is as calm as he gets
good luck.. everyone says it gets easier..

[mamadelbosque]

I have a 3 yr old & an 11 month old... I take advantage of DH being home on the weekends/etc and clean pretty heavy then - I plan it out the night before "Ok, DH is going to be home, first thing in the morning I'm throwing sheets in the washing machine, eating brkfst, vaccume, clean bathroom, dust, etc" - I pickup the night before, after ds1 is in bed and ds2 is too (or else being held by DH).

Whats helped me/us immensly though is that we have a huge "train" table (though it only rarely seems to have trains on it, tbh...), w/ two huge drawers underneath where 90% of their toys fit. So when I go to "pickup, I just chuck everything in them and forget about it.

And otherwise, I don't worry about it too much. I vaccume once, maybe twice a week, dust once every couple wks, clean the bathroom as needed. Otherwise, I just try and keep it fairly picked up so that at least on the surface it looks OK. Good luck!

[Paigekitten]

I have a 2.5 year old and a 1 year old. Just in the last few months have I felt like I have been able to keep up. Wearing the baby, having the toddler help me cook and clean were the only way I can get things done. The baby does nap, thank goodness, but my two year old gave up naps a long long time ago. I clean the bathroom when they are in the tub. I hand the toddler a small broom, put the baby on my back and sweep the house. Chuck a load of laundry in the wash before DH leaves for work and hang it up to dry when he gets home. Mopping is hard because I hand mop and they like to play in the mop water so I don't do it as often as I would like, just because it is really messy. Now that the baby is walking the girls play together some of the time, and I am able to be in the same room, but not sitting there making sure the baby doesn't get squashed. It's been really nice.

I think the biggest help has been decluttering. The less stuff we have the less I have to pick up. The fewer clothes we have the less overwhelming the mountain of laundry is. It's been a while since DH has had to take mountains of sheets and diapers and clothes to the laundry mat to catch me back up.

[KayleeZoo]

When I had a 4yo, 2yo and newborn, it was CRAZY. My house was dirty and messy and I was a wreck. Decluttering is definately the first step- when there is less stuff, it's SO much easier to keep on top of everything. Also, I started teaching my kids how to play by themselves when they could sit up- it's definately a learned behavior, but you can still teach your 3yo how to do it. There has to be time for Mommy to take care of the house, because it's the home where everyone has to live and function. Don't let yourself be guilted into spending every second entertaining the kids unless your DH cleans or you have a housekeeper- if you don't do it and nobody else does it, it won't get done. That's what I had to keep reminding myself. Tossing, donating and selling a TON of stuff saved our home- now with 4 kids underfoot, it's never perfect, but I can manage even with a crawling infant, and 2 highly spirited kids (and one perfect angel, too- my 7yo is sooo good)

Good luck and hang in there- make a chart/list, institute mommy cleaning time, etc. whatever you have to do to make it work. You'll feel so much better once your house is under control

[maddymama]

I have a just- turned- four year old and an 11 month old, so I feel your pain. Here's my survival strategy, which pieces have been mentioned by moms.
1) Motivated Moms
2) DD2 is on my back
3) DD1 either helps me (makes her bed, wipes down the table, etc) or she listens to a book on CD while I clean
4) pick up certain areas as we go along (i.e. right after lunch and then again before bedtme)
I do what I can do each day and not beat myself up over what I can't do... they are only little once....
~maddymama

[bobandjess99]

you don't, lol.