I need help

[Sair]

I am having a really hard time coping with an extra child and trying to keep the house up. I have never been a great housekeeper although when I put my mind to it I can be great.

What I need help with is compiling a to do list of household stuff on a day to day basis, weekly basis and perhaps monthly basis. I am lucky if I remember to brush my teeth or feed Noah which is totally unlike me. I managed to put together a schedule for Noah now I just need to add household duties so I don't waste time in the day.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Rivlas]

On your fridge you need a big sign that says: I have a new born and a toddler. Feed myself, baby & toddler and blow the rest.

How you are feeling is normal. Remember you have just had a baby and it is hard work with another child in the house.
Start with one or two chores on the list and gradually add to it. Once you get into a routine, well, as good of a routine that two children allow, you will start to feel better and get more done.
I find when I an tired I have trouble getting the housework done.
Don't stress out too much, enjoy your time getting to know your baby and playing with your toddler.

[AliBaby]

Okay, I amno great housekeeper and I dont have a toddler and baby to pick up after and look after (well not yet anyway) so not sure how much help I can offer but can try.

Day to day things-

Mon- Load of washing
Tues- Shopping day
Wed- general clean of the bathroom. Load of washing
Thurs- a dust around the house (make it fun for you and noah by putting on some music and giving him a duster and you can dance around the house dusting).
Fri- Vacum (then if you have visitors on the weekend it is done). Load of washing.
Sat- Wash sheets and towels (Then DH can help you make the beds with new sheets)
Sun- Rest!

P.s. I put a load of washing every second day because i am sure you have alot with a family of 4. If you wash smaller loads more frequently, it wont build up and seem like a mammoth chore.

There are also other jobs that you will need to add in like general tidying but I would try and get Noah involved so it is a game. You could pretend to be vacum cleaners and pick up the toys and bits and pieces putting them away. He will think of it like playing with mummy and you are getting jobs doen at the same time. I clean my kitchen as I use it. We dont have a dishwasher so each evening I wash up or DP does and then I go round clean all the benches, might wipe dirty marks of fridge or wipe over microwave, just sort of do a little bit at a time.

Dont put too much pressure on yourself. You are still adjusting to a new family environment. big

[Arimeh]

Hey gorgeous - I'm sure you are doing a great job - and everyone's house looks like a bomb has hit it at the end of the day!!! For me, I don't try to clean up during the day - it just leads to more stress, cos the moment I've cleaned up - DS will seek and destroy.

So this is what I do.

Every night -
Wash up
Do the bottles (which you don't need to do!! )
Do a load of washing. This load of washing is either nappies or clothes.
Lunches

Then DH helps me to:-
Prepare Miss M's bottles for the next day
Squirt the poop nappies
Rinse the wet nappies

And one of us takes the poop ones and does those - the other takes the wee ones and rinses them in the shower. We both tidy the loungeroom. Unless DS is taking his sweet time getting to sleep and then I'll get a majority of this stuff done myself.

Then on weekends when DH is home to help - I do the vaccing and moping and the rest of the stuff. Your floors don't need to be clean enough to eat off - you are surviving right now. Wait until you get into a proper routine - say - at around 6 months yeah? Its soooo much easier now than it was even 4 months ago. Sometimes during the day, I'll grab the vacuum and just do, say, one room. Because even if only the ONE room looks good, I feel better.

Mind you, my house still looks like a bomb has hit it - but thats ok... I work part time too!!! lol

If you are really discouraged, get a cleaner in for a day. Then just do the upkeep on that. Or do one small job a day. I find if I just declutter one area that I really want to - then the other mess doesn't bother me as much.

Huge its difficult with a newborn and a toddler to fit everything else in. But you know what? You really don't have to - nobody is watching

[christy]

DH hired a cleaner to get me through the first 12 weeks!!! I only did a pick up the day she was coming so that when she finished, there wasn't anything to do.

I often forget brushing teeth, we do it twice a day, so I reckon if it gets missed once its not the end of the world...

On my average day, I try to do 1 item of housecleaning (and this is with older children now)....

So Mondays:
*washing 2 loads
*floors as needed (vacuum and mop or sweep)

Tuesdays:
I work 12 hours so no housework gets done

Wednesdays
* load of washing
* dust

Thursday
If I work, nothing... if I don't
*washing
* baking

Friday
* floors if needed
* wipe down kitchen and dust if needed
* wipe over bathroom (while children are in bath...)

Saturday
*Bigger chores i.e. fix fence, garden, load of washing
If I'm working I don't do it, but DH does

Sunday
DAY OF REST!!!! NO HOUSEWORK DONE!

[Hoody]

I am a little over the top with household chores sometimes DH tells ppl i am obsessive compulsive but i'm not i just cant relax if things arent done. He also thinks cleaning is a hobby for me.

Everyday i do a load of washing and then i pile it on the pool table as cant stand to look at it. If i put it in another room it could sit their for days/weeks lol this way i do it when i have a spare couple of mins even if i go back to it 10 times through the day iykwim

Every evening after DD's are in bed and after we've had dinner i load dishwasher,do any other dishes dry and put away. (i like to get up to a tidy kitchen when i get up)

Every evening during bath time i wipe the surfaces down etc and when finished pack everything away so my back bathroom rarely needs much iykwim.

Every evening as part of our bedtime routine DD1 helps either DH or myself pack away all toys.

Every morning the first thing i do is turn the TV on for DD1 and go and make all the beds and tidy the rooms if needed.

Friday my DD1 is in DC so this is my big clean day and i find i can do the bathrooms, floors (vac and mop), dusting etc. I have a pretty standard 4x2 house and i find that if I've stayed on top of the general tidying in the week i can have it done in about 2hrs.

I also have a list of 10min jobs that i keep on the fridge so when i have a spare few mins i try to do one. These jobs can be as simple as - wiping down the fridge (its stainless steel and shows all marks) Cleaning the bathroom mirrors etc etc I also found that if i set a timer for myself and work my but off for that time I'd be amazed at what i can achieve. Sounds silly but i always hated emptying the dishwasher so i timed it and it takes less than 4 mins so now i think OK that needs doing and OK i don't want to do it but in less than 5 mins i could be done iykwim.

I know how hard it can be with a toddler and baby and like so many others have said as long as you are all fed and dressed the rest can wait. I do find tho that i never get time to sit on my bum much to DH's disbelief. from the moment we get up i'm always doing something iykwim but thats just me i like to keep busy.

[Sair]

Thanks a million girls!!! I now have something to work off of. I just had no idea where to start. I will start off slow though and try to enjoy the babymoon as much as possible, it is just so much easier to relax when the house is clean and everyone is presentable, especially for the unexpected visitors, which have started recently

Now to get some much needed sleep and hopefully start living life tomorrow

[Nelle]

You've had some great advice Sarah! Something that helps me are safety gates.
I got them because Riv's a climber and so he's locked out of the kitchen, and he has one on his bedroom door to stop him running out every 5 minutes. But they come in handy for cleaning. I don't do much 'cleaning' during the day, but I do tidy as I go a little bit. So I just lock Riv out of the lounge, pick up all his mess (without him being able to grab everything I have to re-play with it), and let him back in! Lock him in the lounge for 5 mins if I need to make the bed without him jumping on it and trying to wrap himself up in the sheets.