Managing The Housework When You Have Young Children
Bringing up young kids is a life changer. You can read all the books and blogs you can get your hands on and join as many Facebook groups as you like, but nothing will prepare you for those first weeks, months and years of parenthood. New parents can feel pressure from all sorts of areas and keeping and maintaining a clean house is one of them. Not to worry! We have some great tips and tricks for managing the housework when you have young children, without added stress.
Don’t Put Pressure On Yourself
The very first thing to do is to try not to feel overwhelmed and don’t put pressure on yourself to do everything yourself and be the perfect partner and parent. Whoever pretends to be, is lying. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from friends or family, even if it’s just asking a friend to watch the kids while you vacuum, or pop a couple of laundry cycles on. It’s amazing what you can get done with just an hour or two without having to supervise young children.
Room By Room Cleaning
It doesn’t take long for the house to get out of control, especially if you have young kids running around throwing toys on the floor and treading mud and food through the house. There are places you never thought a soggy biscuit could get! It can seem very overwhelming, so the best way to reduce anxiety and pressure is to break down your home room by room. Kids need to be protected from germs so keep on top of the kitchen and bathroom daily with a wipe down of surfaces and then hit each room when you can. One tip is to invest in some plastic lockable crates for toys, you can clean them away quickly and the lockable lids mean that toys stay in the box until designated play time.
Kids & Cleaning Products
Most people keep their cleaning products under the sink and unless you have child proof locks, you need to consider moving all cleaning products and chemicals to a higher cupboard away from small inquisitive hands. If you are short on time, look for quick and easy kitchen and bathroom wipes, which you can use on surfaces safely, quickly and then, put straight in the bin. You can also purchase wipes which attach to a mop head, so you don’t have a wet slippy floor to contend with when you have young children in the house.
Should You Hire a Cleaner?
A lot of parents think that hiring a cleaner is too expensive, but did you know that you can hire a cleaner for one off cleans, fortnightly or even monthly? Search for a cleaner who is reputable, or comes recommended by a friend or family member so you have peace of mind and get a good deal. You can arrange the cleaner to come whenever you like, and a good cleaner can cost less than you think. The time you save and the feeling you get when you walk into a clean home is certainly worth the money. More recently there are companies such as GetJarvis, who can also help you when things get a little out of control. You can request your own personal assistant to get your groceries, take your car for a service, walk the dog, clean the house, or all of the above! Staff are reliable, and you get to pick and choose when you need assistance and pay a fair price.
The tip is not to try to be Wonder woman or Super dad, there is no such thing, and you are doing amazing every day! Focus on your kids, maintain your home by concentrating on the bathroom and kitchen daily, then hit the other rooms each day, and don’t be afraid to ask for assistance!
