Little Tyke

How do I do housework with a toddler?

Many people ask me how I manage to keep sane with the housework whilst having 2 toddlers running around:

My main advice is to keep you expectations low. People with small children are not SUPPOSED to have immaculate house. If the kid(s) get fed, clothes are clean (but not necessarily folded and/or put away), there are clean dishes to be found when you need them, and there are no hazards floating around in the form of overflowing trash cans or just random trash on the floor, you are doing pretty good.

Now how do you get to THAT point even? For me, the key has always been involving the kid(s). I have a play kitchen set in the real kitchen so my little ones can “make” things for dinner too. I go as far as let them play with salt and pepper shakers and small amounts of water so they have things to mix in their little pans so they feel like they are really doing things. My 3yo takes care of the clean silverware. I prerinse/wash the dishes while the kids are playing in either the living room or in their mini-kitchen (or occasionally napping) and very quickly stick them in the dishwasher when they wander into another room for a minute. I have them help bring me dirty clothes to put in the washing machine and, rather than putting clothes in the dryer myself, I hand them to the kids and they throw them in the dryer for me. For a while, I had a small plastic basket my son could use as his laundry basket, but it broke. (I may see if I can find something on clearance after Easter this year to replace it) When the clothes are dry, I have them help carry the clean clothes to the bedroom where the clean clothes laundry basket is. Now that ds is getting older (he’s three), I have him help me fold laundry by playing the “sock matching game”. I just throw all the socks in one area and he looks for matches. He gets super excited when he finds a pair, and I rarely have to fold socks anymore!!! When it is time to take out the trash, I have the kids carry small trash bags out with me. Plastic grocery sacks that have been used as small trash can liners are perfect child size trash bags. I keep bins (with snap on lids to help prevent frequent dumping) for different kinds of toys (dinosaurs, little cars, Little People, blocks, etc) right in the living room where they play, so pick-up time is easy…I can just line up the bins and quickly toss the toys into the appropriate containers (with or without help from small people). When it comes time to vacuum, I let the children take turns with me. I’ll take a turn for a bit to actually get something done, then I hand it off to the next person that wants it to play with while I tidy up a bit more.

Alternatively, an older child can be recruited/hired to watch a little one for a couple hours a week or something to help you catch up on your housework.