Any moms out there with 4 kids under six whose homes are clean?

Question

I have 4 little ones, 5, 4, 2, and 5 months. I cannot keep the house clean. Just cooking, cleaning up after meals, laundry and general tidy-ups keeps my days packed. I also nurse the baby, do a craft and read to them each day. We go out 3 days a week for 1/4 a day to do activities around town. Kids go to bed at 8:00, but then the baby wants attention and he will finally sleep between 10 and 11. By then, I am exhausted. I do not get up before the kids at 7am.

Question: How do you do it?????? Do you have cleaning schedules? Mopping, vaccuming and dusting do not get done in this house.

Answer 1

Hey there.  I have 3 and 1 yr old kid.  At this age, I always refer to my fav book by Gina Ford.  You should hv that book.  It help me alot. From morning till nite.  My children sleeps at 7 til the next morning.  It really help you with your 5 months and 2 yr child.  You can check on the website that I've attached.

At day time, they both wakes up at 7 am then the 1 yr old girl will sleep again at 9am.  So, by that time, it gives me space to clean the dishes, do my laundry and even vacuum.  I always bring along my 3 yrs boy to help me out.  It turns out he knows my routine and become more handy person.

All the best to you.

Answer 2

My house is very clean.

schedule has alot to do with it also.

Cleaning Schedule:

Clean up breakfast @ 8.00 (everyday)

Mop Kitchen @ 8.30 (mondays & fridays)

Clean up lunch @ 11.00

Vacum House @ 12.00 (mondays, wensdays, fridays)

Vacum & Wipe Down Play Room @ 3.30 (thursdays)

Tips:

Tell the kids to play in the playroom while you are cleaning (obviously keep the baby with you)

Hire a babysitter, my sister watches the kids for 2 bucks an hour.

oh and you know this you have to work around your babys schedule, the baby depends on you so...

Answer 3

The only way I can do it is with a cleaning lady.  And I only have 2 kids!  She comes every 2 weeks for $60 and does the whole house.  I can't even do spot-cleaning in between.  You can only do so much.

Answer 4

my sister-in-law had a great system. she had one main thing to do a day along with the normal stuff. on monday she cleaned the bathroom, on tuesday she would mop the kitchen floor, and so on. she had a set thing to do each day, and that way the mopping didn't get neglected and everything stayed clean. i thought that was a pretty good idea. maybe that'll be easier for you than trying to keep it all clean all the time. i mean you have four kids, your house isn't going to be, and doesn't need to be spotless. i had a neighbor who would say, do i want to spend an hour cleaning or an hour with my kids?  

Answer 5

I have one 23 month old and 2 playfull furry babies. My house is never too tidy.

Answer 6

It takes scheduling. I only have 1 child, but my "other" mother raised 4 children by herself and worked full time, kept a clean house and she has CP and spent most of her childhood in hospitals. She's my hero and I love her to death. She is 46 now, and because of her health she is almost crippled with the CP and arthritis. And her house was always clean. You need to write down a schedule. You don't have to windex every day, just about once every two weeks. Teach your children to help by picking up after themselves and their siblings. Miss Helen was raised so that she was doing dishes, by herself, at the age of 4. And if she didn't do the dirty dishes properly, she had to start over and wash every dish in the cupboards. I think that's a little extreme, but it proves that toddlers can be a real help around the house. But organize your chores into different categories: Daily, weekly, biweekly, etc. You shouldn't have to mop and sweep everyday, buy a swifter wetjet or something similar for the hard floors, and a non electric vaccuum that brushes dirt into a holding pan(can't think of what they're called) and let your 5 year old help you with that. Don't let your kids eat anywhere but at the table, this greatly reduces mess. I use the flushable scrubbing bubbles in my bathroom, they cut cleaning time way down. We also don't have dressers, so everything but underwear gets hung on hangers, which takes me about 5 mins to do and put away, lol. Good luck!  

Answer 7

I have 5 kids 9 and under.......and yes my house always stays spick and span! The trick is to get up an hr earlier than the  which you said you already do, but during that time, don't bother w/ house work fix yourself up......you know get you face, hair, and clothes in order so you feel like you look nice......for me looking nice gives me a bit of a boost, more energy. Then you need to have a consistant routiine.....and a daily check off list of things that need to be done on a every day basis, like wash clothes, you can sit and fold them on the floor while the kids play....was dishes, clean counter tops, sweep and mo, vacum.....ect. Try to geyt those things done, let the kids pitch in......the I take one day a week and I do my major cleaning, like bleaching bath rooms, dustings, windexing, ect. ect. ect.  I know your kids are small but teach them to clean their own messes....it's not that hard and they really should and could do it.....my 4 yr old even places his own clothes on his hangers and is able to put away his own laundry....he also changes out the trash can in the bath rooms and laundry rooms (they are the small cans) Age appropriate chores are a must!!!! Just hang in there, life isn't abouyt having a clean houes all the time, enjoy your kids and do it when you can!

Answer 8

I only have 1 (16 month old) and I can't do it.  I work and don't get home until after 5:30 p.m.  Then I try to get supper ready and feed her.  By then it's time for a bath, spend a little bit of time together than off to bed.

Answer 9

I don't have little kids but I have older ones.but here a good schedule that allows a lot of cleaing time for you

Wake up= 6:15

6:30 am= wake baby up to be fed and changed

7:00:Put baby in crib for a nap

7:10=wake kids up and turn on tv

7:30= Make breakfeast( have kids watching an educatinal tv show)

7:50=breakfast time( while kids eat you clean)

8:30=kids get dressed(while you help two year old and mabey four year old get dressed

8:45=set kids up doing an activty(coloring,playing a game,)

9:00 you clean up the kitchen

9:20=get baby up(feed,changed,dress)

9:30=play with baby

9:45 get ready to do activty around town

10:00=leave the house

12:00=return home and make lunch

12:30=change baby and feed and put down for nap(other kids eat lunch)

1:00=Put 2 year old down for a nap(quiet time for 4 year old and 5 year old.

1:15=Clean house

3:00=wake up all kids form nap and quiet time

3:15=Snack time

3:45=change baby and play with baby

4:00=Play time outdoors

4:45=start to make dinner while kids play inside

5:30 dinner time

6:00=clean up the kitchen while kids color or watch tv and feed baby

6:30=Bath time

7:00=Get kids ready for beds

7:30=bedtime rutine

8:00=Play with baby

9:00=put baby to bed

10:00=YOU GO TO BED

i HOPE THIS SCHEDULE WORK SO YOU HAVE MORE TIME TO CLEAN

Answer 10

Define clean :)

My friend has 3 under the age of 4 and her house is clean, aside from the kids playroom. The toys can only be played with in the playroom and that helps to keep some of the clutter confined to one room. She is able to clean the rest of the house, she just fits it in whenever she can and she doesn't stress over it. If she misses a day of vacuming oh well!

Answer 11

i have a 5,4 and two 13 month olds its almost impossile to keep my house clean. i do m cleaning in mornings after everyone is fed and playing. i do laundry everyday i fold it on mondays thursdays and saturdays. i try to keep playroom clean ut dont get to it everyday. just make out a schedule. dont worry it will all work out.  

Answer 12

I have 8, 7, 5, 3, 2, and 1 and there are just not enough hours in the day.  I adopted them through foster care and when the case worker would come over, I would always be apologizing profusely.  She told me that if my house was perfect, she would feel funny about it with that many little ones.

So no worries!  Do your best and have the kids chip in!

Good luck!