Help in House Cleaning with a 3 Yr Old Daughter.

The swiffer is a good idea. What my wife & I do with our 3 & 6 yr old girls is let them help carry & put away groceries, help move clothes from the washer & dryer (both front loading). When cleaning, let her wipe areas she can reach, with a dry cloth or swiffer duster. Help move things from shelves (hand her stuff to carry to another room, then help move things back. If she likes to watch you cook, you can let her help "add ingredients", or stir cake mixes, pancake batter, etc.

Hi B.,
I use all green cleaners the homeology line(www.mygccandle.com/5boys) so I don't have to worry about the chemicals(and they smell awesome so the boys love them and of course the spray bottles)...but there are so many ways to enjoy cleaning together...every child should have their own swiffer duster :) they just love them...and all those gadgets for cleaning the toliet and my kids wear their own kitchen gloves too!! they can also sort socks, and my 2 year old likes to put a new trash bag in the can when I take out the garbage(the whole shaking the bag out...he gets a kick out of that)I also use the swiffer sweeper on my hardwoods and the boys can handle that pretty well...I fold all the laundry and place it in their rooms but they all have to put it away in the drawers(of course with my 2 yr old i could forgo the folding)and they love to "make"their beds....how many stuffed animals can you fit on a bed??? anyway my best advice is, it"s not going to look like you did it...but that's okay!! don't go redo it because it devalues their effort, just help if you need it done a certain way...and setting and clearing the table everyone can help with that!!! goodluck and have fun!!!

I agree the swiffer is a big hit! The swiffer dust mop is also great, but NOT the wet jet - the solution will be gone in minutes! My 3 year old likes to wash the windows. He uses baby wipes which do an awful job but it is not any worse than all the fingerprints. Sometimes I let him vacuum with the wand attachment, but only when there are not any socks around.

With my first I did not give her enough chores. By the time my third was born, he was dusting baseboards with socks on his hands at 2 years old (and loving it). At 11, 10 and 5 years old, all are now old enough to know that as part of a family "team" we all have to pitch in. When they were little I used to say, "Pick up all the green toys" or "pick up 10 books" or "You pick up the clothes and Mommy will pick up the books." I tried to make it seem fun, and that the work was shared between us. They also liked it when I timed them, "Who can pick up their room in under 22 seconds?" Limit the cleaning to 10-20 minutes after dinner, or 0 minutes before each meal. I am more disciplined now, so my children are, too.
Good luck.

My hubby is doing the same thing. Im blessed to be able and stay home. You could try and get a play vacuum and mop etc and have her do hers while you do yours. This will help her feel useful and you can make it fun like someone said, put some dance music on etc. Also when doing laundry, have her help sort and you can make a game of finding socks that match, maybe make up a fun laundry song. A 3 yr old can help set the table also. Give her placemats and spoons and forks to set on the table, maybe let her pick each might where she wants everyone to sit. Helping teaches them so much and give them a sense of accomplishment which is so valuable. In the beginning you will wonder "Is this helping me at all" but let me tell you in a bit it will get easier and chores will just be a part of what the kids do each day. I have a boy 15month old and twin 11yr olds(1 girl & 1 boy). Hope this helps.

My daughter (2) LOVES to run a Swiffer around the house, or wipe the windows with a dust rag!

I have a 3 yr old too. It helps if you sing a song like the "clean up" song by dora the explorer. They also like to help cook. Another thing my daughter and I do it the race game when we see how fast we can clean her room (this works best when your tired and her room is in a mess and you just want to get it done and over with.lol) Let me know how this works!

Well we have always involved my sons in housecleaning, now 4 and 2. I let them sit on the counter, stand on a stool and they honestly help with everything.... You have to be patient and have time to allow, but in the end you will be giving such good habits and responsibility! They *love* washing dishes, I usually let them rinse with the hose. The love sweeping, the pretend brooms are really worthless and were scratchy on my floors so my husband cut off a real broom for them. We also have a vaccum that we fixed so it can adjust to their size, like when I mop, sometimes I spray the floor, Enrique loves to spray and to spray the vinegar solution on the mirrors and sink. Really just begin involving her, like hey you are a big girl now, now you get your own broom and you can help me! The baby has a few *jobs* like turning on the kitchen light. Anyway just make it fun, don't overwhelm, praise for helping, and be patient!

1. You've got to make it look like you enjoy cleaning the house.
2. Do it to music.
3. Have a race against the clock/timer.
4. Enlist "Barney"...He has a clean up song.