5 Tips for a Clean House With a New Baby
Keeping your house clean is hard enough, but add a newborn to the mix and it’s a wonder anything gets done! Bonnie Joy Dewkett, founder of The Joyful Organizer, helps clients create and implement organizational systems for the home and office, shares some tips for managing your chores with a baby on board. And Dewkett should know organizing: She’s the creator and host of a weekly radio show called The Joy of Organizing that draws hundreds of thousands of downloads. And in addition to her role as a successful businesswoman, author and media guru, Dewkett is a new mom. Who better to go to for advice?
1. Chip away at household chores
Don’t get overwhelmed by your list of chores. It really isn’t a huge, unmanageable project. Look on each chore as a puzzle piece that you complete as part of the bigger picture of household tidiness. Carve out small chunks of time to wash dishes, vacuum, fold laundry and more, then concentrate on that one task. Dewkett suggests, “Keep a running list of tasks that need to be done. If someone offers to help, show them the list.”
2. Maximize your movements
If you get up from the dining table to turn on the heat or change the TV channel, take an item from the table-such as the salt and pepper or a pitcher of tea-and put it away. Train your older kids to put their dishes in the sink before retreating to their rooms to play video games. By the end of the meal, your table will practically be ready for the next meal.
3. Baby carriers aren’t just for use outside the home
Make use of your baby carriers, whether they’re car safety seats, baby slings, baby backpacks or bouncy swings. If your baby is fretful or can’t sleep and you need to do chores, put the car seat on the kitchen table or put your baby in her baby backpack or sling so you can have her close while cleaning.
4. Get your baby accustomed to household noises
If you introduce regular sounds to your baby-such as the dishwasher, the clothes dryer and the vacuum-early on, chances are good that you’ll be able to pull off those chores while your baby naps. “Use nap time to tackle bigger projects. However, it’s important to get as much as you can done while baby is awake. Get them used to cleaning, and when the time comes, helping,” says Dewkett.
5. Ask for help
Superwoman syndrome still exists, but there’s no need to fall for it. Don’t feel ashamed to call on a family member or babysitter to help when you’re feeling frazzled. Cleaning goes much faster when you’re free of interruptions. If you’re on a budget and have older kids still at home, trade out a favorite home-cooked meal or car privileges in exchange for help around the house.
Shelley Moench-Kelly is a New England-based writer and editor whose freelance clients include Google, L’Oreal Paris and TheWeek.com. You can follow her on Facebook
