How To Keep a Clean House with Baby

(The "bath" on the side are the days I give Georgie a bath.)

I've just recently begun to feel like I can function like a normal person after having Georgie. He's four months now. People tell you that three months is when it all gets better, and it did get better. But at four months, I am able to keep a relatively clean house, make dinner each night, and do at least one load of laundry a day. This took some time and a little finagling to figure out. Here are some tips that have worked for me.

The Key: A Cleaning Schedule
I first came across the idea of a cleaning schedule from Sarah at Clover Lane. It has helped immensely with keeping my house clean. Instead of floundering about, wondering what I am going to do with my day (besides keeping a small human alive), I know! It's Thursday. I am going to clean the bathroom today. It gives each day a small purpose and I like that.

This works for me because I am very list oriented. I love crossing things off. So, I sat down and wrote out a schedule on a piece of notebook paper and I taped it to the side of my refrigerator. I know that I can at least accomplish one thing each day. It's not overwhelming this way. Remember, ONE thing each day. You can do it!

Monday: vacuum/mop
Tuesday: dust
Wednesday: kitchen
Thursday: bathroom
Friday: pay bills and grocery shop (Hmmm, I guess this is two things.)

Everyday: make dinner and do one load of laundry

This is not a deep clean, but it does keep my house clean enough that I'm not embarrassed when friends or family stop by. It also means that if Georgie is having a rough day and I don't get to something, it's okay. I'll get to it next week. It's probably not that dirty anyways because I just cleaned it last week. That's the beauty of the schedule.

How Do I Actually Find the Time to Clean?

I don't clean a lot while Georgie naps. It wakes him up in our small apartment. Unfortunately the kitchen is right next to the nursery, so I can't get much done in the way of cooking either. I'm able to clean while he's awake now that he is older. He enjoys watching me. I sing to him and talk about what I am doing.

He is also able to entertain himself nicely for a little bit in the various baby gadgets we have around the house. He spends a little time in all of them: the doorway jumper, the bouncy seat, the Bumpo, and the highchair while I cook or clean.

It wasn't always so. Up until recently he wanted me to hold him all the time. If you have a baby who wants to be held, baby wear! I use the Moby wrap and more recently the Ergo carrier to get things done. The Moby is perfect for little newborns, but as Georgie got heavier I switched to the Ergo.

Perfectionism with Baby

Unfortunately, you may have to learn to let go. It can be painful, but learn to feel confident in what you can get done. Know that you've done your best with the time you have allotted, then go play with your baby. I love having a clean house and in the past would turn down invitations to do something fun in order to clean. But, after having baby I've learned to lower my expectations a bit. There's mud on the rug in my peripheral vision as I type.

Try the schedule! It may help. You can do it!