Cleaning and High Need Babies

As mothers, we want a safe and cleanly environment for our children. This is very important to us, and it seems even more important when we are all home inside all day and can see the dust collecting. The issue is, when you are sore, tired and attached to the baby, you don't feel like you can get these things done.

Naturally, you all probably did what I did....search the internet. Of course this was no help as everyone has the same suggestions - do it when the baby naps, put the baby in the swing, put the baby in a sling. I have to admit I tried it all, and none of it worked. Aria sleeps on me for naps, so that doesn't work. Plus, even now I nap when she does sometimes because she still wakes up every couple of hours to eat. She hates the swing for more than five minutes, so that idea was out. Lastly, the sling didn't work for me because she is right in the center of my body and my arms just couldn't reach around her. Perhaps it is because I am a whopping 5 feet tall, or maybe it's because I have a traditional baby carrier, not an actual sling, but either way, I couldn't do what I needed.

What worked for me was simply not doing anything during the day until Aria could play on the floor long enough for me to do anything. I would then do my tidying when my husband got home, or he would do some of it. That is how we started. I would bring her playmat in the room of the house I wanted to clean and put her on the floor with toys. I would do as much as I could while she was down there until she cried and screamed. As she has gotten older, I can do more. When she was around 4 months old, I put her in the jumperoo. Yep, I drag that crazy thing around the house. Keep in mind we are apartment dwellers, so no stairs were involved, be careful out there if you try this. Now, I just put her in the walker. This allows me 20 sometimes 30 minutes of time to get things done because she explores the rooms as I clean them. In fact, one of her favorite things to do is have her daddy hold her while I do dishes at night.

I do want to say, getting to where I am has taken a lot of time, patience and even some tears and near breakdowns. Getting to clean the house is only half successful now to be honest. Thirty minutes isn't a long time to clean, but it is a huge success from where I started. I suffered tremendous guilt from not being to do household duties since I was home with the baby. However, it took some time and strength to recognize that my husband understood. It wasn't like he didn't see how difficult the baby was to keep busy. I think I put more pressure on myself. So, hang in there and don't forget to leave questions or email me about ideas or your suggestions. I am not one of those success stories coming back to tell you what all worked for me. I am still going through this every day.