Keeping a Tidy House with Toddlers

If you have kids that are anything like mine, then you know how hard it can be to keep your house clean with toddlers who run through the house like a tornado!

I'm not a neat freak by any means. I think my husband is way more of a neat freak than I am, but I do like for things to look decent. Look, I'm out here with three kids and working from home full time. This mama does not have time to do deep cleans of the house every other day!

I’m currently in the rough trenches of toddlerhood with a four year old, three year old, and one year old, all of which are very active, so you can imagine how hard it is keeping the bedrooms, living room, bathrooms, and kitchen clean! These are some of the things I do to help keep things looking put together. 

STRAIGHTEN UP THE NIGHT BEFORE

I find that I feel more relaxed when my house is clean at night before bed. I hate going to bed with a sink full of dirty dishes, crumbs all over the floor, and the garbage piling up, so the kitchen is usually the first thing I tackle after dinner. Spend 10-15 minutes picking up around the house the night before so your mornings can run smoother— the last thing you want to worry about when dealing with toddlers is waking up and cleaning. More than likely, they'll be messing up as you're cleaning up! 

CLEAN AS YOU GO

I mentioned before, I don’t like doing deep cleans all at once. For one, it’s hard to do with kids running around and it also takes a really long time to spend time deep cleaning our space. I try to tackle things little by little when I can. Bathroom sink needs cleaning? Take a second and clean it while you’re already in there.

MAKE YOUR BED

I mentioned in my post on my morning habits that making my bed is one of the things I do daily. This is one of the first things I do when I get out of bed in the morning. It instantly makes your bedroom look clean and put together. I try to keep my bedroom straight since it's one of the rooms that I really have to myself. Every other room is consumed by the kids and their toys, so keeping this room straight as my own little oasis away from the kids and clutter is important. 

HAVE A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING

I don’t like the look of clutter, so I try to make sure that there is a place for everything. As my kids get older and accumulate more things, I'm always thinking of ways to declutter and reorganize our space just so spaces look put together. Also a big fan of throwing out things when needed. 

INCLUDE YOUR TODLER

They can’t help with everything, but do try to make them apart of what you’re doing. Doing laundry? Have them put clothes in a pile or help load the washing machine. Is their room a mess? Help them gather all the toys off the floor and clean. I've found that leaving them to clean their room by themselves is a hot mess of a situation every single time, so being in the room to guide them helps. 

DON'T STRESS 

At the end of the day, don't stress yourself if your house isn't spic and span clean everyday. Mirror grace over perfection. I don't beat myself up for the days where my house isn't clean, sink is overflowing with dishes, and the kids room is a mess. This house sees a lot of traffic with all these kids running around, so I try not to cause myself any unnecessary stress worrying if my house is clean every second of the day. 

How are you keeping your house together with toddlers?

tags:Featured,Lifestyle,Living,Motherhood