How do you do housework with a 4 year old?

[poopoo]

Hi All Moms,

I am a SAHM with a 4 year old daughter who will NOT let me get out of her site or who will NOT stay out of my way while I try to clean. My question is "does anyone have any suggestions or even a housecleaning list I could check out" that may give me ideas on how to clean to my house with a 4 year old"? Our house is small and I have tried to do things while she is napping or after she goes to bed BUT she can hear everything that goes on, and of course, I don't want to wake her up. I used to be good at keeping my house clean. I used take one day a week and clean from top to bottom, but that was before we had our daughter. I am tired of seeing my house look like this. If I could afford it I would hire someone to come clean it for me once a week, at least that way I know it would be clean. Don't get me wrong, my house is not filthy, it just needs a good weekly cleaning. Is it easier to try to clean all in one day, or break it up throughout the week? We do not have anyone who could watch our daughter in order for me to really get my house clean.
Thank You all for your help.

[rstump]

I break it all up. Now I don't have one but 4 kids. They still get in the way a lot. :)

I do a little at a time. 5 to 15 minutes.

Involve her in it. Let her help. Give her a similar chore. It may take a little longer to do your chore but atleast it gets done and she can help! So you are teaching and training in the process.

[Sarai]

I have a 4yr old DS, so I understand the challenge you're facing. ;) How about having her "help"? Give her a clean squirt bottle with just a bit of plain water in it and a rag, and let her "wash" the bathtub while you clean the toilet, for example. My DS loves to help "swiffer" the floor, and I just go back after him and get the spots he missed. I also bought him a child-sized broom and dustpan so he can help sweep. I even let him take a few swipes with the vacuum before I finish up (I usually make it a game- "quick, jump up on the couch before the vacuum tickles your toes!" :yes ).

Yes, it takes longer than if you did it all by yourself. You will not get it all done in one day. :no I've found I've had to lower my standards a bit. But it gets done, and he gets to help in the process and hopefully is developing a healthy attitude towards cleaning.

[2sunshines]

My 4 year old loves to help. She can fold some of the laundry. She can put away her own clothes. She can dust. She can vacuum. There's actually a lot that she can do. Having her help makes it so much easier to get stuff done.

[cheri]

I agree with everyone to have her help. My 2 year old likes to "help" while I clean. I have her help me load the washing machine, she has a kid sized broom that she uses to sweep the floor, she holds the dustpan for me, and will wipe the table with a wet rag. It does take a lot longer, but at least something is getting done vs. just leaving it a mess. I would think a 4 year old could do a lot more than my 2 year old, so she should definitely be able to help you.

[joyful mama]

I break it all up. Now I don't have one but 4 kids. They still get in the way a lot. :)

I do a little at a time. 5 to 15 minutes.

Involve her in it. Let her help. Give her a similar chore. It may take a little longer to do your chore but atleast it gets done and she can help! So you are teaching and training in the process.
:yes my dd loves to help, and is getting quite good at tidying, helping fold laundry, change it over, sort silverware, etc. I give her a little spray bottle of water or natural cleaner, a rag and let her 'clean' whatever she likes, that helps.

[Tuesdayschild]

If your house is small, one room a day should mean each room gets done at least once a week. Detail work like de-cluttering, washing windows whatever can be allocated to a whole week (or month) and spread wherever there happens to be time. e.g. she has a nap, you de-clutter one drawer... and then put your feet up!

I agree involving her as much as possible is good; but she can also be made to 'wait her turn' (I'm assuming she gets lots of attention form you at other times). Mommy is going to vacuum the floor of the kitchen, and then I will make a puzzle with you is a perfectly reasonable request.

[crunchymum]

i echo trying to get her involved... :yes it takes a bit more patience, but it's worth it. my ds was 4 when i started having he and his sister fold and put away their own clothes, and now they do it *almost* without complaining. :lol are the clothes folded perfect? no... but the job gets done.

you could try giving her her own spray bottle (with water or non toxic cleaner like shaklee) and have her work beside you, like jen suggested. my kids love that. honestly, at that age i think they still think of it at "play", so take advantage of it!

a website that really helped me change my perspective on kids and chores was the lazy organizer... here's her blog, http://www.laragallagher.com/blog/index.html and here's the link to some articles she wrote: http://www.gnmparents.com/teach-your-kids-to-work-part-i/.


hth!

[ArmsOfLove]

There are some really good books like "Teach Me To Do It Myself" and "Play and Work the Montessori Way" that help you to break down complicated tasks into easy pieces. At 4 she can be doing a lot herself :yes

[NayneeNoo]

Hope's not 4 yet ;) BUT aside from letting her help me, I put to good use a timer. I will set it for 10 minutes (or 15, or 20 or however many I feel I can do) and play with Hope, then when the timer goes off, I get up, reset the timer (usually for a little longer than the time I played with her by 5 minutes or so) and get some housework done. She knows when the timer goes off again that I will stop what I'm doing and play with her. So on and so forth. If she doesn't want to help me, she's fine playing by herself because she knows once the timer goes off, my attention is 100% on her. Does it take longer to get the housework done this way? YES, but I'm getting more housework done than I used to. :-) The timer is my best friend. Seriously.