Being Organized With a Baby

by Mendi
(Louisville, KY)

I have an 11 month old who does not take regular naps. He does nap for an hour or so daily - just not in a routine or on a schedule. Usually I am trying to take a shower during this time. When he is awake he likes to be in the room where I am so he can see me.

My home used to be clean and somewhat neat. I have never been organized though. Now I struggle just to make the bed and mop the floors. Do you have a game plan or advice for mothers of babies/toddlers?

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Being Organized With a Baby

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Apr 16, 2009
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Being Organized With a Baby
by: Tracy

This is a great question and I am so glad you asked it because I think it is an issue for so many mothers of babies and toddlers.

The first thing that you have to understand is that you are sort-of playing by a different set of rules when you have a baby. It is only natural for your schedule to change and for your home and organization to suffer a little bit simply because you have something more important that requires your time and attention.

The best advice that I can give to new mothers when it comes to keeping their homes organized in the little bit of spare time that they have is.....Declutter, Declutter, Declutter!

The less stuff you have, the less stuff you have to put away.

You mentioned that you barely have time to mop the floors, so lets use that tasks as an example...

Imagine how much longer it would take you to mop the floor if you had to clear out a bunch of clutter before you could even get to the floor. You could easily add 10 minutes to the task. As you well know, when you have a baby you might only have 10 minutes to get something done.

When you are working with very short, unscheduled and random bursts of time you need to use that time as efficiently as possible. You need to be able to just grab the mop and go to it. That is why it becomes ultra-important to keep your home as free from clutter as possible.

In addition to making your life easier by decluttering your home, another thing you can do is to make sure that when you do have a bit of time you are getting the most bang for your buck. Make sure you are choosing to do the task that is the highest priority at the time. There are two ways to decide which task is the highest priority...

1. What is really overdue for being done? If it has been a month since you have mopped the floor because you just haven't had the time...go ahead and mop the floor.

2. What will really make you feel better? If you feel like you should mop the floor, but those dishes on the kitchen counter are driving you crazy...go ahead and spend your time dealing with the dishes. You will feel better when they are done and having that task completed will bring you more satisfaction than mopping the floor.

Finally, at 11 months old, now is the time to start teaching your son the value of cleaning up. Obviously he is still young enough that he will need some help but he will also absorb everything you say and do.

When he is finished playing with those blocks, work with him to put the blocks back in the container. Praise him for a good job and talk to him throughout the task telling him that when we are done with our toys we put them away. As your son grows older, he can become more and more responsible for putting away his own toys.

Click on the Organize Your Children link along the left side of the page for more information about how you can help your son become an organized child....which will make your job of keeping your home organized easier.

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Apr 16, 2009
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Submitted by: Tracy

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This is a great question and I am so glad you asked it because I think it is an issue for so many mothers of babies and toddlers. The first thing that you have to understand is that you are sort-of playing by a different set of rules when you have a baby. It is only natural for your schedule to change and for your home and organization to suffer a little bit simply because you have something more important that requires your time and attention. The best advice that I can give to new mothers when it comes to keeping their homes organized in the little bit of spare time that they have is.....Declutter, Declutter, Declutter! The less stuff you have, the less stuff you have to put away. You mentioned that you barely have time to mop the floors, so lets use that tasks as an example... Imagine how much longer it would take you to mop the floor if you had to clear out a bunch of clutter before you could even get to the floor. You could easily add 10 minutes to the task. As you well know, when you have a baby you might only have 10 minutes to get something done. When you are working with very short, unscheduled and random bursts of time you need to use that time as efficiently as possible. You need to be able to just grab the mop and go to it. That is why it becomes ultra-important to keep your home as free from clutter as possible. In addition to making your life easier by decluttering your home, another thing you can do is to make sure that when you do have a bit of time you are getting the most bang for your buck. Make sure you are choosing to do the task that is the highest priority at the time. There are two ways to decide which task is the highest priority... 1. What is really overdue for being done? If it has been a month since you have mopped the floor because you just haven't had the time...go ahead and mop the floor. 2. What will really make you feel better? If you feel like you should mop the floor, but those dishes on the kitchen counter are driving you crazy...go ahead and spend your time dealing with the dishes. You will feel better when they are done and having that task completed will bring you more satisfaction than mopping the floor. Finally, at 11 months old, now is the time to start teaching your son the value of cleaning up. Obviously he is still young enough that he will need some help but he will also absorb everything you say and do. When he is finished playing with those blocks, work with him to put the blocks back in the container. Praise him for a good job and talk to him throughout the task telling him that when we are done with our toys we put them away. As your son grows older, he can become more and more responsible for putting away his own toys. Click on the Organize Your Children link along the left side of the page for more information about how you can help your son become an organized child....which will make your job of keeping your home organized easier.

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