We all know that life changes when you have a child. You go into the experience, expecting your world to be different, but no-one explains to you quite HOW different it will be – much of which is caused by a sudden lack of time in your daily life.
A lazy Sunday morning with the papers and a lie-in is now rushing to find some activity to take the kids to so they don’t tear the house apart. Your hobbies have fallen by the wayside and suddenly errands are taking a bit longer for that extra, valuable 5 minutes of peace.
Even if you’ve been doing your best to be tidy – having that little bundle of joy not only means additional work, but that the routine you were previously doing takes longer, or is scraped back to the bare minimum so you at least have some clean dishes.
Keeping on top of things means making the most of your time, which can be helped with the addition of a routine. Adding structure to the day doesn’t always work *quite* as planned, but it’s a useful start to keep some kind of order and help in getting things done.
As a company borne out of a desire to help make everyday life easier, we’re here to help! Or at least offer some advice… We asked some Bundanteer parents 3 questions about how they dealt with maintaining order once their first child arrived.
What was the first household task you fell behind on once you had a child? (Eg Washing, ironing, doing the bins)
What survival tactics did you take on to try and overcome household tasks alongside raising a child?
What tip would you offer to future parents or parents with newborns when it comes to household tasks?
What was the first household task you fell behind on once you had a child?
Cleaning the floor. They get pieces of food everywhere once they are eating solids!
What survival tactics did you take on to try and overcome household tasks alongside raising a child?
Hiring a cleaner. I previously had one but felt that I spent too much time preparing the house for the cleaner to clean so we took a break. But now that I’m back at work, I’ve had to admit that we need the help so we hired a mum and daughter cleaning team every fortnight. We still have to tidy before they come but it’s worth it having a perfectly clean home (at least until my kids get back home)
What tip would you offer to future parents or parents with newborns when it comes to household tasks?
Everyone tells you to sleep when the baby sleeps – ignore them. Do whatever you like. I did chores while the baby was awake so I could put my feet up when they were napping but this may not work for everybody, you need to remember that. But my biggest tip is that if you can afford to get a cleaner, do it! Let them do the heavy duty cleaning so you can just keep on top of the tidying.
What was the first household task you fell behind on once you had a child?
Washing, actually. Everytime we went to do some, it was spilling over the edge of the basket. The sheets were neglected, too. We were just so focused on feeding him and dealing with his every whim (and trying to work out what that was), and had been given / sourced so many onesies for him that we forgot about us! We just kept putting him in new ones.
What survival tactics did you take on to try and overcome household tasks alongside raising a child?
We cleaned when he slept. Well, one of us would. We took it in turns – one of us would sleep and the other would do a bit of a tidy up. You don’t realise how important it is having a clean and tidy house until you don’t have it. It helped with our mental wellbeing too, being able to start to keep on top of the usual tasks.
What tip would you offer to future parents or parents with newborns when it comes to household tasks?
Taking the cooking out of the equation is an excellent way of managing in the first few weeks. Get takeaway, prep meals for the freezer before the baby arrives or even ask friends to drop things round – we were SO grateful to a couple of friends who delivered a shepherds pie unannounced. It will mean you have energy to even consider doing anything else.
What was the first household task you fell behind on once you had a child?
Clothes washing/putting away. We have a basket for our 3 year old, one for the baby, and one for us. By the time one load is dry the next is ready to hang out, and usually have 2 full baskets of clean dry clothes to put away. It’s never ending! We don’t bother ironing anything!
What tip would you offer to future parents or parents with newborns when it comes to household tasks?
Don’t feel pressured to have a clean and tidy house. It’s OK to have your home look like children live there! If you have a friend or family member offer to help with something, SAY YES! Even if it’s just to push the hoover around.
What survival tactics did you take on to try and overcome household tasks alongside raising a child?
Turn-taking with my husband. “If you take the kids now, I’ll quickly try and do a basket of clothes”. If it’s just me at home, I use a baby carrier/sling so I can still get some bits and pieces done around the house. Otherwise – I forgo all the chores until my husband is home and we can turn-take again. Occasionally we’ll leave the chores to a designated day, like purposefully not make plans for a Sunday and the whole day is taken up from looking after/entertaining the kids and catching up on housework.
Parenting isn’t easy – especially in the early days and weeks. Getting some help is the most effective way of dealing with those early days of parenthood – whether it’s friends, family or your Bundantband ensuring that you don’t run out of the essentials.
Parenting Diaries: “It’s OK if your home looks like kids live there”
We all know that life changes when you have a child. You go into the experience, expecting your world to be different, but no-one explains to you quite HOW different it will be – much of which is caused by a sudden lack of time in your daily life.
A lazy Sunday morning with the papers and a lie-in is now rushing to find some activity to take the kids to so they don’t tear the house apart. Your hobbies have fallen by the wayside and suddenly errands are taking a bit longer for that extra, valuable 5 minutes of peace.
Read: Our Top 6 Green Cleaning Products
How do you clean when you have kids?
Even if you’ve been doing your best to be tidy – having that little bundle of joy not only means additional work, but that the routine you were previously doing takes longer, or is scraped back to the bare minimum so you at least have some clean dishes.
Keeping on top of things means making the most of your time, which can be helped with the addition of a routine. Adding structure to the day doesn’t always work *quite* as planned, but it’s a useful start to keep some kind of order and help in getting things done.
As a company borne out of a desire to help make everyday life easier, we’re here to help! Or at least offer some advice… We asked some Bundanteer parents 3 questions about how they dealt with maintaining order once their first child arrived.
Read: Real Talk: How we try to improve our daily routines
Meet our Bundanteer Parents
Ike, Greater London
What was the first household task you fell behind on once you had a child?
Cleaning the floor. They get pieces of food everywhere once they are eating solids!
What survival tactics did you take on to try and overcome household tasks alongside raising a child?
Hiring a cleaner. I previously had one but felt that I spent too much time preparing the house for the cleaner to clean so we took a break. But now that I’m back at work, I’ve had to admit that we need the help so we hired a mum and daughter cleaning team every fortnight. We still have to tidy before they come but it’s worth it having a perfectly clean home (at least until my kids get back home)
What tip would you offer to future parents or parents with newborns when it comes to household tasks?
Everyone tells you to sleep when the baby sleeps – ignore them. Do whatever you like. I did chores while the baby was awake so I could put my feet up when they were napping but this may not work for everybody, you need to remember that. But my biggest tip is that if you can afford to get a cleaner, do it! Let them do the heavy duty cleaning so you can just keep on top of the tidying.
Read: Our Favourite Storage Containers
Robin, Lincolnshire
What was the first household task you fell behind on once you had a child?
Washing, actually. Everytime we went to do some, it was spilling over the edge of the basket. The sheets were neglected, too. We were just so focused on feeding him and dealing with his every whim (and trying to work out what that was), and had been given / sourced so many onesies for him that we forgot about us! We just kept putting him in new ones.
What survival tactics did you take on to try and overcome household tasks alongside raising a child?
We cleaned when he slept. Well, one of us would. We took it in turns – one of us would sleep and the other would do a bit of a tidy up. You don’t realise how important it is having a clean and tidy house until you don’t have it. It helped with our mental wellbeing too, being able to start to keep on top of the usual tasks.
What tip would you offer to future parents or parents with newborns when it comes to household tasks?
Taking the cooking out of the equation is an excellent way of managing in the first few weeks. Get takeaway, prep meals for the freezer before the baby arrives or even ask friends to drop things round – we were SO grateful to a couple of friends who delivered a shepherds pie unannounced. It will mean you have energy to even consider doing anything else.
Read: How to Show your Partner you’re Tidy
Becky, Dorset
What was the first household task you fell behind on once you had a child?
Clothes washing/putting away. We have a basket for our 3 year old, one for the baby, and one for us. By the time one load is dry the next is ready to hang out, and usually have 2 full baskets of clean dry clothes to put away. It’s never ending! We don’t bother ironing anything!
What tip would you offer to future parents or parents with newborns when it comes to household tasks?
Don’t feel pressured to have a clean and tidy house. It’s OK to have your home look like children live there! If you have a friend or family member offer to help with something, SAY YES! Even if it’s just to push the hoover around.
What survival tactics did you take on to try and overcome household tasks alongside raising a child?
Turn-taking with my husband. “If you take the kids now, I’ll quickly try and do a basket of clothes”. If it’s just me at home, I use a baby carrier/sling so I can still get some bits and pieces done around the house. Otherwise – I forgo all the chores until my husband is home and we can turn-take again. Occasionally we’ll leave the chores to a designated day, like purposefully not make plans for a Sunday and the whole day is taken up from looking after/entertaining the kids and catching up on housework.
Read: How can Zero Waste Be Practised in Daily Life?
Parenting isn’t easy – especially in the early days and weeks. Getting some help is the most effective way of dealing with those early days of parenthood – whether it’s friends, family or your Bundantband ensuring that you don’t run out of the essentials.
Keep going, you’ve got this!