a question for stay at home moms with more than one child?

Question

okay i am a sahm to three children 4 and under the youngest being two mos. I have been having at terrible keeping up with the house and spending quality time doing one on one activies with the older two.

i was wonder what some of your routines may be like how do you fit everything into your day without losing your sanity?

thanks in advance

Answer 1

Since your children don't go to school and you are all day with them you have to spend almost all the time with them.So,the problem about activities witht he older two.Go for a walk in the park - children love to be in the park and you can get all of them there.Take balls and other toys and let them play.You can also go with them somewhere else - to the zoo or to go shopping toys:)
If you are at home you don't have to "create" activities,just let the oldest "help" with the cooking or go all in the bathroom and have a bath.Let them help you in your work,making it a game.If you have to clean something with the vaccuum-cleaner let the children push it on the floor - it would be great fun for them.If you clean with a wet clout let them clean too(not the fragile things) - they will have fun.Make the work pleasurable and everything will go OK.

Answer 2

I too am a stay-at-home mom. Until a few months ago, I also had three kids at home (my oldest just started pre-k). Ages five, 3, and the littlest will be one at 4:19am.....yay!

Okay, with a 2-month-old, you should not be expected to do much yet. Husband (?) should still be helping a lot. I'm guessing that maybe, like me, you have no family nearby? If you do, they should be helping some too, at least for another month or two.

I can't keep mine all done either. I just do what matters most: baby is number one. Diapers, bottles, whatever she needs. Next comes caring for my 3yo (and before he started school, also for my 5yo). Next, dishes, next laundry. Keep a stock of foods that can be prepared quickly for the days when cooking is too far down the list to get done.

Here's what I did to make it close to manageable: make seperate lists based on what the kdis are doing.

For example, I made:
#1. Things I can do while holding Harmony (like starting a load of laundry)
#2. Things I can do if she's quiet and happy for one minute (like washing just a few dishes, or switching laundry to the dryer, or taking folded clothes to bedrooms)
#3. Things I can only do when she naps (for me this included preparing meals, cleaning counters since I didn't want her around the cleaners, and taking a shower)
#4. Things I can do only if baby is asleep AND other kids are occupied (mop)

Each list should include a few chores and a few things to do with your older kids. This way you don't waste that precious nap time doing something you could do with baby awake. Now, prioritize each list. Consider what things you can do at the same time. Consider what your older kids can 'help' with, because that's quality time too. I bet your 4yo would enjoy tossing pieces of laundry into the washer (my 3 and 5 both do!)

Last, don't be upset if it doesn't all get done. Tomorrow's another day, and hey, you're only human.

Answer 3

I have a just 3 year-old and an 8 month old. It is hard work to stay at home and it is exhausting. I am not going to tell you to ask for help or babysitting because if that were an option, you probably wouldn't feel so overwhelmed! Instead, try to have reasonable expectations for what you can accomplish. It is OK for the house to be untidy...it means children live there. It is OK for you to be in your jammies all day if no one is coming over. It is OK to just have pasta for dinner. This is a very difficult time in life, but it can be rewarding and gratifying if you don't try to be everything all at once. Try small, important goals like:
I will make sure my kids eat vegetables once a day.
I will take a shower at least every other day.
I will say "I love you" to every member of my house today.
Obviously, you should tailor this to your priorities. But the key is to be reasonable and plan things that really can be done...without help and without a superhero cape.
In terms of spending "quality time" with your kids, get on the floor and focus on what they want to do. Color, puzzles, pretend, finger games, BOOKS. Use the library as a free resource for tons of great ideas. And remind yourself daily that back in the proverbial day people didn't really even talk to their children and yet the world is a smarter place:) Your kids (and your spouse for that matter) just need you to love them and love yourself. The best way to do that is live in the moment, change what you can, and cut yourself some slack.

Answer 4

Dusting and cleaning can wait for tomorrow
For babies grow up, we've learned to our sorrow
So quiet down, cobwebs, dust go to sleep
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

I was/am a SAHM with three kids. HOWEVER, mine are now 20, 18 (graduating in two months) and 15.

Don't EVEN care about what others think. Do what you can and don't worry about the rest.

Make a game of things that need to be done, and even find little things that your kids can do to help you out. It won't be perfect at first, but gradually, your children will catch on and know that the faster the chores get done, the faster the good times can roll! And when I say a while, that could be a year or two or more. But, spend as much time with them, cause before you know it, they'll be gone.

Answer 5

Well I try to always get them to nap at the same time or at least make them rest in their room with an educational movie or something while i pick up the house. Also when they ae eating lunch and stuff i clean the kitchen and do some laundry. As far as spending time with them. If they take naps at seperate times that is when i give them the one on one attention. Sometimes i block them in the back part of the house with the bedrooms so they can play and i do house work too. But house work always comes last because u must remember.....the mess will be their tomarrow but your kids may not be. one day they will be grown up but they will always remember mommie spending time with them not weither or not they had a clean house. I usually only do the bare minimum around the house till weekends when my hubby is home. Like dishes and trash picked up. That way my house isnt filthy but it does have toys strung all out. but that is a part of being a mom.
Here is a place where u can talk to other SAHM and other moms, they are always there for me and have great advice. http://z8.invisionfree.com/Just_Friends/index.php?

Answer 6

Get your hubby to help you with the household chores on the weekends or if you can afford it, hire a service to clean every other week at least so that all you have to do is maintenance. You have to be very organized to keep your sanity. Keep a good grocery list and hand off that task to your hubby too if you can.

Plan everything the night before including setting out the kids clothes and even your own, cut up and pre-bag veggies and fruits for snack times. Get out of the house to do activities for the older ones early in the morning. When you get home around mid-morning for baby's nap give the older's a snack and have quiet activities like books, art projects, lacing cards/beads etc... or set them up with a movie while you pick up a bit. Try to get their lunch done and out of the way before baby wakes up. They should be going down for naps after lunch when baby is waking up so that you have more 1 on 1 time with each.

If you can hire a mother's helper like a high school student for a couple of hours during the busiest times of the day (late afternoon while you're prepping dinner and the kids are all up from naps), go for it! Most mother's helpers are around $7-10/hour and you could just use them for 2 hours.

Answer 7

I decided to sah when we had our second last year. I am with you, it is TOUGH! Go easy on yourself - your littlest is only 2 mos, and that comes first. My almost 3 yo had to learn that he had to "help" Mommy as my arms were usually full of a baby.

They nap at different times, so it gives me a little one on one time with each. I try to do one piece of housework a day; some weeks that works, this week it is not working, as everyone is sick. Dishes after dinner while dad watches the kids.

One thing I would recommend - find the nearest Mom's Club to you. (they have a website) It's for sahm and there are always 3 or 4 activities that are free or very nearly free and it gets your kids out of the house and allows them to socialize, and gives you a little time with other adults. (helps with you sanity)I have found them to be really great, and I enjoy both the other moms and their kids. Plus, they are tired when we get home and I sometimes get them to nap at the same time which is like gold to me!

Good luck, and most of all, enjoy those kids!

Answer 8

I am a mom to a 5, 3 1/2, and 2 year old. Please believe me when I say that it will get easier. Use nap time to do something special with each child (you may want to stagger naps with the older 2 so you can spend some quality time with each one. The house cleaning, and all the other stuff, do what you can when you can. Let the older 2 help...they will enjoy getting to be big kids. Love every minute you can with them, because they will grow up so fast.

Answer 9

First, I have a two-yr-old girl. My mom asks me "how do you get anything done?" My response: I don't!

As far as the housework goes, I do dishes every morning. (No dishwasher...but it hasn't killed me.) I pick one day a week to do laundry. I pick one day a week to wash the bathroom. Upstairs gets done one day and downstairs...well, the living room constantly looks like a tornado blew through. So does my bedroom...

But...

Life is so short. Childhood is so short. And I'm the kind of mom who would rather snuggle my kids and play with them than keep the house immaculate. I am reminded of a poem that my friend's mom had on her fridge...

When I die, the Lord will say
Did you clean your house today.
I will reply I did not.
I played with my children and forgot.

I get them involved in picking up, and as they are getting older, they do more. And they are good helpers too! (I bribe with a little treat!) Don't worry. It is more important that they know you love them.

And who says a SAHM mom doesn't lose her sanity?Mercy! That's why we have massage therapists! :)

Good luck!

Answer 10

I have a 7 yr old, 6 yr old and 2 yr old. Relax sweetie it will get easier. Wait until the kids are asleep to do house work. try spending time with them one on one when the other two are busy or napping. It's not going to damage them if they don't get mommy alone time everyday. Take some time for yourself too. Get someone to watch the kids and go out or just sleep. Take care