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You can’t get anything done with a baby.
This is what everyone always says! It is so hard to keep up. My hands are so full!
I am not trying to downplay the work that goes into taking care of children. It’s hard. It’s hard to get stuff done. I realize that. However, stuff has to get done.
Having a baby does not allow you to stop eating, wearing clean clothes, or keeping a clean home. Some of these areas may lack for a while after birth. There is an adjustment period. But in the long run, you want to succeed in keeping up with life even with a baby at home.
If you are a new mom, freshly postpartum give yourself a break. At this point your priorities are caring for your baby, your postpartum necessities, establishing breastfeeding (if that is one of your goals), and eating and sleeping. The house is not your top priority! And that’s ok!
But at some point, you will get through the initial stage and want to find balance in your life. You will need to get back to keeping up with household tasks and chores. For some moms, this could be two weeks postpartum and for others, it could be three months postpartum. You do you.
Once you feel like you have caring for yourself and your baby under control it’s time to move on to the house.
You can’t get anything done with a baby.
I was a believer.
I believed I couldn’t get anything done while my baby was awake. Nap time was my chance to use the restroom, grab a snack, or even just a drink. The house was neglected. When it was touched at all it was during nap time…therefore vacuuming or anything noisy never happened.
Nap time always seems too short. Right when you sit down to eat they wake up. Or maybe you finally got the laundry folded and hear the cry of your baby… duty calls. The time goes too fast. It always does.
One day it finally clicked…I am wasting nap time.
I am wasting this magical time doing mundane chores!
This was my reality check.
My mindset shifted, I need to do chores when my baby is awake!
Wake Times
Productivity
I challenge you to be more productive while your baby is awake.
Get every little thing done that you can. You may only have time to wash one bottle or transfer half a load of laundry at a time. That’s ok! The more you get done while they are awake the more time you will have available while they are napping.
You may think to yourself it’s easier to just wait to complete the task while they are sleeping. Yes, it is always easier to get things done while they are asleep and it always takes less time. But nap time is golden. You have to respect it.
As your baby ages, you will find different things you can get done with them during their awake times. You will learn how to be more productive. But you must push yourself.
Take lunch for example.
Let’s talk about an 8-month-old. By now they can likely handle finger food.
Do a quick prep of something they can handle eating on their own. Let’s say peas. Peas don’t require any work. While they are trying their best to get the peas into their mouth you are prepping their next course as well as preparing your own lunch.
Ideally, you sit down with them and give them their next course, say a protein while you eat your lunch.
Once you are done eating you prep fruit for them if you didn’t do so earlier. Give them the fruit. We’ll say cut up blueberries.
While they are eating their fruit you are doing the dishes from your lunch. Wash the dishes or load the dishwasher. Tidy up the kitchen. Start cleaning up anything your little one dropped on the floor. Start tidying up around them.
I even take off H’s bib when she has her last bite or two left. I run over to the sink and get it rinsed off and set to dry. Then I’m ready to wash her up, wipe the table in front of her, and then get her out.
The goal is to have the kitchen clean before they get out of the highchair, or at least as close as possible.
Some moms would just leave the mess and say I’ll get it during nap time. Not me! Get it done now!
If you let everything pile up because you will do it during nap time you won’t get a break. The entire nap time will be you just catching up.
Teaching Patience
Another thing to remember is that it is ok to teach your baby patience. Sometimes your little one will fuss and want you. Don’t drop the dish you are washing and run over. Finish the dish you are doing. Maybe even do one more. Then go address your baby.
Babies need an opportunity to solve their own problems sometimes. I am not saying neglect caring for your child. Not at all! But give them a chance to figure it out or learn that the world does not revolve around them.
Imagine when you have a second child. Your first will have to learn to wait.
Power Clean
Have a power clean for ten minutes. This is the time right before you start their nap time routine.
What can you quickly bust out before putting them down? Knock out a task or two. Seriously run around and tackle small messes around the house. It is amazing what you can accomplish when you are trying to bust it out.
The next step is to know what you plan to do during nap time. Do you need to get work done on your laptop? Have it out and ready to go so the moment your little one hits the bed you are straight on it.
Or maybe during their nap, you plan to chill on the couch with a coke and bag of chips. Have Netflix fired up and on your show so all you have to do is hit play. Have those chips and your drink ready to go on the couch side table. (if your little one won’t notice)
Take ten minutes to power clean.
Then get out and ready your nap time task or activity.
Do you see what I’m getting out here? Prep for nap time.
Different Phases
There are lots of different phases of life with babies. You have a fresh newborn. During this phase, you may not be ready to start tackling the house. Hopefully, everything is decently clean because you prepped before giving birth. Take it easy and recover and get to know your baby. Just love on them.
Then you have the stage of they can be put down and can’t go anywhere. This is a great time for getting stuff done! You may only get 5 or 10 minutes at a time, but take them! Blanket time is the bomb.
Once your little one is crawling you are in for quite a change. They fuss if they can’t keep up with you around the house. You are constantly worried about stepping on them while trying to hustle around.
Once they are here start including them in tasks. Take them with you to the laundry room. Give them a piece of clothing to hang on to while you are moving loads. Sometimes they enjoy the tour of the house and getting to go from room to room.
Don’t even get me started on a walker. This is a whole new ball game. In some ways, it may be easier than a crawler, but in some ways more challenging.
Try your best to include them in household activities such as cleaning and laundry. Pretty soon they will show interest in wanting to help you. This may seem crazy but young toddlers are very interested in helping around the house. Once you are to the toddler phase check out how to Gently Encourage Your 18 Month Old to Tackle These Milestones.
Have patience and flexibility during these ever-changing phases. In the beginning, your baby may sleep all day, then you finally set them up on a nap schedule, but before you know it they are ready to drop a nap. Your routine and schedule will change slightly, but that’s ok. If you are getting as much done as possible you will survive.
Even the way you hold your baby changes during that first year. First, it’s likely a cradle hold. Then you are in the awkward phase of trusting them to hold up their head, but fear them losing control. Then you finally start trusting them on your hip.
Whoever thought the way you hold your baby matters? I am here to tell you it does! Some ways and phases are so much easier!
Maybe the phase you are in prevents you from getting something done, but the next phase will allow for it.
For example, once your baby can sit in the tub at bath time, clean the toilet and wipe down the sink. When they were infants you absolutely couldn’t do this. But once they are a bit older you can get away with a little.
Make sure whatever you need for cleaning is in the bathroom before putting your baby in the bath. You should never leave the bathroom for any reason while they are in the tub. Your eyes should be on them and your arms within reach of grabbing them.
Pro-Tip: If your little one really struggles with nap time consider baby-wearing. Wraps are great in the beginning when your baby constantly wants to be near you.
Check out the Moby wrap and if it is right for you! My Top Reasons Why the Moby Wrap is Right for You!
Nap Time
Now we are to the glorious nap time. This is your time to do whatever you want or whatever you need to do. For some, there are still household chores that need to be done. For others, this may be a time to log on and work from home. And the final category we will call the sit on the couch and chill mommas.
Maybe every day is different for you. Perhaps Monday through Thursday you do chores, work on appointment phone calls, and make your online grocery list. Then Friday is the couch and chill day. Wouldn’t that be a fun way to reward yourself for surviving yet another week!
Chores
If you are going to do household chores do the ones you just can’t get done while the baby is awake.
Maybe for you unloading the dishwasher is challenging with your baby around. They are constantly climbing in. In this case, I would set out a towel and completely unload the dishwasher into stacks. I wouldn’t put everything away though. Save that for once they wake up.
Just remember, if you are going to do chores during their nap do the ones you truly struggle to do when your baby is awake. Keep it minimal! Nap time is supposed to be break time!
Tasks
These are the things that depending on your baby’s age may be hard to accomplish. These tasks may require quiet or your full attention.
Tasks for naptime:
-making a grocery list
-writing out a meal plan
-calling the doctor
-scheduling a dentist appointment
-paying bills
If you can get these tasks accomplished during baby’s wake hours great! That is the goal. But we also have to give ourselves grace and understand that some tasks truly are difficult to accomplish when our focus is split. Prioritize what tasks are most important to get done during nap time when needed.
Netflix and Chill…by Yourself
Try to actually sit down.
Have a snack or make a meal.
Allow yourself to scroll on your phone or watch TV.
Maybe you are into journaling or reading if that is your way to relax. I used to love to read.
Consider doing something self-care related. Take a shower, cut your nails, pluck your eyebrows, or throw on a face mask. Do whatever you have been neglecting since having your baby.
Take your time back. Make time for yourself during nap time.
Other Suggestions
Try not to spend too much of nap time on electronics. I realize I just said Netflix and chill. This may be exactly what you want to do and that is completely fine. Just realize time goes by so fast when you are plugged in.
If you are into electronics consider trying to multitask. Fold laundry or chop veggies while watching a show.
I’ll watch YouTube while doing the dishes.
Conclusion
Give yourself goals of what to achieve during the day, if you don’t complete them all that’s ok. You will gain confidence in what you can accomplish while taking care of your little one.
You may think you can’t do some tasks with your little one around-sometimes this is true but sometimes you aren’t trying hard enough.
Every single little task you complete while your baby is awake gets you more time once your baby is asleep. Two minutes’ worth of cleaning now can equal two minutes’ worth of sitting and resting later.
Make it happen. Get stuff done while your baby is awake.
You can do it!
What are your thoughts on trying to accomplish more while your baby is awake?
Check out My Articles
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