when or how do you find the time?

[lucyp]

When do you fid the time to do things - just the normal ( if one can call them that) things around the house etc - DO you take bub with you from room to room as you fold clothes, make dinner, have a shower etc etc etc

I think I am suffering from the :guilty mum complex" - that I should be entertaining my child alot more than i am - but just dont have the time.......

When or how do you do it???? :)

[Briannabear]

Hi LucyP! It took me months to get organised! My bub is crawling now so she pretty much follows me from room to room while I clean. (before she was crawling I'd take her with me and she'd play on the floor).
When I hang washing out she goes in her playpen. When she was much smaller and had colic I used to have her in a baby sling and take her out with me. (but she's much too heavy for that now!).
As for cooking, before she was sitting I used to struggle to know what to do with her while I was in the kitchen. Now sometimes I'll put her in her highchair and give her some finger food and she watches me cook.
It can be hard to find a balance between housework and playing with your baby, and believe me it takes time. But it is important. My mum always says "Its better to have a messy home and happy children and mum; than a tidy home and stressed family". :D
Good Luck!

[Notchalk]

I do all the stuff during nap time, and every second playtime my DS has. I give him undivided attention during a breastfeed, then we have a chat, nappy change time, and then some floor play with tummy time, toys, etc. When he goes for a nap I do the quiet things around the house, ie not dishes! I can sweep, hang out washing, etc. When he wakes next for his feed, again, he gets undivided attention, a little chat, then nappy change, and he plays solo on his mat with toys hanging above his head. He can practice his rolling, blow bubbles, grab toys, etc... he doesn't need me there. I can then do dishes, vacuum, whatever. If you entertain them all the time, I'm sure they learn to need it. They need to be able to make their own fun, let their immaginations develop... and, just as importabtly, so do you! (if you think housework is fun, lucky you;)). If bubs isn't happy with you going out of sight, options are a sling, or rocker, or bring the tummytime mat into whatever room you're in. I talk to him from the other side of the bench if I'm making dinner and he's not 100% happy by himself, but if he's grizzling, it's bed time again, anyway.

I hope this helps! DON"T feel guilty, though. Your baby needs alone time as much as you do.

Jo (Mum to Will, 4.5 months old)

[rynosmum]

I used to set bubby up in his rocker or on his activity mat if I just had to do something quickly. I would leave my shower until he was napping.

He's walking and running now. If hubby is away, DS sits in his high chair and has brekky whilst I have a shower (and watches Hi-5 - there is never any reason to cry when Hi-5 are on).

He comes everywhere else with me and helps - making the bed, cleaning his room, unstacking the dishwasher :eek: . If I'm hanging out washing, I give him a job to do - like handing me pegs. They do love to help.

[Artemis]

I haven't ever been really big on entertaining our daughter - she simply comes and does whatever I am doing.. If I am washing up in the kitchen, she would get the pots, pans, spoons, containers out and give them a bang. The living areas have a table cut down to her size in each of them and she does her thing on there... she would come and play on the bed and then *help* me make them, play in the yard while I did washing and gardening and when I do work fo uni she will draw, read or do what she calls *study worrk* which is bashing away on an old keyboard, calculator, wearing sunglasses - such a crack up.

[oscarsmilkbar]

I pop a cycle of washing on just before I go to bed and hang out first thing in morning before DS wakes up ...he used to be a 730am waker, but now more like 645am.
We play and have brekkie and go for a walk, then he's in bed around 9/930am for his nap and if I haven't showered I do so then, otherwise I might target something to clean then have brekkie and look on internet...
I have to admit that my place is pretty clean and i'm always cleaning up after ourselves so there is no overload!!

His arvo sleep is bill paying, my hobby time, ironing or watching a fav show/getting on internret, or having a friend around for a coffee.

I make sure we are all low maintenence peoples!!!!!!