How do you entertain LO's when cleaning ?

ds was always a child that needed constant attention, so cleaning was almost impossible as he wouldn't entertain himself for more than a minute or two at a time. fairly recently though he's become extremely interested in cleaning and nags me if he can vaccuum. so i do let him do the loungeroom and the kitchen. he loves it and cheers if he finds any big bits to suck up. while he does that i can get on with other stuff if dd's asleep. if she's awake i dont get much done but sometimes back sling her so i can get on with it.

in the early days of ds, dh suggested we got a cleaner but i was too that i was home all day so refused now that i'm back at work and have both kids at home when i'm not working, i suggested getting a cleaner to make life easier... dh refuses as can't justify the expense. serves me right for refusing initially.

i say if you can afford it, then do it. it doesn't have to be forever, and you may find in another year or so Pearl is ready to help and let you get on with it yourself a little more.

We first got a cleaner when dh was a SAHD. I was happy to pay someone to do it so he could spend time with Charlotte (and I figured it would prevent any resentment from me if I came home and had to clean because he doesnt do things well enough or often enough )

Oh I would just love a cleaner. We're both untidy and the girls are like mini whirlwinds at times. I was so happy when I got a dishwasher, it's definitely made things easier, but a cleaner, that would be fab

It doesn't work any more but for a couple of weeks I would tip all the Megabloks on the floor when I wanted to put the dinner on and ask DD to put them back in the box... she would take ages picking them up and putting them away one by one I can leave her with a pile of books which will keep her entertained for a few mins.

We have a cleaner. I don't work at the moment but I did, and to let her go would be unthinkable (we had to wait 3 years for her to have a slot!). I have alway s had cleaners on and off for the last 15 years, they can be a nightmare so not the easy solution necessarily.

My cleaner does 3 hours a week plus an hour ironing. That equates to half an hour a day - I think if you chunk it down it would be easier. I tend to clean and tidy the kitchen when she is eating so I can talk to her. If I needed to mop or hoover I used to do it when she slept, or I do stuff like a quick clean of the loos or mop of the kitchen floor on a night after she has gone to bed. I put the washing in on a night or first thing in the morning, and I tend to get her to help me hang it up. Also agree that Cbeebies is your friend but then Martha is 4 now so easy for me to say.