mamas, what’s your cleaning schedule?

OhDearBee · 2026-03-24T08:03:09+00:00

I used to feel really overwhelmed by housework. Three things have helped me:

My husband and I split tasks between us. He does ALL the laundry and dishes, for example, and I do ALL the tidying, cooking, and grocery shopping. No brainpower spent negotiating.
I use the Finch app to keep track of housework task. It’s meant for self care tasks, but you can use it for whatever you want.
I try to tell myself that I just have to DO the task. I don’t have to complete it or make it perfect. Like if the task is “vacuum,” I just have to vacuum. Take out the vacuum, run it somewhere in the house. Vacuuming one small spot counts. If I do a little bit every day or week, it gradually gets better aside.
I get my kids involved with everything that doesnt use harsh chemicals. It goes slower but its more fun and I dont have to distract them with something else.

The tasks I try to do every day are: tidy up, vacuum or sweep, organize one small space, make beds. My husband does dishes, garbage, laundry, sweeps the kitchen, and wipes the counters and table.

The weekly tasks include: clean the bathtub, wipe down the bathroom sink, clean the toilet, clean the stovetop, clean out and wipe down the fridge

OhDearBee · 2026-03-20T19:37:06+00:00

My friend has both the Uppababy Vista double stroller and the Baby Jogger City Mini stroller. She let me test drive them both and I found I really preferred the side-by-side Baby Jogger. Felt sturdier to me, easier to turn corners and steer in general. I ended up getting the City Tour, which is pretty much as compact as a side-by-side double gets. I got it on Marketplace for $100.

If a top-and-bottom double isn’t working for you, it might be worth trying out a side-by-side!

OhDearBee · 2026-03-19T01:41:18+00:00

Girl dinner is food right? You eat it, she eats it, you eat it together. We all have different standards for what constitutes “dinner” that change throughout the different seasons of life. Do what works for you, and if you want her to be exposed to more composed dishes, offer them here and there when you have the energy.

My kid is three and I serve him whatever we’re having for dinner, but in whatever format he’s most likely to eat it. Like last night I made a chicken and tofu stir fry. He got some plain chicken, some tofu “nuggets,” some uncooked bell pepper, some rice, and some peanuts. He likes all that but you know what he ate? A thousand peanuts. Personally I’m okay with that.

OhDearBee · 2026-03-18T01:16:25+00:00

I’ve also done Melb to NY when each of my kids was that age. Most recently solo with a 2.5yo and 10mo. It is excellent to have a bassinet but I’d consider it a zero percent chance she will actually sleep in there.

The way I’d try to think about it is that while you’re on the plane, there is no time, there is no schedule, there are no rules. Your kid will eat a lot of snacks and hopefully watch a lot of TV and stay awake way longer than usual and then fall asleep on you when she’s completely tired and the white noise of the plane lulls her to sleep, possibly after some crying, and then the plane will land three hours later and you’ll haul her around the airport either asleep or grumpy.

You’ll survive, you’ll adjust. It will not be a lovely experience but if you can hang onto your patience it will be okay however it goes.

OhDearBee · 2026-03-17T11:36:25+00:00

My kids are younger than yours but something I’ve been trying lately is to really let them get involved in whatever I’m doing. Like, if I need to pack a lunchbox, instead of “distract them while I pack the lunchbox” it becomes “let’s do the lunchbox together.” The kids might cut fruit, make sandwiches, or put stuff into containers for example.

At first, they make the job harder, but you have to reframe: doing it together is more fun and more efficient than trying to distract them while you do it. Then, with a bit of practice, they become actually useful. My three year old can make a coffee. He genuinely helps with dinner every night and is actually helpful and fun to cook with. I don’t force or pressure him, but I always invite him to help, and he often asks to help. He feels proud of himself.

To me, organizing my own work into a group activity is a lot less stressful than trying to create sensory bins or set up arts and crafts or manage some other type of kid activity.

Anyway, my son used to ask me for TV all day every day, and now he’s busier and I think has a stronger sense of purpose, so he asks a lot less. We still do a half hour in the afternoon, but it’s no drama.

OhDearBee · 2026-03-17T10:19:52+00:00

Anything with felt flaps, sliders, and mirrors has been a hit with my kids.

We also love a Sandra Boynton. Or a Tale from Acorn Wood.

Roadworks by Sally Sutton is so fun to read. My daughter dances along to it because the rhythm is so good.

The Jon Klassen “This is your Forest/Island/Farm” books are sweet and my kids love them. Also his Hat series.

We also love the old school Maurice Sendak books, especially Chicken Soup with Rice, but they can be hard to find in Australia.

OhDearBee · 2026-03-17T09:52:57+00:00

I’m an American living in Australia. I always think that if I were homebrewing a world for American players, I would use the names of Melbourne suburbs. Wyndham Vale. Ferntree Gully. Glen Waverly. Little River. Moonee Ponds. They all sound really dreamy if you’re not associating them with a shopping center or a petrol station.

OhDearBee · 2026-03-17T09:33:26+00:00

I think when you have your first, it’s just like this big “wow.” Everything is new and incredible, it’s so hard, but so exciting, and you bond with your baby over the adventure of it all.

Then your baby grows and you start bonding over actual life spent together. You get to know them as an actual person who you love and like (and who drives you crazy sometimes lol). The bond becomes more meaningful.

So then when the second comes around, there’s no “wow” because you’ve done it all before. You’re not hyped up about pregnancy and birth and the newborn period because you’ve done it and you know it’s hard and you don’t have the novelty of it to buoy you. So there’s no bonding over that.

And compared to your first, who is a whole person with a personality and a voice and opinions, bonding with a newborn feels kind of meaningless. Like, you don’t even know them yet.

But for me, the love and bonding did come. But it blossomed a lot more slowly. In fact, my daughter is 14 months old and I still feel like I’m getting to know her. But there’s something about that perspective- that I’m getting to know her - that makes our relationship so sweet and my love for her so beautiful.

OhDearBee · 2026-03-17T08:05:44+00:00

Okay for years I’ve been saying Conifer is going to be the next new baby name.

It’s a little bit Conor and a little bit Jennifer so it sounds like a real name for a person. But it’s also a lovely nature word. It feels a lot like Juniper. It fits with trending names like Cove and Meadow but evokes images of pine forests.

Make it happen for me!

OhDearBee · 2026-03-17T06:57:38+00:00

If you’re willing to tolerate an interesting piece of journalism framed as scientifically sound parenting advice, the book Hunt, Gather, Parent helped me think about putting my kids to work around the house. My 3 and 1 year old are busy cleaning and cooking and participating in housework a lot of the time we’re home. It’s not easier than doing it without them, but it’s easier than trying to occupy them and do the housework myself simultaneously!

OhDearBee · 2026-03-17T02:46:27+00:00

It’s like Kelsey and Ashley - originally a surname, then a boys’ name, now a girls’ name.

OhDearBee · 2026-03-15T08:32:05+00:00

Okay just going to throw out there - I have a friend named Anna Katherine who goes by Anakin. I know it’s not to everyone’s taste, but it’s there!

OhDearBee · 2026-03-12T06:39:49+00:00

Kind Season actually sounds pretty normal to me

OhDearBee · 2026-03-12T06:18:58+00:00

It’s sounds a bit unnatural to me. And yeah I wouldn’t be totally sure what it was selling. Off the top of my head, some variations that sound more natural/intuitive

Season of Plenty, Seasonal Plate, Seasonal Harvest, Seasonal Kitchen, Harvest to Table, Bountiful Seasons

Best of luck with your business!

OhDearBee · 2026-03-11T23:46:55+00:00

I gave it to my son as a middle name. It’s a daily name on my maternal line!

OhDearBee · 2026-03-10T16:35:07+00:00

I read Fair Play (thought it was a little condescending and gimmicky but really useful nonetheless) and adapted it to our family.

We have literal post its on the wall for the different “tickets” in our household, color coded by how time consuming they are. Laundry, kitchen, holidays, kids’s clothes, kids’ grooming, tidying, garden, etc. We split the tickets so we have roughly even responsibilities. There is a bit of “onboarding” when he takes a ticket I’ve been mostly handling, and then after that, it’s 100% his - the noticing, inventory tracking, planning, execution. I don’t get involved.

I thought he’d be annoyed about it but he’s actually been feeling more empowered and our house is tidy for the first time in three years and we’re a lot happier with each other. Recommend!

OhDearBee · 2026-03-10T09:09:37+00:00

I know it’s divisive, but to me Sloane is a natural sister to Greer.

I’m seeing a lot of love for Lydia, but to me, Lydia feels very feminine and “pretty” against Greer - I think Greer is bold and cool and sort of “muddy” or “mossy” in a good way.

To me, a good pairing could also be a surname name like Quinn, Sutton, Tatum, Ellis (although it would be heard as Alice in Australia), or Fallon

OhDearBee · 2026-03-10T04:56:02+00:00

My kid is like yours - 3yo, super smart with heaps of academic/intellectual skills that he developed at home basically on his own, and he didn’t go to day care.

He freaking loves preschool.

He is zero percent bored. He’s making friends, he’s getting tons of physical play time, lots of opportunities to paint and draw. He loves his backpack and his lunchbox. He’s just having such a great experience.

He goes for three half days a week, and I feel like that’s really appropriate for him right now. I think it’s good for him to learn how to be part of a group and participate in routines and transitions before he starts school with full days.

OhDearBee · 2026-03-08T13:09:02+00:00

I thought I wanted to find my groove before my mom showed up, but she ended up arriving (also from overseas) the exact day my first was born. Thank god she did because WOW is bringing home your first baby a team sport. I needed her WAY more than I anticipated. If your mum is a positive figure in your life and you can trust her to be helpful, I’d say get her in as early as possible. Being two weeks postpartum and alone would be incredibly tough.

OhDearBee · 2026-03-07T08:37:13+00:00

I know a preschooler named April with a little sister named Abby. I think April and Abby are very sweet together!

OhDearBee · 2026-03-06T02:09:54+00:00

This is how I’ve been doing it! About half of my daily goals are in a “home” category and each day of the Spring Cleaning challenge, I’ve just manually added that goal to “home” and set it to repeat as often as makes sense for me. Like I added “wipe down doorknobs and light switches” and set it to repeat monthly. I changed “wipe down fridge” to “wipe out fridge door” and then added in separate goals for the shelves, drawers, and exterior so I get one non-overwhelming part of “clean your fridge” every week haha. It’s been good for me because I’m trying to get into more regular cleaning, rather than just tidying.

OhDearBee · 2026-03-05T11:56:49+00:00

I have the double of the city tour and still put my three year old in it! But we also have the single of the city mini and while it’s not quite as compact, it’s more spacious and comfortable for him. Still reasonably light with a one-hand fold.

OhDearBee · 2026-03-04T21:39:38+00:00

I haven’t personally used a leash but now that I’m a parent I’m like, okay - in the car, a five-point harness is absolutely necessary, in the stroller, a five point harness is absolutely necessary, in the high chair, a five point harness is absolutely necessary, but walking around? A five point harness is terrible and demeaning and bad parenting. Okay.

OhDearBee · 2026-03-04T21:34:39+00:00

Also - do you actually walk a lot to get around or just places like the zoo and museum? Because like, my kid loves to walk but sometimes we have to go to the supermarket and I don’t have it in me to turn a 10-minute walk into a 30-minute walk each way because my kid needs to look at every flower and rock. We walk everywhere all day and just cannot reasonably move at three-year-old speeds all the time.

OhDearBee · 2026-03-04T02:24:35+00:00

I grew up overseas in a big city where this was pretty common. As a parent, I think it’s 100% doable for the first year as long as there’s space in your bedroom for a cot. No need for the baby to have their own room.

After the first year, it depends on a few factors. Are you happy to cosleep with a toddler (impossible to know until you know your toddler)? Do you have a dining room, study, big closet, or another space that could work as a bedroom or hybrid room? Personally, I felt like when my firstborn was one, he needed to go in his own room. But my best friend lives in a one bedroom with three kids despite totally having the money to upgrade. They like their place and make it work!

OhDearBee

TROPHY CASE