My daughter is 2 1/2 & has been helping with the housework for at least 6 months...I vacuum everyday & if I don't let her vacuum, I don't hear the end of it. In the house we just moved from, we had a dish washer & she used to help unpack it every morning. The only thing she's not good at is packing up her own toys but I know most kids have this "problem"
What does your toddler help you with?
[question posted by moonchild1au]
responses and comments:
Hi Moon, Most of the kids would like to helps the parents in the home and also they are feeling the great when doing some kinds of helps in the household work. My kids are used to helps me lot in the household work and also I would be very happy when seeing them to participate on all types of household work. I am normally clean my home every weekends and also my kids used to helps lots to assist me in the work , so I am very happy. Have a nice day. [Binthu]
It is a good feeling when your child helps - my daughter always tells me she wants to help but I know as she gets older, she's not going to want to do this & I will have to ask her lol [moonchild1au]
I have to say that you have a so lovely daughter. As far as I know, in most family, husbands works hard all day outside the home while their wives often do the houseworks. Now, you have another helper-- your daughter. I don't think it is a problem that children keep active all the time. In fact, it a the happiest thing in people's life if they have such daughters. Although I don't get married until now, I really want to have such a daugher. happyHappy myLotting! happy [getbrowser]
It's good that my daughter helps but because of her age, sometimes she can be more of a hinderance than a help but she means well so I try not to get frustrated with her. [moonchild1au]
Hi there moonchild! Good to hear that your toddler is helping you. Just like your toddler, my baby of one year and nine months is also not good at picking up her toys. In fact, she is messing them around the house. lol!And i hate it at times. My little brother is the one I'm asking to clean for me.My baby is helping me in washing clothes. She loves water maybe, that's why! She is helping me also in turning on the tv but doesn't know how to yet, at least for now. Goodluck to you! yan [yan_blue8]
She will get there...my daughter was about 20 months old when she started to help...but when it comes to toys, I have learned to make a game out of it & help my daughter & she will help with the "game" [moonchild1au]
Good Morning - Yes, my little guy 'helps' all the time! He's 4 now, but he started around 2 YO... He loves to help switch the laundry - I pull out the wet washed clothes, shake 'em out and drop them down to him and he puts them in the dryer. He likes to help vac - he calls it the 'purple thing' cuz it's one of those Dyson Machines - and it's purple! LOL He like to help unload the clean dishwasher, esp the silverware. I take all the sharp knives out and then I let him put the forks/spoons/servers away. He likes to help make the beds - but this very rarely works out - it usually turns into hiding and wrestling in the 'woobies'!! I could say I'm very lucky - he's a very helpful kid and gets a kick out of doing "big boy" stuff! [Raven7317]
I hope my daughter continues to help out...I did the dame thing you did when we were in the house that had the dishwasher...now I have to do them by hand in my new house & I think my daughter just washed the dishes in the sink now & put them in the rack - she just came & told me...there was no soap so i will have to do them again but she thinks she's helping so I told her she's a good girl. She knows to keep out of my way when I'm making the beds though so she usually just comes in the room & talks to me. [moonchild1au]
Hello friend, I remember my kids when they are still toddlers,they want to try new things...and helping with houseworks is fun for them. Keeping their toys/putting it back into places is one of the first thing i teach them to do. I can still remember when my daughter try to help me wash clothes...she loves to play with the bubbles...happy [jaiho2009]
everytime my kids took any toys,i always say..."put it back where you get it before you take another one"...just showing her/him how to do it...it needs a little patient and took time,and,when she/he get used to it,it follows everytime they played with toys. And,that helps a lot,now that they are grown ups...they knows hot to organize their things and belongings. [jaiho2009]
HEHEHE. My daughter will help with anything, unless you ask her to pick up her toys. LOL She even helps pick up her brother's toys. I don't know what little psychological switch is in their heads. At least they want to help though. [mommaj]
Some children like cleaning and some do not. I was blessed with one who does not. Over the years, I would have loved to have a child that likes to clean but that was not in the mix for us. I have not given up, though, and have seen progress. I found that while doing a day care, the problem with the toys and pick-up really went away when the toys were limited to one thing at a time. When the child wanted to play with something else, the rule was to pick up what you are playing with and then a new toy whether it be blocks, dolls, etc. would be given. I put all the toys in plastic stackable containers that you can see through. Thus the child can see what is in the box even if they can't read a label. I stacked these toys on the upper shelf of the closet. When the child wanted a new toy, they would put the old toy in the container and I would put it up in the closet and hand the child the new container. It made for a lot of peace and happiness in our home. I only wished I had tried this method much sooner instead of going through everyday of asking for toys to be picked up. Funny how even the smallest of humans will do something just for the reward of having something else. [sysdexlicwriter]
I guess they looked forward to it because it was like getting a new toy - something they hadn't seen in a while...I think I might start doing that with my daughter. [moonchild1au]
Wow, at 2 1/2 she's already helping you, that's wonderful, your daughter is amazing! I don't have kids so I can't speak about it, but I really admire how you're bringing up your daughter, and I think she enjoys that too. Well done! [paleorainy]
Thank you!! i am lucky she wants to help - sometimes if I don't let my daughter help, she throws a tantrum! [moonchild1au]
Hello moonchild1au! I have a three year old son. Little by little I ask him to help me in doing simple household chores like getting his toys and putting it back to his basket bin,getting his clothes inside his cabinet before taking a bath and other simple things.. I think that is nice thing to do... It will serve as a training for them in following instructions and behaving rightly. I believe also when you are working with your kids, let them participate on what your doing, that will also be a bonding time for both of you. [lovelyn_medrano]
Yes they must learn how to do things on their own gradually. Start from simple tasks that they will enjoy doing. And I guess it is easier to teach ages like that because they are curious and really wanting to learn and explore new things. [lovelyn_medrano]
Hi there! My toddler (when she was one) put her clothes and jammies in the hamper, she threw away her trash, put her bowls or cups and silverware in the sink. She didn't really help with unloading the dishwasher or vacuuming, but I also had her help pick up her toys. She still does most of these things now. I expect it and as she gets bigger (she is five now) I will also expect her to do other things. She helps fold laundry and she can put away her own laundry. Eventually she'll be taking care of her own dishes and doing her laundry too. This is a good habit to teach your kids when they are little and to expect as they get older so they always do this instead of expecting YOU to do it for them or complaining when you ask them to take care of their things/pick up after themselves. [mommyboo]
I totally agree - my daughter does the same things like put her diry clothes in the hamper & her dishes on the bench - I ask her to put it there as she always has left overs which I feed to the dogs at their meal time. [moonchild1au]
Wow sounds like you are developing quite the little homemaker. Next get her started on dusting...lol [solared]
That's not such a bad idea - i will just have to make sure the dogs are outside when she does it though otherwise she will tease the dogs with the duster & then I will have a duster no more lol. [moonchild1au]
That is so cute. My daughter is about the same age. Yeah we play the clean up game. She like to help me clean, however the funny thing is 2 minutes after helping clean she is making a mess all over again. We are always cleaning in this house. Happy lotting. [gossipzz]
That sounds alot like my daughter!! She will help me clean up her toys until she finds a toy she hasn't seen in a day or 2 & then she's off playing with that & leaves me to clean up the rest of her mess grrrr!! lol [moonchild1au]
My toddler doesn't help with much around the house yet. He's still kinda in baby mode. It is cute though when he picks something up and puts it in the trash. I guess you could call it helping out. [CRSunrise]
Just be patient & he will get there...I still need to be psatient with my daughter [moonchild1au]
My toddler learn to fold towels and cloths for the family at 3 years old. He learnt how to pack the toys when he was 2 years old. We set the ground rule in the family that whoever takes out the toy, he must put back before he can get another set of toy. The family rule works well for our family. It helps my children become more responsible inpacking up toys. Sylvia [sylviamak]
It's great to set ground rules...I am trying to teach my daughter the same things - how did you teach your toddler? [moonchild1au]
Hi, there! I don't have a child of my own yet, but when I was staying over at my sister's place for a few nights, I noticed that every morning if my sis was vacuuming, her 5-year-old daughter would follow her everywhere and asked my sis to hand over the vacuum as she would love to do the task. lol It is kind of sweet, but yes, when it comes to toys, they are everywhere and when we ask her to collect her things, she would try to avoid it. I also realize that she loves to help my sis fold the laundry, but she still doesn't know how to do it properly. happy [corrycrystal]
I think most kids are the same lol [moonchild1au]
i involve my kids in the housework. it makes them busy beside playing and make them responsible in the house. i don't want them to rely solely on me or the househelp. besides it silence them hehe! [nra091501]
It does teach them responsibility...how do you involve your kids? My daughter just tells me she wants to help or just does it. [moonchild1au]
MY kids help me fetch the bed before we sleep and after we sleep, they help arranged our pillows and blanket, i never let them do the task which requires holding fragile things at home since they are still small to do it, to avoid breakage. [xannebull]
That's completely understandable - I watch my daughter like a hawk when she puts dishes away coz she's only 2 1/2 [moonchild1au]
Hi moonchild My daughter do help me in the house work she is 5yrs old. She does all the small works I tell her to do. She used to help me when she was even one year old, she was so cute when she was helping me by doing small works like keeping the vessels in order. She packs all her toys but not always only she feels to do. I am satisfied with her work. Have a nice day. [KMaroon]
she does more than my daughter but my daughter is only 2 1/2...hopefully she'll get better with age :) [moonchild1au]
Hi Moon, You have a good little helper there, ! She started to help you in your house chores since she was 2! I am so impressed! My 3 year old daughter will love to disturb me while I am doing house works. She likes to grab my broom and mop and offer to help me up! But she is too small to help me, she always give trouble more than help, LOL. So she makes me more busy! For vacuum, I done it every weekend by my part time maid. My daughter will scare of the loud vacuum sound! She will go far far away once the part time maid started to vacuum. For her own toys, she just know how to mess it up, she doesn't like to keep her own toys at all. Unless I make an angry face, then only she will keep the toys. [vingyan06]
I think most kids are like that with their toys - my daughter is lol [moonchild1au]
My son is 3 and he likes to help with stuff too. He likes to hand me the clothes when I put them in the wash and then he likes for me to hand them to him for him to put in the dryer when they are finished washing. Then when they are finished drying he will take them out of the dryer for me and put them in a basket. He loves doing that. He also likes to help me unload the dishwasher. He likes to take a rag and wipe the table off when we finish eating (I always have to re-do it but I don't let him see me.) I let him do it and then when he's out of the room I go back over it. When I wash sheets he will take his own sheets off his bed. And I can give him a baby wipe and he will clean whatever he can with it. lol I love that he likes to help but I know it will change when he gets a little older. [sweetgirl_k1]
We have to savour it while it lasts & before we have to start nagging them to do things lol [moonchild1au]
I use to love when it was time to prepare dinner. It was "Our"(my dtr 2 1/0 y/o and I) special time.She was such a little lady and we were military living in Germany so I would pop an audio( this was back in the early 80's folks.tape in so Mom could at least hear how here Granddaughter was growing up. Stacy and I would discuss what I was cooking for dinner while she set the table. She questioned me about how many would be there for dinner, if we were having dessert,etc.. When she finished setting the table she always asked if there was anything else I needed here help with. Yes, That was "Our" special time. 26 yrs. later, I can't pay her to help me in the house. Two's are wonderful Whoever coined the phrase terrible two's was crazy. That was the best time with both of my kids. Teens and twenties are tormenting though. [cybermom45]
I love this age too although it can be trying at times...I have also heard that 3 is the new 2 for tantrums so I guess I'll find out soon enough lol [moonchild1au]
Yes My little girl who is 3 helps me with the household chores.May be because I had my second one when my older one was nearly two.So she is quite responsible. She looks after her little brother whilst I do other chores in the house.She cleans the mess he makes,she does dusting and also help with his Nappy change etc [ruchimom]
my daughter does too but like a typical child, she doesn't clean up her toys lol [moonchild1au]
My older son was a darling when he was a toddler and help me with EVERYTHING. He loved to sit with me while I cooked and cleaned and help wherever he could...and would clean his own room and put his things in place. My younger one, who is now 3 does things only when he feels like it. The moment he asked to do something, he refuses...especially packing up his own toys. He is absolutely no help...lol...and the help he does, he leaves halfway and goes off to do his own thing. [SViswan]
My daughter loves to help but she won't pick up her toys lol [moonchild1au]