How I Got My Toddlers to Clean!

I have a 3 year old and a 2-year-old! & I am currently pregnant with a third baby! I work full-time as well as my husband and we both have jobs on the side. With that being said, we could really use all the help we can get, even from toddlers! As long as you make things simple enough for them, they will get the hang of it.

I try my best to keep my house clean (Keyword = TRY!). Both my husband and I share our household chores since we both work & now that the girls have gotten a little bit older and are starting to understand more, we decided to make them in charge of keeping their room clean. That’s their only job! Just the room to be kept clean, and that does not include making their bed every morning (not yet at least).

To make this possible in the first place, I had to do my part and organize their room. Nothing too complex, something simple enough for a 3-year-old to get the idea. I also donated a lot of their toys that I could see they did not play with as much anymore. I wanted their toys to fit in the baskets that we have for them. I did not want toys overflowing more than what they already were, I just wanted them to have enough toys for them to play with.

Once I finished organizing their room, I began to work with them. Before putting them to bed I normally announce that its bedtime, we go to their room and I sit down on the floor (where all the mess is) and I tell them its “Clean-Up Time.” They get excited and start singing their “Clean-Up Song” (which is motivation for them! SINGING!) If this is something new for them, they will try to put their toys anywhere, but its designated area. You have to calmly show them where they go & they will eventually know where everything belongs.

There is no time-frame for this. I organized my girl’s room in January, it is now officially the last day of February, and my oldest now knows how to clean her room by herself!! (Yes, I am definitely a PROUD MAMA!) I came home from work about a week ago; my husband picked the girls up from the Daycare because he got out early that week. As I’m entering the house, my oldest daughter runs to me and pulls my hand and excitedly tells me, “Come here Mommy, come here!” So I follow her to her room and she tells me that she cleaned up her room all by herself. I could tell that she was proud of herself, which made me even more proud! We’re still working with my younger daughter on helping her big sister clean the room. I am not worried in any way; I know she will get there eventually herself as well.

What I found that helped them get the idea of where everything belongs is keeping it SIMPLE! I can not say this enough, your child will most likely not know how to read yet (at least mine do not) and if it gets to complicated, they will lose interest because they know it’s too hard for them. Children are like adults in some ways, honestly! If we know something is going to take a lot of time or it’s too complicated… we procrastinate and hold off on doing that certain chore for as long as we can! (For me, its LAUNDRY & for my husband, it’s DISHES!)

Okay, so they have this Minnie Mouse Multi-Bin Organizer that my sister got them 2 years ago for Christmas! On the top row, there are 3 small baskets. Since they are still small, that means their shoes are small as well, so on the top left I have a spot just for my youngest daughter’s shoes. Her boots go on the left side of the Organizer on the floor. I put my oldest daughter’s shoes in the basket that’s furthest to the right and her boots go on the right side of the organizer on the floor as well. In the middle basket, I have all of their bows! I love it, they each know where their shoes go and for the most part, they do a pretty good job on keeping that part organized most of the time.

The second row is the one I have the most problems with, OBVIOUSLY! In the second row there are 2 big baskets for their smaller toys. Nothing specific goes in either one, if it’s a small toy they can go in either basket.

In the third row, there is one big tub, and all of their books go in there! I do plan on getting an actual bookshelf for them eventually, but they’re okay where they’re at for now.

On the left side of the Organizer, there is a pink princess chair where we keep a couple of their bigger toys on top and a few under the chair. & On the left side of the chair they have a bag with their building blocks.

I also have spaces where there toys go in their closet. On the left side of the closet I have a box where all their big dolls go. & on the right side of the closet I have their “bigger” toys with wheels.

This is what works for us. The girls know it now and have an idea on what their room should look like once they are finished cleaning. I don’t expect much; I just want them to put their toys back from where they get them. This helps them keep in mind from a young age that they need to stay organized and keep their room clean as often as they can.

Hope you guys enjoyed reading! Please comment and tell me what works for your kids!

XO,

Mariela Oviedo

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