How to Be a Successful Stay-at-Home Parent With Two Babies

Whether you have twins or other multiplies at home, or your children are very close in age, trying to get housework done can be a challenge. Shushing a crying baby while you see that the dishes need to be done can be stressful for a stay-at-home parent. But there are ways to get it all (or at least most of it) done, still care for your children and keep most of your sanity.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Be realistic. When you're looking around your house thinking, "I'm going to clean the bathroom when they are both down for a nap," your babies may often have different plans, and decide to nap at different times. So, that leaves the bathroom unclean.
   
   Remember that baby toys are portable. If one child is down for a nap and the other wants to be with you, take their playpen or bouncy chair with you. Set it outside the bathroom (and outside the blast of the chemicals). That way you can watch your child and get something done. This can be used around the house for several chores.
2. Remember that everything doesn't have to be done at once. Take one or two of your limited free minutes and sit down to write a schedule. Think of all the household chores that need to be done and pick a day for everything. For example: sweeping and mopping on Monday, vacuuming on Tuesday, cleaning the bathrooms on Wednesday, changing and washing all the bedding on Thursday, and doing the laundry on Friday.
   
   You may not stick to it every week but at least it gives you a base to start from. Put it on your refrigerator as a reference.
3. Try to do at least one load of laundry a day, if you have your own washer and dryer. You can get the laundry in either the washer or dryer and still have time to do other things. Getting a load done a day will prevent laundry from building up and leaving a mountain to be done when you get to it. And remember, if it's clean and folded, you don't have to put it away the minute it's done. You can always leave that until tomorrow.
4. Keep it simple. If you are trying to make dinner, clean the house and care for your children, remember you don't have to prepare a rack of lamb. Spaghetti or a quick hamburger dish will work fine. Just think about something quick, filling, healthy and easy to clean up.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't be afraid to ask for help. If you have family in the area, maybe someone can come over to keep you company, watch the children and give you a chance to vacuum or wash dishes.
• Don't try to do it all at once. You will exhaust yourself and then you won't be any good to either yourself or your children. Space things out.
• Remember that the most important thing is your children. So the laundry doesn't get done or dinner is leftovers. Who cares? What's more important is that you read to your child or teach them to wave bye-bye.
• Never put yourself or your children in an unsafe situation.
• Make sure household cleaners are always out of reach.