With all that housework to do (and only me to do it, since hubby is away and we don't have a helper), I must admit I'm rather glad that Junior J has been helping out around the home in little ways. Some have asked me how we've involved those little hands around the house, so here's some of the things the little boy has been doing:
:: Dressing up/down: He is able to hang up his own clothes on pegs in his room, and also will run with his dirty diaper (I ensure I "wrap" it up neatly first) to throw it away into the diaper bin. He enjoys this so much that he will automatically throw away any dirty diapers lying around the house (sometimes the hubby changes him, and forgets), and will pick up clothes to hang them up too. Oh, and he knows that dirty clothes go into a basin in the toilet, so he runs off to put them in the basin if I tell him the article of clothing is dirty and needs to be washed... Of course, there are difficult days where he doesn't want to co-operate, and changing him is quite a challenge, otherwise he's more or less developed these habits, and having the diaper bin/basin/pegs accessible really helps. He's also able to go potty on his own, and can pull his pants up and down, so that really helps, since I don't have to drop whatever I'm doing to help him.
:: Mealtimes: We recently bought a new highchair for the boy, which allows him to climb up and down on his own. Since getting him to sit in his chair during meals has been a challenge, I've found that what works has been setting my phone alarm. When it goes off, he knows he needs to wash his hands (he is able to climb up on the stool to reach the tap) and climb up in his chair for a meal. He is now able to self-feed himself some parts of his meal (but of course I have to spoon in the other stuff he doesn't want to eat, like meat!), and will bring his bowl/cup to the kitchen after we are all done, along with his bib, which I'm trying to teach him to leave in the sink for washing. He also likes to wipe the table after a meal, and can be quite through about it! Some days, I also get him to help me to bring things to the table, like utensils and the box of cornflakes. However, I must admit I tend to leave him out of the meal preparation process nowadays, even though he shows interest in helping out. Guess its something I'm trying to work on!
:: Laundry: He helps me to fold his washcloths (rather messily, but I'm fine with it!), and will put them away in a box in the bookcase in our dining room. Also, he will help me to carry his clothes to his room to be put away, and will also help to keep the clothes pegs and hangers in the kitchen while I fold the clean clothes in the living room. He sometimes stays with me while I handwash his clothes, and loves to swirl the clothes in the soapy water!
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| Small cars and trains go into their "parking lots", which are actually made of washi tape stuck onto an aircon trunking. |
:: Toys: I'm glad that we've enforced "clean-up time" every night, since I find it extremely tiring to keep picking up toys that are scattered all over the house! During that time, little boy and I go around picking up toys/books and putting them back, and I ensure that he helps (some days he is reluctant to, but making it into a game makes him more willing to chip in... and he also cleans up when I remind him that "Papa will step on the toys and fall down, OUCH!". For some reason, he will only pick up his toys if its Papa falling down. Doesn't matter if I do! :p). There are fixed storage areas for his various toys (and other bits and bobs just go into a big basket), so he knows where each item goes, and that really helps since you don't need to keep directing him. :)
These are just some ways that Junior J has been helping out around the house. While it took awhile to teach him some of these "habits", I'm glad we did! How do you get your little ones to help around the house? Do share!
