Do you want to know how to manage your home with a baby? Here are 15 tips to keep your house clean with a baby.

As the mom of a 5-month-old, I can honestly say keeping the house clean and under control is sometimes a challenge.

Getting into the groove of a solid cleaning routine is easier said than done. You often have to drop what you’re doing throughout the day to attend to your baby’s needs.

But it is possible to keep your house clean and under control.

These 15 tips will help you to balance keeping your house tidy with a baby.

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QUICK LINKS

✅This is the Living Well Planner that I use to plan out my days, weeks, months, and year. It is my favorite physical planner because it has hourly time blocks & a lot of other resources.

✅Download our Free Sample Schedule Worksheets here. These will help you make a realistic schedule for each week so you can plan out your days and manage your time well.

✅Download our Free Daily Cleaning Roadmap here. Inside you’ll find daily cleaning checklists, and the tasks are listed in the order you should do them in.

✅Get $30 off of Instacart here and save time by ordering grocery pickup or delivery. Having to leave the house less allows me to have more time for my home and baby.

✅This is my referral link to get $5 when you turn in your first receipt with Ibotta. You can get cash back with Ibotta for Walmart Grocery Pickup & Delivery if you order groceries through the Ibotta app. (They almost always have baby items you can get cash back on, such as wipes & diapers.)

✅This is a countertop dishwasher on Amazon like the one I have. It’s more convenient than doing dishes by hand. It’s also more affordable & takes up less space than a traditional dishwasher.

✅This is a baby swing on Amazon like the one we have. It keeps our baby occupied so I can get things done.

✅This is the Infantino baby carrier I wear my baby in. It allows me to clean and get things done while my baby is right there snuggled with me.

✅This is a baby bouncer on Amazon that both rocks & bounces. I have a bouncer in our bedroom that I put my daughter in when I’m tidying up in our room.

 

 

1.) Accept help from those you trust.

 

 

If your spouse, family members, or friends offer to help you with your home, accept it. 

And keep in mind that their help doesn’t need to be perfect to lighten your load.

Other people are not going to clean things the same way you do. Your baby’s father may not clean baby bottles or change diapers the exact same way as you.

And that’s okay, because you’re different people, and no one is going to do everything perfectly.

Just be grateful for any help you can get, and receive it. Whether it’s help with the dishes, the yard, a meal you didn’t have to cook, help with the baby, or something else, you have less to worry about when you accept help.

Also, don’t be afraid to ask for help yourself if you need it.

It’s okay to ask for your family’s help with cleaning the house and other tasks.

Caring for a baby takes a lot of time and energy. So there is nothing wrong with asking for an extra hand when needed.

You may even have friends or neighbors you trust that are willing to help out.

 

2.) Don’t overwork yourself & rest as needed.

 

 

Taking care of an infant can be exhausting, especially in the newborn stage. 

Get enough sleep and don’t burn yourself out.

If you’re still recovering postpartum, make sure you’re not doing housework before your body can handle it.

After I had my last baby, my midwife told me not to do any housework for 2 weeks. (Just a note, I had a natural birth with only minor tearing. If I’d had more complications or a C-section, I likely would’ve had to wait longer.)

And it was tough to wait those 2 weeks. But I listened to her for the most part, minus 1 load of laundry and dishes each. 

(I didn’t carry a heavy clothes basket, though. I had someone else lift it for me.)

But the point is, you want to make sure your body is able to physically heal after your birth. 

And even after the postpartum stage, you don’t want to overwhelm yourself by doing too much.

Be sure to also take time for self-care, doing at least small things every day that bring you joy and make you feel taken care of. This will help you to feel refreshed so you can handle your bigger responsibilities.

 

3.) Take advantage of baby’s naptime.

 

 

When my baby naps, I take advantage of it in basically 1 of 2 ways. 

I either take a nap with her if I’m tired, which helps me to be re-energized…or I get things done, like cleaning or cooking, while she sleeps.

Naptime can definitely be a great time to catch up on rest so you have energy to clean later.

Or it can be an opportunity to clean while your baby is resting.

Just be sure to have your baby nap in a safe location.

You’ll want to periodically check on your baby, use a baby monitor, or have them nap in the same room you’re cleaning in (assuming you aren’t using products that are unsafe for them to be around or kicking up dust near them.)

 

4.) Schedule time for cleaning.

 

 

✅I personally use The Living Well Planner to schedule out each day of the week.

I have used many other planners in the past. But this is by far my favorite physical planner, and I’ve been using it for years.

The Living Well Planner has hourly time blocks to help you schedule out your day realistically.

✅If you need help getting started with making a daily schedule, download our free Sample Schedule Worksheets here. 

5.) Do a daily cleaning routine.

 

 

Maintaining a clean house means you will need to spend less time cleaning.

It took me years to understand this concept. 

But daily going through a list of what should be clean and only doing the things that need to be done will save time overall.

If you aren’t in a great cleaning routine, download our free Daily Cleaning Roadmap.

It provides daily cleaning checklists for each room. And it also lists tasks in the best order of how to clean your house.

All this said, it can be hard to get back into the groove of cleaning after having a baby. And even as your baby gets older, it can be challenging at times to be consistent.

Remember to give yourself some grace during this time.

 

6.) Prioritize the most important tasks.

 

 

When it comes to cleaning, there are 3 things I recommend prioritizing when you have a baby.

➡Those tasks are dishes, laundry, and picking up & taking out the trash.

So basically, if you don’t have time to do everything that needs to be done, keep up with these 3 things.

Staying on top of dishes will make your kitchen and house look cleaner. But it also streamlines you being able to eat and prepare food.

Keeping up on dishes daily will prevent stress when it’s time to eat and prepare meals. 

You don’t want all of your plates, silverware, or pots and pans dirty when it’s time to eat or cook.

It’s already harder to prepare food with a baby. So you want to always have items that are clean and ready to use.

Doing all of your dishes at least once a day should be sufficient to ensure you have enough clean dishes and cookware for every time you need to eat or cook. 

If you’re using bottles, pacifiers, or other baby items that need to be washed or sterilized, include cleaning these as part of your daily dishes. 

Even if you wash them differently than your regular dishes, you’ll want to make sure you stay on top of these daily too.

Dirty dishes need to be brought to the sink or dishwasher to be washed from wherever they’re located around the house. This includes dishes that may contain expired food in the fridge, or even dishes that may be in your car.

➡Note: If you don’t have a dishwasher and are struggling with doing dishes by hand, you can get a countertop dishwasher. This is a lot less expensive than a regular dishwasher, it doesn’t need installation, and takes up less space.

This is a countertop dishwasher on Amazon like the one I have.

 

When it comes to staying on top of laundry, aim to wash all of your dirty clothes each week.

Decide if it’s easier to do a whole laundry day or to work through your loads throughout the week, doing a load or 2 each day until it’s all done. 

Personally, I find it hard to do all of my family’s laundry in a single day.

We have 7 people that clothes need to be washed for. My stepkids, the oldest 2 kids, wash their own. But there isn’t really enough time for everyone to wash theirs the same day. 

So currently I do laundry maybe 2 or 3 days a week. Then my stepkids will wash theirs another day. 

I recommend using a timer or setting an alarm to remind yourself to switch the loads when they’re done or to put the clothes away after they’re dry.

(You don’t want to leave wet clothes in the washer for too long because they’ll start to stink. And they’ll need to be re-washed- not fun.)

Part of keeping up with laundry means keeping clean clothes put away and putting dirty clothes in the hamper.

Bring all of your dirty clothes to your laundry room/area either when a hamper gets full or when it’s time to wash them. 

These things will go a long way to keep your house looking cleaner. 

In general, dishes and laundry are the 2 types of dirty clutter I recommend that you stay on top of.

However, I also added taking care of trash to the priorities of tasks to do to keep your house clean with a baby. 

With a baby, unless you’re using cloth diapers, you’re going to have a lot of dirty diapers in the garbage.

The trash will need to be taken out more than before you had an infant.

So if you’re staying on top of dishes, laundry, and trash, your house won’t have too much to make it look or feel dirty. 

If you don’t get around to the other tasks on your daily cleaning checklist, your house shouldn’t get too bad. And most of the other tasks you can get away with not doing every day without your house looking like a disaster.

So at least try to keep up with these 3 things daily.

 

7.) Streamline other areas of life where you can.

 

 

Babies require a lot of your time.

So the more you can automate things in your life that regularly need to be done, the easier it will be to manage your home as a whole, including keeping it clean.

Some things that will help are getting groceries delivered or ordering them online to be picked up, meal planning, hiring someone to help clean, or having someone watch the baby while you clean. And maybe there are other things you can think of as well that will save you time.

Personally, since having my 5-month-old, I get groceries delivered more than I physically go to the store.

To save time, I sometimes use Instacart to order groceries for stores such as Wegmans and Aldi.

If you are new to Instacart, you can use my referral code to get 30 dollars off.

Instacart has a large variety of stores that participate in grocery delivery and pickup. 

 

 

I also use Walmart delivery too.

Something I like about using Walmart Grocery Pickup & Delivery is that if you connect your Walmart account, you can order through the Ibotta app and get cash back for different brands you purchase, both for food and non-food items. 

They almost always have cash back for baby products, such as diapers and wipes. 

You can use Ibotta to get cash back for in-store purchases too, by submitting your receipt for items you purchased that are listed on the app as offers.

To date, I’ve gotten over $2700 in cash back by using Ibotta for the last few years.

I believe Ibotta is still giving new users $5 for free with the first time you redeem a receipt. 

Meal planning is something else that can save time, whether you are planning your own meals before you go shopping or using a meal planning service. 

Some meal planning services also will send you the food too. Although I personally haven’t tried any of them myself, I know a lot of busy parents have found them to be helpful. 

I currently just plan out my own meals each week before I go shopping.

Additionally, hiring someone even for a couple hours each week to help clean or even to watch the baby while you clean or get a break can also go a long way in helping you to keep your house in order. 

Of course, you’d only want to hire someone you can trust with your child and in your home.

 

8.) Have a place nearby where you can safely put your baby. 

 

 

I like to have a safe place to set my baby down in every room I’m in for any length of time, or at the very least, that’s on the same floor of the house that I’m on.

Some options are a baby bouncer, baby swing, and/or a portable bassinet.  Every baby is different with how well they do being put down in different places.

For my current baby, when she’s awake, she does best being put in her swing.

It has music and a baby mobile which helps keep her occupied and content.

I also have a baby bouncer that both rocks and bounces that I put her in.

 

9.) Wear your baby in a baby carrier or baby wrap. 

 

 

I personally wear my baby in a baby carrier for at least some of the time I clean, as well as when I do other things around the house.

➡This is the Infantino baby carrier I use.

I love this carrier because it is adjustable as your baby gets bigger. There are 4 different positions you can use it in depending on your baby’s age and size. 

It’s designed to be used for babies as small as 8 lbs and can be used even through the toddler stage.

It makes it easier when I have to bring my baby shopping too, because she doesn’t always want to stay in her car seat in the cart, but she does well in the baby carrier.

 

10.) Stick to cleaning supplies that are non-toxic, limit what you use around your baby, & ventilate the areas you clean.

 

 

One study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that “frequent use of household cleaning products in early life was associated with an increased risk for childhood wheeze and asthma.”

And there could be other risks for children as well.

It’s important to limit the products you use or how much you use, opt for cleaners that are natural/non-toxic, and make sure to keep the areas you’re cleaning well-ventilated.

This will make it easier for you to clean while you’re wearing your baby, or while your baby is in the same room or nearby. 

The more consistent you are with cleaning, the less you’ll find yourself needing stronger supplies, which in turn makes it easier for you to safely clean around your baby.

For ventilation, open a window or get the air flowing, especially if you’re using any chemicals or sprays. 

 

11.) Use a countdown timer.

 

 

Having a set amount of time you plan to clean each day makes it easier for you to build a routine and stick to your schedule.

✅Using a countdown timer will help you to focus on cleaning, follow through on the time you schedule, and be more efficient.

When the timer goes off, you can stop.

Of course, with a baby, you may have to pause the timer to tend to their needs from time to time. And then when the baby is taken care of, you can pick up where you left off.

 

12.) Tidy up the bathroom when you’re already in there using it.

 

 

So long as your baby is in a safe place and doesn’t urgently need you, make it your goal to clean/tidy one area of the bathroom each time you’re in there already. 

As busy as you may be, you’re still going to make time to use the bathroom, I promise.

Cleaning it little by little like this will be helpful if you’re struggling to clean to whole bathroom at once.

Note: Bathrooms tend to be one of the areas people use the strongest products for. So if you’re bringing your baby in the bathroom with you, I only recommend cleaning while they’re present if you aren’t using strong cleaning supplies. 

Natural cleaning supplies that aren’t toxic or dangerous for them to breathe in would be best in this case. And you’ll definitely want to open a window or make sure the room is well-ventilated.

 

13.) Do kitchen cleaning tasks as you’re waiting for food to heat up.

 

 

Load the dishwasher or wipe down your kitchen surfaces when your food is heating up in the microwave, oven, toaster, or even when it’s on the stove (when you don’t need to stir it.) 

I usually reheat food in the oven, which gives me about 10-15 minutes to tidy the kitchen as I’m waiting. And I’ll set a timer so I don’t forget to take it out.

 

14.) Do a quick tidy-up after baby is asleep at night. 

 

 

If you have enough energy, do a 5 minute tidy-up session at the end of the day. 

This will help you to wake up with a clean house- or at least a cleaner house- the next day.

To make it more fun, put on your favorite song and tidy up until it’s done playing.

 

15.) Be intentional about when you do laundry.

 

 

Carry baskets full of clothes when you don’t need to hold the baby. 

There are a lot of tasks I will do while I have my baby in her baby carrier, but carrying heavy items or full laundry baskets is not one of them.

Wait until your baby is napping, being held/watched by someone else you trust, or content in a safe location, such as a baby swing, crib, or bouncer. 

I know you already know this, but as a disclaimer, I just want to say to make sure you never leave a baby unattended in a bath, in a location where they are unsupervised with pets or animals, or on a surface they could roll off of or fall from, such as a bed, couch, or changing table. 

(Of course, this is important all the time, not just when you’re doing laundry.)

It’s always best to use a baby monitor if you aren’t going to be in the same room as them, especially if it will be for at least a few minutes or longer.

If you need to do laundry and don’t have the circumstances to put the baby down, you can wear them in a baby wrap or baby carrier and transport clothes by handfuls or in laundry bags instead of attempting to carrying a heavy large clothes basket while you have the baby. 

Just be careful to hold and support your baby the right way and keep them in safe positions, if you need to bend over during the process of doing laundry. 

For example, you may need to bend over to put in or take clothes out of the washer or dryer. 

So just be careful if you are holding or wearing your baby, that they are safe and not going to slip out of the carrier or be bumped into something as you bend and move around.

So those are 15 tips to keep your house clean with a baby.

By prioritizing what you do and how and when you do things, you’ll be able to keep your house under control as you adjust to managing your time with the newest member of your family.

✅Don’t forget to download our Daily Cleaning Roadmap so you can get into a good cleaning routine each day. 

 

 

And stay tuned for our next Podcast or Post, where we discuss tips for keeping your house clean after growing up in a messy house.

If you’ve signed up for our Daily Cleaning Roadmap or are already on our email list and stay subscribed, we’ll notify you when new Podcasts or Posts are published.

Thanks for listening and have a great day!

 

 

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