logistics: how to tote infant around 3 story house while doing chores?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You don't need a carrier, you need a housecleaning service. Or to relax your standards a tiny bit on account that you had a baby 21 days ago.

Must the coffee table really be polished?[b] I mean, that's your call of course. But ... why? Can you articulate why?

No kidding! OP said she had a 3 year old toddler. I give it 15 minutes before the toddler puts her fingerprints all over it. In fact, we elimintated teh coffee table. Just easier (and more spacious).

[Anonymous]

I COMPLETELY agree with 15:04. OP, you may be Wonder Woman but I was not. I was up after a few days (v birth, not c section) and after about a month of trying to keep everything tidy and playing with older DC, b-feeding, pumping, etc I felt TERRIBLE and was sick as a dog and ended up in the hospital. Forget the F-in polishing of the table and enjoy your little one. Seriously. PLEASE!

[Anonymous]

If you can swing a cleaning lady, I highly recommend it. I have someone come every 2 weeks and they do sheets, bathrooms, vacuum stairs, stuff that doesn't have to be done constantly. Any light dusting or picking up is done daily as I can fit it in. The baby is definitely #1 and I could care less about everything else.

[Anonymous]

OP here

I am an antsy sort of person, I guess. It's not like I love cleaning house, but I do like (a) having a clean house and (b) not sitting on my butt for days and days and days on end. (I can sit on my butt for days and days... just not days and days and days). And once I get started on something (oh, let me just get that little thing over there cleaned; um, and that; oh, and I see something in the corner), it's hard for me to stop. Don't pretend there aren't lots of people like this!

At any rate, the point isn't to ask if I am doing too much, but on the days that one is actually on a successful cleaning jag, wonder how folks manage with a wee one. When the MIL leaves, I'm not sure I actually will get anything done when it comes to housekeeping! I've relied on her to give me "just two hours" which often turns into three or four.

I have to say, when our first child was a wee babe, our Magnificant Amazing Nanny/Professional Domestic Goddess managed to keep our (small)house spotless, laundry done, everything put away by the time we parents got home (I was working FT back then). She set the bar very, very high!

For those who provided them, thanks for the child-tote suggestions! At this point, I think I'm going to go with a bouncy seat on every level that's light and narrow enough to move through doorways very easily. I'll just have to focus on one level of the house at a time, so I can keep an eye on my toddler, too, who likes to "love on" her baby sister sometimes not gently enough.