Unfortunately, your baby isn’t quite old enough to take on his fair share of the household chores just yet. Don’t be disheartened though, in a couple of years he’ll be begging you to let him wash up (you’ll have to redo it after) and load the washing machine (you’ll need to sneakily remove the red sock from your white wash when he’s not looking) and water the garden (hello, lawn-sized muddy puddle). In the meantime, you’ll just have to make do with his company while you do your own chores. The idea of doing chores while looking after your baby may seem impossible, but there are plenty of chores that babies seriously love to get involved with. Here are five household chores your baby will love:
- Sorting the laundry
Sorting the laundry. Boring, right? Wrong. The laundry basket is an Aladdin’s cave of wonderful colors, textures and shapes. Your baby will love the laundry basket. He will climb in it, throw clothes out of it and then put clothes back in it. Admittedly, this may slow down your actual sorting of the laundry but it’ll make for some damn cute photo opportunities. To make the most out of this opportunity, talk to your baby about the color, shape and type of clothes as you sort. Remember, the more words your baby hears throughout the day, the more opportunities he has to develop his language skills.
- Gardening
For a person who loves to get messy, who is fascinated by bugs and who loves fresh air, gardening is the perfect way to spend an afternoon. Make sure your baby is wearing some mud-worthy clothes (that mud probably won’t ever really wash off, no matter how hard you try) and has adequate sun protection on. If it’s a warm day, you should set your baby up in the shade to avoid direct sunlight. Your baby will love exploring the different smells, textures and sights on offer in the garden. If you give him a spade he might even help you with your digging. Keep an eye on him though, you don’t want him to eat the mud.
- Cleaning
Your baby probably isn’t going to be much use for cleaning windows or dusting spider webs from the ceiling, but that doesn’t mean he’s afraid of getting stuck into the cleaning. If you have some cleaning planned, invite your baby to join you. Make sure he has his own clean cloth to play with and let him go crazy scrubbing the floors alongside you. Keep him away from any cleaning chemicals you might be using.
- Cooking
Babies aren’t famed for their culinary skills, but that doesn’t mean they don’t know their way around the kitchen. Give your baby a great start in life by inviting him to get involved in cooking family meals early on. He’s not old enough to use a sharp knife yet, but he can help out by passing you vegetables you ask for. Make sure he’s situated somewhere safe, away from the sharp knives and hot stove, and talk to him about what you’re doing.
- Look after the animals
If you have companion animals, your baby can get involved with helping to take care of them. You can help to teach your child compassion and kindness by modeling the correct way to treat the family pet. Your baby can accompany you on dog walks to the local park and can even help out with feeding greens to the rabbits. As your child gets older, he’ll be able to get involved in more aspects of animal care but, for now, even the basics can be fun. You’ll need to supervise your baby with the animals at all times. Remember, your baby doesn’t know the appropriate way to act around animals yet so it’s your job to keep him (and the animals) safe.
Which household chores does your baby love helping out with?
Written by Fiona (@Fiona_Peacock), mother, writer and lover of all things baby related.
This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2016. All rights reserved.