At what age were your twins when you didn't have to clean the floor

I am new to all of this mom-stuff, and I am tired of cleaning the floor 3x/day, and am wondering how much longer I will be doing this for? For some reason poopy diapers don't bother me, but the mess that comes along with feeding them does!

 

Mine are 3 now, and we sometimes forget to clean the floor for a day or so. Some meals are worse than others.

I'd say it got a lot better around 2.5, but not much before that (sorry). I hear you -- I got so sick of cleaning the high chair trays and sweeping/wiping the floor Every.Single.Time.

 

I HATE to mop. I will clean the toilet 6x a day, but please don't make me mop. So, I bought a giant roll of butcher block paper for about $10 from our wholesale club that is at least 50 yards if not more. When we have really messy meals where I know there is going to be a ton of stuff on the floor I roll it out under their highchairs. When they are done I roll it up and throw it away. It contains 99% of the mess.

I can't even begin to tell you how much faster the clean up is and how much happier I am. You remember those Mastercard commericals?

spagetti - $8
butcher paper - $10

not having to mop the floor - priceless.

 

It really depends on the meal, but for the messy stuff my 5 yr old is usually the only one who doesnt make a mess. My 4 year old is usually pretty good about it, if she would just sit still! The twins sit in those booster seats that you strap to the chair, and I removed the trays so they could eat at the table, so they are also usually pretty good about it, but there is bound to be SOMETHING on the floor after every meal! Even if it is just one piece of macaroni noodle or whatever. There is usually still something on the floor, but not to the point of having to actually mop/srub the floor.

Edited to say that the butcher paper is a GREAT idea! If I just had two in high chairs I would definitely look into that, but since mine all sit at the table now, it would be a little hard to maneuver the paper from under every chair and under the table. I have thought of getting one of those big plastic runners in hopes that it would be easier to clean.. but I havent done anything yet.

 

My girls can clean up after themselves now at three. They know that they can't throw things on the floor or they go to time-out; they are old enough to follow table rules. But, they can't do a great job, so I still clean up after them even now.

 

It's the main reason I'm glad I have dogs... lol.

 

Depending on what I feed my boys and how carefully I monitor them in their chairs, I can sometimes get away with one or two meals per day staying on the tray completely! Then there are things like rice, pasta, beans, etc.... that inevitably end up all over the place!!

 

Get a dog, beagles do a marvelous job with clean up! They may also steal the food out of wandering toddlers...i am happy to report I will never have a sandwhich in my DVD player...it wont make it out of the dining room. My boys know that you have to sit at the table to eat or the dog will steal your food

 

One thing that helps is to have the kids help clean up the mess. I started doing this when they were about 2 and after a few times, they stopped making a mess :laughing: They still do every once in a while but generally, they are pretty clean now.

 

I'd say around 2 1/2. Some days are messier than others, it depends on the food.

 

We have a dog.
I always just called the dog in after they eat. :bubble:

 

:rotflmbo:




Oooooh you are serious :blink: uuummmmmm I'll let you know.

 

I noticed a big difference in how much went on the floor when we moved them up to the regular dining table with us, around 18 months. Before that, it was a constant clean up.

 

Our twins aren't here yet. But the dogs are great for clean up after our 18 mo old. :banana:

 

Hmmmm...I'll let you know when it happens.

I still have to sweep after almost every meal depending on what they are eating.

 

Mine don't make as much of a mess as they used to. But, they also clean up after themselves now. I have carpet under the table and bought a little rechargeable sweeper that they love to use. They wipe off their placemat and seat and sweep under the table. It is part of their daily chores. But, I still have to go back over it about once a day if I want it done really well.

 

QUOTE(Meximeli @ Mar 5 2009, 03:07 PM) [snapback]1215922[/snapback]
We have a dog.
I always just called the dog in after they eat. :bubble:

:laughing: That's great!!

Mine are 3 and I never clean the floor after meals. I think I stopped having to do that when they started sitting at the table and not high chairs. About 30 months.

 

Some kids are just sloppy eaters. I still have to clean the floor about 50% of the time after my 8 year old. About 60% of the time for my almost 6 year old. And almost always after my almost two year olds. I just get down on my hands and knees and clean up with an old cloth diaper. I do this about 6 times a day. :angry: White tile floors. Who's idea was that!

 

QUOTE(PRJP @ Mar 5 2009, 01:48 PM) [snapback]1215496[/snapback]
Get a dog, beagles do a marvelous job with clean up! They may also steal the food out of wandering toddlers...i am happy to report I will never have a sandwhich in my DVD player...it wont make it out of the dining room. My boys know that you have to sit at the table to eat or the dog will steal your food


LMAO! I saw this title and was like, "Shoot. Am I supposed to clean the floor after they eat?" OOPS! LOL! We too have a beagle...she eats ALMOST everything...as in she does not touch the vegetables(darn peas) and some fruit as well. And she also has taken a wandering cracker out of a wandering hand...I only found out after hearing the wailing! Boy was he not happy!

 

Mine are 2 and I don't have to clean the floor EVERY TIME anymore (but 80% of the time...sorry to tell you).

 

Oh gosh, I had fun reading some of the post. It would have been so NICE to have a dog to lick it off the floor for us. I like the idea of butcher paper but it is too late. I'd have to say around 2.5 years old they get better without making a huge mess onto the floor/table/chair. I hate working with spagetti or mac & cheese, or applesauce as I still find them on the booster seat and/or on the floor sometimes. I spent time a lot of time scrubbing them off our table and their booster seat. They can't just get off the booster seat on their own without touching the table/chair. I tell them hands UP all the way to the bathroom after breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They know the drill, thank god!

They hate their bibs and that goes for washing their shirts too. Ugh!
RJ

 

Erm. I've got sad news. My DS is 8 and my DSS is nine, and I *still* have to sweep after meals. Hell, my DH is 37 and I still have to sweep after meals.

 

I was going to post many many time the usefulness of the dog. I don't think I could have done the last few years without him. We actually were wondering why he keeps getting so fat cause we only feed him weight reduced formula dog food. When my girlfriend suggested it was because off all the "cleaning up" he does under the table, I was like DUH! I never realized how much he probably does eat. But thank goodness cause I hardly ever have to sweep the floor unless they have carrots. Apparently they aren't his favorite! I only mop twice a week.