Baby Chore Time!

Okay. Keeping a clean house with little kids is like owning a cat and expecting to never find cat hair in your mouth, your clothes and your food. But there is help! We're happy to announce we have found a solution for you! the BABY MOP!

Top 5 reasons you NEED a baby mop:

1. Teach your baby a strong work ethic early on in their life.
2. Your baby will learn not to drop and waste food.
3. Baby will get a nice workout, burn off energy, and do muscle toning. And sleep better too!
4. Not having to clean your floors saves you time so you can spend it doing things you enjoy.
5. Save lots of money on house cleaning costs.

For more details watch the video! Read the Huffington Post article for serious reviews!

So funny! I totally laughed when I saw this. And read the comments. People thought it was serious and had some serious concerns! I wonder how many of these they've actually sold?

In any case...kids and clean don't really go together. I grew up in a large family of 11 kids and we always had chores to do. My dad would try to convince us that "we're a team! we all need to pull our own weight." and we really did have to (even though I didn't' believe him). I remember one night my sister and I had gone to bed without mopping the kitchen floor. Mom had asked us several times and we said "we'd get to it" and would skip off to play in the tree-house. I was probably 11 and my sister 13. Our dad got home late from work and mom was frustrated (rightfully so - 11 kids!! Dirty floors!) and so he woke us up (it was probably 11:30 or so) and marched us into the kitchen and had us on our hands and knees with rags and buckets while he leaned back on one of the kitchen chairs eating ice cream and watching us. It was actually pretty fun towards the end....it took us a while to finish the rather large kitchen space but once we finished, we all shared ice cream. I don't know what was said, but toward the end of the night we were laughing and having a good time. AND we knew that if we didn't do our chores...their would be consequences. I really appreciate that about my parents - they were fairly clear about the consequences (good and bad) if we did or didn't do what was asked us. My mom is a saint for doing what they're doing.

Chores are an important thing for kids to learn to do and to take responsibility for! When I was a sophomore in college, I was the resident assistant for the incoming female freshmen and SO many of these girls didn't know how to clean....I still shake my head over some of their attempts. In any case! its important. it takes time and young kinds can't be expected to do certain chores above their developmental understanding. That's why, when I found this chart, I had to share it!

Photo Credit

Its from this website and comes in English and Spanish.

Remember, every child is different! You know your children the best and know what would work for them given their strengths and weaknesses. But it can be done! Maybe your house is never perfectly clean (do those people/houses exist??), but at least you can feel the satisfaction of trying! Good luck!

What do you think? Is it a decent assessment? What would you change? What would you add? What are solutions you've found in your home?