The Mom Files

Okay, hear me out. I am not suggesting giving your toddler a chore. But also it is kinda a daily “chore”. Honestly it needs to be done, he is usually awake when I need to do laundry, so why not include him?

Start at an Appropriate Age for your Child

Every child is different, some might help with the laundry at 16 months some might at 22 months. I would suggest waiting until your child is a good walker. Because walking with something in their hands might be a bit dangerous if they are still a bit wobbly. For context: I started doing this at 15 months or so, he was not able to form coherent words but has been walking for about 3 months.

Have a Little Helper Around the House (Which They LOVE!)

Our house gets messy real quick. I am just being real, it’s hard sometimes to keep on top of it. So why not let your child be your little helper? For example, we have a small house so a hamper would not fit in our bedroom, which means our clothes have a designated spot on the floor. So in the morning when my toddler comes to our bed we kinda snuggle, I drink coffee and he plays. Then we get out of the bed, air the sheets, make the bed, and put yesterday’s laundry in the machine. I simply asked him if he wanted to help and before I knew it he was doing it before I even asked. He would be all giddy and happy to do the “chore”. Honestly otherwise he would have just watched me do it, so I decided to include him and he LOVES it. I will tell you how we did it.

Make it a routine

The key to this is ROUTINE. Keep doing it yourself and keep including your toddler. Ask if they want to help, my toddler couldn’t speak yet, but he understood exactly what I meant. Maybe the first 5 times they won’t want to help yet, or they don’t understand. Just tell them what you are doing while you are doing it and sooner than later they will catch on.

After a month or so we started to include it into his bedtime routine, when I changed him into his pajamas I would give him his dirty clothes and he brings them to the laundry hamper.

Make it Fun

You might be lucky to have a toddler that just likes to bring their laundry to the hamper, but probably not. Make it more fun by praising your child, telling them “good job” or “you found the hamper all by yourself!”. Or for example, I let my son close the washing machine, which he absolutely loves to do. DO BE CAREFUL THOUGH! It can be quite painful if a hand comes in between, make sure you teach your child the proper way of closing it.

Don’t Force it

Please do note that your toddler, just like mine, will have days that he just doesn’t want to do it. Or he will put the laundry in the most ridiculous places. That’s okay! I myself even have those days. But don’t try to force this onto your child, it should be a fun learning activity while you also get things done.

These tips might not be rocket science, but I hope they help! Just know that every child develops in their own speed. If your toddler doesn’t understand it yet, let it go and try again in a few weeks.

Until next time,
Romina

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