My husband and I already share an equal part in housework/chores, and when we had our twins, a friend bought us the best baby gift ever- three months of maid services (we had them come every other week) and after those months were up, we have had her continue. However, we are on a "call when we need her" basis and not a set schedule which allows us to avoid the cost if we have some time to clean (yeah, right!) or if we are tight on cash. It has seriously relieved stress, since we are both full time working parents.

Umm...None of the above. I did it all myself even more, I became a SAH & had the time. My newborn slept most of the day away & didn't make a mess. I could use the help much more now having a 1.5yr old & a 3yr old at home all day with me than when I had one newborn.

You should add an option of "None of the above. I lowered my standards and just live with mess now!"

LOL to the previous comment.

I said "yes" but really the answer is 'not until we had 4 kids ages 2 and up and I was going insane.

ten-four ejwagner!

We hired a cleaning lady when I had my second baby. It was a waste of money for us, and we stopped asking her to come after the 3rd time. My mom and DH both helped with the baby and the chores. I had time to clean and cook during the "honeymoon". DH did the laundry after the kids were asleep.
I agree with CityParkMom. We should have saved the money for the occasional babysitter now that our kids are older.

this is interesting....we had a cleaning lady come every other week prior to the birth of our first. as soon as she was born, we stopped having the housekeeper come. it was just such a hassle to have her come with our unpredictable napping schedule and seemed to make things so much more difficult.

we now do it all ourselves which is easier and is so much more satisfying.

We hired a cleaning crew (3 ladies) come in. They are fabulous! We hired them because I am a neat freak and my husband is not. I was tired of picking up after him. They have really helped our marriage. The only thing we argue about now is world politics.

definitely hired a cleaning lady to come every other week. felt extremely guilty about it (that whole supermom complex) but with my husband working crazy hours and me being a SAHM for first 1.5 years with little to no help, it was just one less thing to worry about and more time to focus on the baby. now, if we can just get a cook! that would be fabulous (and way beyond our budget), i can dream!

Man oh man, those of you who like to do it yourselves, please come to my house.

I tried to do it all myself, only using hired housecleaning once every two -three months, and I've been doing it this way for two years. I have recently decided to ramp it up and have someone come once a week because I am out so much with my kiddo, and the messes are much larger. I'm not a stay-at-home mom who stays home all day.

Yeah, I need that unlisted option of "lived in squalor." We foolishly did not hire help forever honestly because it wasn't the dirtiness that we couldn't handle (I am pretty handy with a mop), it was the clutter that we just couldn't tame. Now that we have three little kids I finally found two ladies that have excellent rates and a really flexible schedule. With someone else doing the cleaning, my flex time can be used to pick up clutter, which majorly helps me. I was pretty sure only the rich and famous got cleaning help, but now I realize that if I'd only known what a major godsend it would be, I would have figured out a way to budget for it long ago.

With 3 kids 3 and under, we had to make a decision about cleaning. We were either going to pay for a cleaning service to come for a few hours a week while I watched the kids or pay for a sitter to come for an entire day while I cleaned the house. We took the cleaning service.

I wish I wish I wish we could afford a cleaner to come once a week. We both share the housework but it's very hard to find time to clean the WHOLE house once a week or so. I feel like we're just keeping up with the mess and the dirt instead of staying atop of it all. We've recently taken a serious look at our finances and hopefully will be able to budget for a cleaner, at least every other week!

Oh and I want to share a good trick with you, I found it when I googled something like "quick house cleaning tips". If your kids are old enough that you don't have to support them physically while they're in the bath, but just need to be in the room with them, use the time to clean the bathroom! I scrub the sink and the toilet bowl, I hoover (vacum?) the floor and after my son is in bed i quickly scrub the bath and mop the floor. Now that's multi tasking!!!

Yup, I finally figured out only recently what Harpa figured out, that it just can't be done all at once. I am a SAHM and seemingly have a lot of time on my hands, but watching two kids under the age of three (the youngest crawling) is pretty time/energy consuming. I would love to have cleaning help but the one time I did a few days before giving birth to our first baby, the cleaners ruined our stove by using the wrong cleaner and I found dust and dirt everywhere after they left. It just wasn't the same as doing it myself. However, now I would like to work at home part-time so I may need to parcel this job out so that I can still spend as much time as I want with my kids.

We are about to ahve our second child & considered having a cleaning service. Good to see the different points of view.
One thing I have started doing the last 7 months is a meal assembly shop- called Dream Dinners (there's also a Super Suppers) and this has been great for our family! When our 2nd baby comes it will be even more helpful. It's a franchise -they are all over the states so you can look into it at dreamdinners.com We love it

Hey I know this post is about cleaning, but cooking & cleaning often go together. I found some articles on how to go about doing freezer dinners yourself. Lots of good ideas & recipes.
http://www.organizedhome.com/freezer-cooking-guide
Also a good website for families!

This is an old thread by now, but it popped up in a search so what the hey - my husband persuaded me to OK a housecleaner the last month I was pregnant, when tub cleaning was impossible. She came every two weeks for the first three months, and then we moved to once a month. We keep the house tidy and wiped down, she scrubs deeper when she comes...I especially like the scoured fridge. She doesn't detail the way I do (light switches! baseboards!), but I've made my peace with it. It's $60 and we never have to say 'it's time to deep clean the bathroom, how about we do that Saturday?'.

Go ejwagner!! Hee hee.

Hey, how about cleaning PERSON? Not everyone who cleans professionally is a woman, people.

I used to clean professionally. Now I give my own house a big cleaning about every other week. My daughter is old enough not to hinder me, though I do sometimes take her to Grandma and Grandpas so she, and they, can have some fun while I work. My husband and I actually share duties equally, which still amazes me. I know so many couples where everything falls to the woman. Of course some of the duties are still mine - I do the bathroom and take care of the floors. He's in charge of garbage, recycling, shoveling and lawn care. We share everything else.

When I cleaned professionally I loved cleaning for the friend who would tell me her house was SO dirty, and I'd come over and it would really not be. Then I would make it spotless. I'm totally OCD and she tells me all the time how she misses me, but I have a neuroma on my foot and the grandparents can't always take the kid.

Now she has people that "clean for god." Apparently, they do a good job.