It can be very hard. Make it a game for her or ask her for her help. Make it sound like you can’t do it without her special skills (i.e. make her feel special and wanted) to try to make her feel involved in your activites. Also make sure you spend some qualtiy time with her so she doesn’t feel second best to the housework. It’s a hard balance but housework can wait. They’re only little for such a short amount of time and she’ll be off to kinder and school before you know it

I try to do it with her as a game, but not easy so to be honest I try to keep her stuff in a place she cannot access without my permission. If one box of toys is open, we won’t open the other one until the first one has been put away. Good luck!

If you let her take charge now then you’re in for years of trouble. You need to show you are the parent and she is the child. Maybe have a day box for toys … the ones she can play with today and the ones she has to put back into the box. Lay down the ground rules … learn to say no. Get out and meet some other mothers at play groups to get some ideas.

I have the same issues. I hear 3 is worse

My 5yr and 9yr old love to create a mess. We tidy up together before dinner, dinner is not getting on the table until it is tidy and we all help. It has become an activity that is fun.
2yr old is rather young to do constructive housework. They can help, but will not always be constructive in the way they help; realise they still have to learn and be patient.
Staying up until 1am to do homework doesn’t sound reasonable to me; it would be good to relax a little. Give yourself a hour of cleaning after she’s gone to bed and that’s it, no more; tomorrow is a new day !

There are, or used to be, playgroups for kids. Where you meet up for a few hours every week and all you had to take was a piece of fruit. 2 can be a tough age so don’t stress too much

Ask your gp for some help, maybe there is something hurting or upsetting her

We have a sunday box.

Or pick whatever day. =)

So if she doesn’t pick up her toys and whatever toys that are not in the toy box or designated area, it goes in the sunday box and she wont be able to play with it anymore until sunday.

You are letting her rule the roost, not good. There are playgroups, they don’t cost money. Some areas have mothers groups too. Do you have a park nearby? Maybe explain once you do your housework you’ll take her to the park. There’s gotta be a way to work around her

Your 2 yo is not interested in housework, no children are. You could try to make it into a game or let her play whilst you do the housework. The other reason is that you may not be picking your battles. So she doesn’t know the difference between what really matters and what does not.

She is only 2 once. Housework does not matter. The majority of the time my house has a mess somewhere. My son is 2 and I try and make it a game when putting things away and learning at the same time. He now loves the vaccum and putting away his toys and loves to wash his hands and brush his teeth.

Firstly your health and sleep are more important than housework. Sometimes having another child over for her to play with can be a distraction. Ask mum or auntie to pop over and take her for a walk to the park or play outside so you can get things done. Our local kindy has an occasional care program for kids 6 months to pre-kindy age where you pay $1.50 and leave kids there for 3 hours. I used to pop my daughter in there to get some things done.

Yes like others have said…its the age. But she needs to also learn, from you, that mummy also needs to do things on her own, including housework and she needs to learn to play on her own (near u if safe and suitable) at these times. Unfortunately there is work that needs to be done and its not always playtime for the parent.. i also do the one toy or theme at a time as we simply don’t have the floor space.
My daughter loves sweeping and dishes… my son used to love vacuuming or putting dishes back in cupboards.
Reassuring her that after you have done your jobs then she has u back for more fun… some days r better than others. Good luck

yeah it’s what two year olds do. they push just to see what your boundaries are and just testing the water. they are learning independance

Tough Love ,but that’s way to say ,Take a few toys at a time ,play put in basket ,clouds &shapes .Local playgroup is a thought ,can be useful.

Put her toys away and as she pulls one out insist she put it back before she brings another one out so she learns to be respectful of her things and of your rules. If she won’t simply put toys out of reach. It’s tough love but she will not respect home rules,toys or you if you let her walk all over you now. Perhaps attend a free mothers and toddlers group where there are other same age kids and rule is when toys are finished with they must be put away. Kids learn when examples are set.

Unfortunately it’s the age. I think as adults we have expectations of ourselves and our kids that are sometimes unreasonable. It is frustrating as we think they understand at a higher level than they actually do. Try making clean up time fun, try making it sort of like a game and involving her.

My son is 2 years old and I think at this age they just tend to be testing boundary’s at this age! try and do some crafts, puzzles and generally keep their mind active!

I just want to say – She is 2 – a tricky tricky age. You think becuase they can understand more, then they must understand everything – unfortunately not the case. You’ve just got to keep at it. help her clean her toys up and show her how to do it – its going to take alot of time, but this is how little people learn. Perhaps even offer a small reward once its done?

She just wants your company all the time. Maybe you can try sitting her down for a 1/2 hr tv show that she enjoys and explain that mummy will do her work while it is on and then when it is finished she can have a little play with you. She will need to learn to keep herself occupied and also learn her boundries in relation to you. Good luck with her, she does sound very cute.