https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 24 Apr 2026 01:16:59 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cleaning-kids-and-table-at-mealtime#post-2917608 Thu, 23 Jul 2020 13:13:12 +0000 Rocker2014 2917608@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Another vote for disposable baby wipes. I'm an essential worker so we're doing as many disposable things as possible right now so that there's no chance of germs lingering and spreading on things. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cleaning-kids-and-table-at-mealtime#post-2917587 Thu, 23 Jul 2020 08:16:49 +0000 petitenoisette 2917587@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>They each get a cloth napkin during dinner itself and then when they’re done we have a bunch of flannel baby wipes we never really used that we get wet to wipe down. If they’re not too messy I reuse for meals during day but otherwise use new ones every day. Never get smelly. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cleaning-kids-and-table-at-mealtime#post-2917585 Thu, 23 Jul 2020 07:12:43 +0000 JennyPenny 2917585@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks everyone! I love seeing what works for different families. I think we’ll start with giving them their own napkins and seeing if they can use them appropriately. It seems like the ideal situation. And if it doesn’t work out we might be buying some Norwex :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cleaning-kids-and-table-at-mealtime#post-2917584 Thu, 23 Jul 2020 06:56:08 +0000 LadyDi 2917584@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ElbieKay: Same. I still use wipes or a paper towel bc I cannot handle the extra laundry. I try to make it up to Mother Earth in other ways. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cleaning-kids-and-table-at-mealtime#post-2917582 Thu, 23 Jul 2020 06:05:31 +0000 meadow 2917582@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have "baby" wash clothes for this. I use one wet wash cloth per child to wash/wipe face and hands after each meal. My 4yos still choose to use hands over forks/spoons sometimes. Generally they are way less messy than at 1 yo....but I still find this essential since it never ends well when DH tries to let them walk to the bathroom with dirty hands 😋😋</p> <p>I started doing this around 1 yo.</p> <p>We keep the dirty washcloths in an old cool whip container near the kitchen sink (yup we are *that* classy) and toss it in with a load of laundry every 3/4 days. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cleaning-kids-and-table-at-mealtime#post-2917576 Wed, 22 Jul 2020 18:54:45 +0000 Mommy Finger 2917576@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Norwex! I can't stand any sort of MLM type of products but love everything about Norwex. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cleaning-kids-and-table-at-mealtime#post-2917572 Wed, 22 Jul 2020 17:44:14 +0000 winter_wonder 2917572@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We just keep a package of wipes on the table for easy clean up. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cleaning-kids-and-table-at-mealtime#post-2917571 Wed, 22 Jul 2020 17:05:08 +0000 ElbieKay 2917571@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My son (6) is ok with the walk to the bathroom. It's not too disasterous.</p> <p>My twins turned 2 yesterday. They are still pretty messy at the table. I just use baby wipes or a wet paper towel to wipe down their hands. If the food is especially messy then I also follow up with washing hands at the sink. It's not environmentally friendly but I am too overwhelmed for anything more complicated. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cleaning-kids-and-table-at-mealtime#post-2917570 Wed, 22 Jul 2020 16:50:52 +0000 mrs.kiwi 2917570@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I cut up a bunch of my husband’s old white t-shirts into small squares/rectangles and I use them as “wipes.” I keep one hanging near the table, and wet and wipe hands/faces as needed. They’re so thin they dry fast. And I like how soft they are. I just have one hanging at a time- as soon as it’s a few days old I’ll throw in the wash and use another one. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cleaning-kids-and-table-at-mealtime#post-2917569 Wed, 22 Jul 2020 15:29:13 +0000 bhbee 2917569@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I just have a ton of cheap-ish washcloths in a drawer. As soon as they don’t feel fresh I hang them on the laundry basket and get a new one, which is sometimes every meal and never longer than a day. As long as they dry out vs sitting in a heap I haven’t had smells stick around. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cleaning-kids-and-table-at-mealtime#post-2917567 Wed, 22 Jul 2020 15:05:10 +0000 bees_knees 2917567@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don’t have the Norwex baby cloths but I have several of their other products and none of them get stinky, ever. I feel like the kitchen cloths would be a good size for this :happy: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cleaning-kids-and-table-at-mealtime#post-2917566 Wed, 22 Jul 2020 14:58:40 +0000 LemonJack 2917566@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have two sets of the Norwex baby cloths and I like them a lot. They don’t get stinky fast the way regular wash cloths do.<br /> <a href="https://shopus.norwex.biz/en_US/customer/shop/product-detail/309031" rel="nofollow">https://shopus.norwex.biz/en_US/customer/shop/product-detail/309031</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cleaning-kids-and-table-at-mealtime#post-2917563 Wed, 22 Jul 2020 14:52:14 +0000 MrsSRS 2917563@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It helps if you wash them with vinegar. If you don't mind disposable baby wipes are perfect for this. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cleaning-kids-and-table-at-mealtime#post-2917562 Wed, 22 Jul 2020 14:49:02 +0000 peaches1038 2917562@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We use cloth napkins so he just uses that to clean his hands and face, clears his plate and then washes his hands/face if they need additional cleaning. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cleaning-kids-and-table-at-mealtime#post-2917561 Wed, 22 Jul 2020 14:35:42 +0000 Baby Boy Mom 2917561@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have them use either kitchen towels that get washed, or paper towels when I have laundry issues. The other thing is working on getting them to eat more neatly...it's a process, to say the least, but worth investing in early and often. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/cleaning-kids-and-table-at-mealtime#post-2917559 Wed, 22 Jul 2020 14:00:09 +0000 JennyPenny 2917559@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>In the past we had an expectation that our kids (5 and 3) would leave the table after mealtime and wash their faces and hands in the bathroom nearby. But getting them the 10 feet to the bathroom without touching stuff with messy hands has turned out to be impossible - or at least it's bugging me more now that its EVERY meal EVERY day. Some advice that seemed to work well was to keep a wet cloth at the table and we just give them a quick wipe down before they leave, and it had the added bonus that we could clean up table spills quickly too. But those got so stinky so fast. They're just regular washcloths, nothing special. So my question is does anyone have either a different behavioral solution or a different type of cloth that they use for this that works well? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/coronavirus-and-cleaning-services#post-2912710 Mon, 23 Mar 2020 15:02:31 +0000 Mommy Finger 2912710@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Now that our governor has issued a "stay at home" order, I'm thinking that I'll have to cancel her next week but I still plan on paying her. The crappy thing is that I don't have a lot of cleaning supplies left at home b/c I don't usually need them b/c she does such a great job! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/coronavirus-and-cleaning-services#post-2912691 Mon, 23 Mar 2020 13:20:44 +0000 periwinklebee 2912691@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I cancelled and paid regardless. The woman who runs the business still complained and tried to convince me not to cancel, saying her problem is that she's going to lose her employees if she doesn't have enough business because there's been an increased demand for cleaners for things like banks, grocery stores, offices staying open, etc and they will take those jobs. I can see it is stressful for her, but not much more I can do... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/coronavirus-and-cleaning-services#post-2912684 Mon, 23 Mar 2020 12:14:13 +0000 Rocker2014 2912684@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have a woman who cleans monthly and usually brings a friend with her to help. No agency, its her own business. I cancelled last week but paid her anyway - she was surprised and appreciative. My husband thought it was a waste and that she should have come, but I had the same concerns about what she could be bringing into our house. I'm essential personnel and still working out of home and bringing in lots of germs, but I've got a system in place to minimize that. They'd be (hopefully) touching EVERYTHING! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/coronavirus-and-cleaning-services#post-2912679 Mon, 23 Mar 2020 11:18:49 +0000 meadow 2912679@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@charm55: you could put the money aside and pay her sort of like bonus after the fact. If she is going income less and wrecks up debt ...it might be easier for her to take then..... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/coronavirus-and-cleaning-services#post-2912617 Sun, 22 Mar 2020 13:53:18 +0000 charm55 2912617@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So I decided to cancel ours this week - I have been able to keep up with the cleaning being off myself, and figured no need to expose us/her to anything unnecessarily. </p> <p>However, I tried to pay her the full amount and she refused (even after I insisted several times). I usually pay cash so I can't just transfer $$. Now I feel guilty about not having her come. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/coronavirus-and-cleaning-services#post-2912414 Thu, 19 Mar 2020 16:59:18 +0000 Littlebit7 2912414@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I cancelled our woman for next week and then immediately venmo’d her the full payment. If you can afford to, I think this is the right thing to do. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/coronavirus-and-cleaning-services#post-2912411 Thu, 19 Mar 2020 16:27:11 +0000 periwinklebee 2912411@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I will cancel as I'm not comfortable with the risk. Ours is not an incorporated company; there's a woman who runs it and she sends several people, different ones each time. </p> <p>There’s no way to pay people who actually do the cleaning. Best I could do is pay the owner and hope she passes it along... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/coronavirus-and-cleaning-services#post-2912400 Thu, 19 Mar 2020 14:36:31 +0000 hellobeeboston 2912400@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i was waffling, but decided to cancel ours. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/coronavirus-and-cleaning-services#post-2912385 Thu, 19 Mar 2020 12:43:03 +0000 Trailmix 2912385@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If it's an independent contractor, the right thing to do is cancel but still pay. If it's through a service, I would cancel. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/coronavirus-and-cleaning-services#post-2912384 Thu, 19 Mar 2020 12:23:09 +0000 meredithNYC 2912384@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our cleaning lady is young, but she's a single mom who now has her son home from school fulltime. I really feel for her and know she would struggle a lot from the loss of income. So I will be canceling but still paying. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/coronavirus-and-cleaning-services#post-2912280 Wed, 18 Mar 2020 10:54:34 +0000 HappyBaker 2912280@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ours offered to come but disclosed that one of the persons houses she recently cleaned tested positive, so we’re cancelling but still paying her every other week while we can. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/coronavirus-and-cleaning-services#post-2912279 Wed, 18 Mar 2020 10:50:48 +0000 hellobeeboston 2912279@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was just thinking about this. Ours would be coming either next week or the week after, and assuming she's still working, i'm trying to decide what to do. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/coronavirus-and-cleaning-services#post-2912272 Wed, 18 Mar 2020 10:25:23 +0000 Ajsmommy 2912272@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>ours isn't due until the 31st but they posted that they might be pushing them out/back due to issues/less workers etc.... I plan to wait and see what it looks like by the 31st and decide then. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/coronavirus-and-cleaning-services#post-2912246 Wed, 18 Mar 2020 05:57:40 +0000 erinbaderin 2912246@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I cancelled ours, but said I would still pay her - I’m worried about how she’s going to get through this time with all her clients cancelling. </p>