There are so many things about becoming a mother that are not revealed to newbies ahead of time. One of those things is the fact that children can be totally gross and very messy. Okay, I guess that’s not much of a secret, but knowing that they’re at least mildly disgusting a good majority of the time came as a shock to me! Now that I know, we have to stick to a pretty frequent clean routine around the clock.
They Are So Messy!
When it’s dinner time, you can guarantee that about 30% of the food I labored over to lovingly prepare for my family will end up on the floor. Well, on a good night, anyway. Sometimes we lose a lot more than that due to spills or intentional food-dropping. (Thanks, 1 year old!)
I’m always cleaning up after my toddler’s artwork on the walls. He’s become quite the artist. His multicolor sticks all over the walls have ensured that we can see the wall beneath the paint since I’ve scrubbed so much that there IS no more paint in many places.
When we go outside, they always end up with massive amounts of sweat that causes dirt, grass, mulch, and gravel to stick to their skin. We have to shake the grime off and make them take a bath or shower pretty often so they don’t go to bed that way or spread it all over the house!
Oh, But the WORST….
The grossest things, though, are their bathroom habits. Sure, they’re still learning. After all, my kids are only 1, almost 4, 6, and 8 years old. My life is a continuous cycle of potty training little people. As any mother will tell you (if she’s being honest), potty training doesn’t really end once they stop wearing diapers or training pants. Oh, no. That just the beginning. They must be trained in good bathroom hygiene, and parents have to be vigilant in their efforts to teach them!
I won’t mention which one of my children still leaves skidmarks on his undies, but I will say that when I help him do his laundry, I have to be pretty careful where my fingers land. Yikes! This is after many reminders, personally assisting in the bathroom on occasion, and hundreds of potty breaks of “practice”. Like I said – kids are gross! We’ve recently changed our bathroom care routine to reflect the needs of these grubby kiddos. Now we have a #cottonelleroutine for potty time.
Our New Clean Routine With Cottonelle
I recently purchased two big 18-packs of Cottonelle Clean Care at Target and got a free package of Cottonelle FreshCare with dispenser, which is a special deal they are running right now. The kids use the dry toilet paper for normal potty stuff, but I’ve started to insist that they use the wet FreshCare wipes for heavy duty (doody) jobs.
To make it a little more fun, I did a little DIY job on the dispenser and decorated it to get my sons even more interested. I think it’s working, because underwear is now mysteriously cleaner coming out of the wash.
Of course, we use these products in our master bathroom, too. My youngest son likes to unroll all of our toilet paper and disassemble the toilet paper holder every chance he can get. We have to play “hide the toilet paper” with our stash of extra rolls. With 4 toilets in our house and a family of 6, we have lots – and lots – of extra rolls.
My 15 month old also finds the FreshCare dispenser easy to use, so in my bathroom, we have to keep it on our vanity between the two sinks. Otherwise, he will take each sheet out individually and use them to wipe the inside of the toilet bowl and clean the floors and walls and to chew on to help with teething while his molars are emerging. He also loves doing this with diaper wipes when I’m changing his diaper (whether or not they are dirty – HELLO hand sanitizer!) Why are toddlers so destructive and gross?!
Everyone Is So Much Cleaner With the Cottonelle Care Routine!
Now that my kids are into the clean routine of using the dry Cottonelle toilet paper for regular potty jobs and using the wet FreshCare toilet tissue for more stubborn clean ups, I have a lot less complaints. Well, I have less complaints about their bathroom habits. It’s nice to know that they aren’t leaving the bathroom stinky and dirty anymore, and I know that they appreciate the control of being able to help themselves do a better job than before we had the wet toilet tissue.
I also enjoy using the moist tissues for other things, like removing makeup. They’re also great for wiping off grimy faces and hands when we don’t have water available. I try to remember to throw a pack in my bag when we go to a playground or playdate for an easy cleanup solution on the go.
You Can Get Clean With Cottonelle
Check out the good deal at Target. You just purchase two 18-packs of dry Cottonelle toilet tissue and you get a free dispenser filled with the wet FreshCare toilet tissues.
You can also connect with Cottonelle on Facebook to stay up with the latest specials and new products to help with your family’s clean routine.
What Are YOUR Biggest Messy Challenges?
I would love to hear that I am not alone!
Staci says
I remember potty training my son. Such a chore! And we have not been able to put the toilet paper on the holder for over 2 years b/c my toddler likes to unroll it too.
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Gena says
LOL!!! That sounds like my house! wet wipes just make is so much easier to clean-up “everything”!!
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Cris says
Cute diy you did on the dispenser! Definitely attracts them and reminds them to use it. 🙂
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Jill @ Real Life Notes says
Love the decorated dispenser. I used some washi tape on ours.
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