I'm eight months pregnant so my son, two, helps me clean – he loves hoovering, polishing and even the laundry

I'm eight months pregnant so my son, two, helps me clean – he loves hoovering, polishing and even the laundry

06/08/2020

A HEAVILY pregnant mum has gained an unexpected cleaning helper during lockdown – her two-year-old son.

Brodie, who turns three on July 8, absolutely loves helping mum Amie Barlow, 29, with the cleaning – especially hoovering, polishing and window cleaning.

Speaking to Fabulous, Amie, from Hornchurch, Essex, said her lad has been a godsend for all the jobs she struggles with at eight months pregnant.

The Mrs Hinch fan, who's on maternity leave from her part-time job with the FCA, said: "Brodie really enjoys cleaning.

"When he was one or 18 months old, he started doing cleaning with a cloth, just copying me like little kids do.

"Now he has his own cleaning trolley, he has started to do the hoovering properly and the living room windows. It’s crazy just how much he’s picked up.


"He’s doing even more cleaning during lockdown, because we’re stuck inside and there’s just not much for him to do.

"I think he's got a bit bored with playing with his toys. It's something different and I’m doing it, so he wants to be like Mummy.

"He’s still a typical little boy though, who loves going out in the garden and getting dirty with his toy diggers."

Brodie has his own cleaning trolley, he has started to do the hoovering properly and the living room windows. It’s crazy just how much he’s picked up

Amie, who's due to give birth to her second son with fiance Sam Mullem on July 17, bought Brodie a cleaning trolley at the start of lockdown, to keep him entertained while stuck indoors.

The young cleaner has his own mop, bucket, broom, cloth, spray bottle which his parents fill with water, and a dustpan and brush. He also uses mum's Hetty the Hoover.

Amie said: "He knows how to use them all. We got the cleaning trolley for him at the beginning of lockdown, as an extra toy for him to play with and because he does like to help me.

"I thought instead of him raiding the cleaning cupboard, which can be quite dangerous, we'd just give him that.


"The hoovering, polishing and cleaning windows are his three go-tos. He is good at it.

"At the moment he likes to hoover almost daily. I always hoover after dinner, that’s when I do the living room, and as soon as the hoover comes out he’s like ‘me do it’.

"He tries to do the windows all the time as well, but I’m like ‘no you can’t keep spraying stuff on the windows’.

He’s doing even more cleaning during lockdown, because we’re stuck inside and there’s just not much for him to do

"He’s definitely helping, he even puts the washing in the washing machine and helps with the dishwasher sometimes if I ask him, which is good because trying to bend down with this massive belly is quite hard.

"If I ask him to do something, he’ll do it. But he also offers, he'll say 'I do it'.

"I'll say 'what are you doing?' and he says 'cleaning'. I've got no complaints there."


Amie says Mrs Hinch's Little Book of Lists has "really helped take my mind off pregnancy anxiety" – about giving birth during the coronavirus pandemic.

Her family find Brodie's hobby "hilarious and cute" – and it's not just Mum he helps out.

I think maybe I clean a bit too much, for Brodie to be picking it up the way he is

She said: "When Brodie used to go to his Nan and Grandad’s, he’d try to clean there too with the mop and bucket.

"His dad just lets him get on with it and rolls his eyes. He’s like ‘as long as he’s quiet as happy, he can get on with it, he’s helping’.



"Sam only does the cleaning after me nagging, he’s more of a tidier. If it’s messy, he’ll tidy it, but he doesn’t really get the cleaning products out. 

"Brodie’s just always been attracted to cleaning stuff. I just thought it was something kids do, but apparently not.

"I love cleaning, I love the whole Hinching thing and have followed Mrs Hinch for years.

"I spend one to two hours-a-day cleaning, I try to keep on top of it. I definitely do more at the weekends, up to four hours.

"When everyone's at home, it’s that constant cycle of cleaning, then you’ve got a toddler and a partner so you’re constantly tidying up after them.

"I think maybe I clean a bit too much, for Brodie to be picking it up the way he is.

"Hopefully he stays doing this the older he gets. His future wife’s very lucky, I’d appreciate someone like that right now."

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