Mom Gives 1-Year-Old Son Household Chores To Show Babies 'Are Capable'

A U.S. mom is using mundane household chores to kill two birds with one stone: to support her now 1-year-old child's all-round development and ensure he's having fun at the same time.

Sophie Zee's unique approach has garnered widespread interest ever since she shared a video of her son assisting with the laundry and household cleaning to TikTok on January 23. The short clip has been viewed more than 500,000 times to date and has welcomed a diverse set of comments.

"[Point of view] you're 10-months-old but your mom is trained in child development, so you already know about basic chores and associate them with playtime and fun, and you enjoy helping out and doing them," the Utah-based mom said in the post.

She told Newsweek: "I'm a dedicated mother with expertise in child development, but I'm currently focused on caring for my 1-year-old son full-time."

"I've worked as a school psychologist and as a labor and postpartum doula [support giver], generally I'm passionate about supporting parents, and so I create content and resources on motherhood and child development.

"Sometimes my 10-month-old son engages in various daily tasks and chores around our home. I made that video to demonstrate how even young children, like babies, are capable of participating in everyday activities," she added.

The mother said that her intention with filming her son tending to the cleaning was not to suggest that babies should perform "chores" in the traditional sense, but rather to highlight "their intrinsic motivation to engage and feel part of the family unit".

"Parents may not realize that children learn extensively by observing and imitating adults. They naturally want to mimic our actions, presenting a perfect opportunity to expose them to life's responsibilities, including self-care and household tasks," Zee said.

She believes that involving your child in these activities could foster their "intrinsic motivation" and can ultimately simplify life for parents.

After all, those with young children often find themselves at their wits' end with the number of household maintenance tasks they need to tick off while needing to keep an eye on their child. For some, Zee's approach can provide a timely solution, but it needs to be replicated properly.

"It's crucial to note that forcing babies or toddlers to participate is counterproductive," the mother-of-one explained.

"Instead, allowing them to join in, observe, and gradually participate, even if it slows things down or creates a bit of mess, can cultivate a genuine interest in helping out both now and in the future.

"This approach is more beneficial than expecting children to play independently or watch television while parents rush through tasks. Ultimately, embracing this inclusive approach benefits the entire family, offering immediate rewards and long-term positive habits for children's development."

While it may work for Zee, who has also published a children's book, her strategy has sparked a wide-ranging online conversation about the roles and responsibilities of children at home.

"[My 3-year-old] son loves to help me with household chores, but hates to pick up after his toys," one TikTok user, @picanteee, wrote.

Another user, @linaandbrenna, added: "Having a baby do the laundry is wild."

"He loves it lol," Zee responded.

"Then there was 18-year-old me: never being allowed to do a whole task so I had to learn everything myself," another user, @sub_not_dots, said.

Zee replied: "I'm sorry, [there definitely] has been an era of helicopter parenting and when people didn't realize how much kids are capable of if you let them try."

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