[AmyRuth]

Hi!

I'm kind of at a loss. Up until now, I've had my little one in a bouncer just outside the shower, but he is getting too big for the bouncer. We co-sleep, so he doesn't have a crib and I would really rather not take him in the shower with me for a number of reasons? Does anyone have any suggestions for now and beyond as he starts to become mobile?

Amy

P.S. Sorry for the cross-posting.

 

[frogautumn]

My DS is 6.5 months...we co-sleep as well. I usually try to get up before he does, create a "pillow fort" (I know that's not ideal), and take the fastest shower in history.

Hmm...maybe you can...
-shower in the evening when someone else is home
-shower while he's napping in a safe place (like on a mat on the floor)

 

[Baby Makes 4]

We coslept and babywore and had a similar problem. I wound up buying a pack'n'play for those times when I needed to do something quickly and it was dangerous for him to be mobile on his own.

We hardly ever used it but it was great for a quick shower, going to the toilet, grabbing the mail, cooking something too dangerous for him to be in the sling (we didn't have the Ergo yet) ...

He liked it because he only got to go in there once or twice a day for 10 minutes or so and there were toys in there that he didn't get to see any other time.

 

[homemademomma]

if you are uncomfortable bringing him in the shower with you, i think the easiest thing would be to change your routine so you are showering in the evening. or you could shower during his nap

 

[mysticmomma]

exersaucer in bathroom or right outside door, jhonny jump up or similar (safely of course), sit him in a box full of pillows and toys in bathroom, get a shower seat ot tub mat and let him play at your feet in shower

 

[pinksprklybarefoot]

I put him in a johnny jump-up thing.

:

I put in on the bathroom doorway, so he is about 3 feet away from me. It seems to keep him occupied long enough for me to wash my hair.

 

[lesley&grace]

A high chair set up in or near the bathroom could work too, you could give baby a toy or some books to play with and play peek-a-boo with the shower curtain

 

[ledzepplon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mysticmomma exersaucer in bathroom or right outside door, jhonny jump up or similar (safely of course), sit him in a box full of pillows and toys in bathroom, get a shower seat ot tub mat and let him play at your feet in shower

This is what we did. We only used our exersaucer (a hand-me-down from a friend) when I was in the shower, which worked out great because the kids were excited to play with it since they never got to otherwise. When it was just me and dd, we often showered together. She really liked that.

 

[The4OfUs]

Yep - 10 minutes a day in a pack N play, exersaucer or jumper or high chair, laundry basket with a blanket in it, or whatever isn't going to harm them....it's the *overuse* of 'baby containers' that's the problem, not the containers themselves. Keeping a mobile baby safe in a bathroom is a completely different thing than a non-mobile baby, and you have to pull out some more tricks.

That, or showering while they sleep. I used an exersaucer for my DS for showering and cooking, but mostly showered while DD slept and wore her on my back while I cooked because she hated the exersaucer.

 

[sea_joy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lesley&grace A high chair set up in or near the bathroom could work too, you could give baby a toy or some books to play with and play peek-a-boo with the shower curtain

That is *exactly* what we do. I have to play a little bit of Peek-a-boo, and I let her play with her bath toys (she has different toys for every room).

I don't feel comfortable with taking a shower while she naps and no one else is home, cause I can't hear her cry. If I did that I would probably just wash my hair under the tub faucet, that way if she cries I could just thriw a towl on my hair instead of my wet body dripping everywhere...

I will not sacrafice a morning shower, mostly because I have a bad day if I don't take a moment to shower, feel clean and pretty and get set for the day, I just don't have as nice of a day. Then again, feeling pretty is my key to not going insane....

Good Luck,
Crystal

 

[AlpineMama]

Well, we co-shower but you said you didn't want to do that. Fair enough. Is there any way you can baby-proof the bathroom so he can be there with you? The few times I showered without him, I still had to figure out what to do with him. So, I just plopped him down on the floor. He explored a bit and we "talked" back and forth and he was none the worse for wear. At first I didn't really want him crawling around on the bathroom floor just for the principle of it, but hey, it could be worse... It's about as clean as the rest of the house.

 

[AmyRuth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sea_joy I will not sacrafice a morning shower, mostly because I have a bad day if I don't take a moment to shower, feel clean and pretty and get set for the day, I just don't have as nice of a day. Then again, feeling pretty is my key to not going insane....

That's exactly how I feel! I'm just gross and useless without my morning shower. Even if I just put on a clean pair of pj's after, I have always managed to get a shower before my husband comes home for lunch. (It's a small, but important point of pride for me.)

 

[AmyRuth]

Thanks, mamas! I'm glad I'm not the only one who has had a hard time figuring this out. (Why don't they ever address this in the baby books?)

I get so few moments these days when my body is just mine, I really don't want to give up the solo shower!

Our bathroom is so tiny that I have to back in holding the baby on my him and the bouncer in front of us in order to get us all in (and then leave the door open), so a pack and play or something inside the bathroom probably won't work. I hate to admit it, but our bathroom is usually pretty gross, so I would be totally creeped out letting him crawl around in there.

But I think I'll try maybe putting him in his high chair or exersaucer (have to dig it out of the basement) right outside the door. Hopefully that will work. Also like the box with pillows or shower chair suggestion. Please keep the suggestions coming, though, as it appears I may not be the only one needing some suggestions.

 

[katie9143]

i have one of these exactly for things like this (showering, going to the scary basement to get laundry, dishes, taking hot things from the oven.) its big enough that even when she walks i wont feel bad putting her there when there is no one else to keep her safe. i use the foam floor blocks on the bottom and keep some toys in there. my house isnt super clean either and i dont like letting her crawl all over the floor unless it is freshly swept and mopped. when i came out of the kitchen from doing dishes earlier she was playing peekaboo with the cat!

http://www.pokernstuff.com/index.asp...OD&ProdID=3388

 

[anewmama]

I strap my dd in her car seat, set her up with some toys, set the car seat on the floor near my shower and take a shower. I periodically peak out to see her. I have a glass/plastic shower door and she can see me through it. Whenever I look out at her, she is always just looking towards the water. But... my dd is 6 months (almost), so who knows how it will be for an older babe.

 

[ladybug13]

I also used a PNP for when I would shower. DS was happy in there for just about long enough for me to get a good shower!

Good luck!

 

[TonyaW]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AmyRuth Hi! I'm kind of at a loss. Up until now, I've had my little one in a bouncer just outside the shower, but he is getting too big for the bouncer. We co-sleep, so he doesn't have a crib and I would really rather not take him in the shower with me for a number of reasons? Does anyone have any suggestions for now and beyond as he starts to become mobile? Amy P.S. Sorry for the cross-posting.

I have been pondering this for my now 10 month old. Today I shut him in the bathroom with me and closed off dangerous areas and showered while he played in the bathroom. I have a glass shower so I could see him the whole time and have the cabinets childproofed. Of course my son figured out how to open the shower door and kept trying to get in with me.

: He ended up all wet.

Anyway, if your baby sits well and crawls well then you could just try leaving him in the bathroom if you can see him while you shower. I guess this all depends on your bathroom situation though. Or you could get one of those gated areas and put it in your bathroom if it is big enough with padding on the floor if you have tile.

 

[JamieBrewHa]

I shower while he naps... our bathroom is in our bedroom and I can hear him. Or the exersaucer while playing peek a boo (the one time a day he gets to go in). We've also done high chair in the past.

 

[~PurityLake~]

Sorry, no suggestions.
Both my babes joined me for my shower whether I wanted them to or not.
I think they were each around 8 months when they decided to crawl over the edge of the tub and join me.
Now, I just tell them, it's time for a shower.
They pull off their diapers, throw their clothes in or next to the washing machine, and climb into the tub before I get in.

 

[Tiffany_PartyOf5]

When dc were younger and I needed to shower while dh was at work, Ive done...

.. saucer
.. jumperoo
.. booster seat on the floor with toys
.. bumbo seat with toys
.. infant car seat with toys
.. waited until nap/bed time and put them in the crib while I showered
.. showered with them