What do you do with dc when you shower?

[brigmaman]

Sort of a wierd question I guess. I am just wondering because this has always been sort of a struggle for us. My dh leaves pretty early (around 6:15), before I get up, so it is just my 15 month old ds and I in the a.m. Recently, I have started putting him in his high chair with a Sesame Street movie on. He won't just play in his crib, so that is out. What do you all do?

[brubeck]

Well first of all I shower in the evening when DH is usually home!

However when I am alone with the kids I usually put one of them in our gated play area and take the other with me into the bathroom. I have a few toys up there and the shower door is glass so I can see the child at all times. I lock the door so they can't get out of my sight.

[cdlamis]

I bring Julia (16 months) into our bathroom with me and lock the door. I bring some toys in and she has a blast throwing them into the shower or stacking them on the counter.

Daniella
Mom to Julia 6-13-02
http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b32dc745c42b

[sarasprings]

I usually shower when DH is at home, but if not, then DS plays in the bathroom, with the door shut. We keep a few books and toys just for my shower time.

[Karenn]

I'm lucky in that DH is usually able to watch DS for a few minutes while I shower in the mornings. However, when it's too hectic, I do the Sesame Street-high chair thing too. I've watched TV with him often enough to know that he won't budge when Sesame Street is on so I'm not worried about him getting into any trouble in the highchair.

A girlfriend of mine was saying she sets up her daughter's playpen in the bathroom while she showers. My bathroom's too little for that, but I thought it sounded like a good idea.

[Rachels]

I put some toys in the hall, gate the stairs, pull the bedroom doors closed, and let her run around while I shower. Sometimes she comes in and hangs on the edge of the tub to talk to me. Occasionally she slings a toy in, but usually she does just fine. We've been doing this since she was about eleven months old. It is far less stressful for both of us than when I used to stick her in the crib or playpen while I showered.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[cara1]

Other alternative is to get up super-early before DS wakes up and shower. Depends how much of an early-riser you got there...

[newbelly2002]

Shower? What's that :)

In another situation, I would let Dante play in the bathroom. But we've got a long narrow bathroom with steps, and the shower is the bathtub with a handheld faucet and no shower curtain. A recipe for disaster no matter how you cut it. The television holds no power for Dante; and our high chair doesn't have a beltstrap. I can sometimes get away with putting on the Songs for Wiggleworms CD (thank you Nohomama!) and washing in record time, otherwise, it's catch as catch can.

Wow, I've just assured myself no visitors, huh?
Paula
Mama to Dante, 8/1/02

[mamahill]

I turn on Sesame Street, and bring a couple toys and books into my room, shut my bedroom door and leave our bathroom door open. Ainsleigh used to sit on the bath mat and sing with me until she decided it was more fun to pull stuff out of my cabinet (including her favorite: tampons!). Thank goodness for that since on the weekends I would whine to DH, "I just want a shower I don't have to sing through!!" Now Ainsleigh will just play/watch tv, but the second I turn the water off, she runs in to say, "Hi! All done!" And afer I say, "Yes, but now I need to dry off," she goes back to her toys. I get the feeling not all children act this way, though. I have a fairly docile (for the most part) child.

[muskiesusan]

Well, unfortunately, sometimes Nick just wanders around. He usually is good about playing in the bathroom or my bedroom, however, sometimes he does like to explore the 2nd floor. Unfortunately, he is a good climber and can't be contained by a gate, and can unlock all doors. I still try to contain him, but I am not always successful depending on his mood and tv doesn't always do it for him. I am at a loss at what else to do.

DH travels alot, and its not uncommon for me to skip a day showering, but sometimes I have no choice. I look forward to the weekends when I can take a leisurely shower at my own pace!

Susan
WAHM to Nicholas 10/01/01
& Baby #2 due 4/23/04!!!!

[Karenn]

LOL! Colin loves tampons too! He would pull them out of the box one by one and throw them on the floor. We have locks on the cabinet now. :) I'll let him play with a lot of non-toys but I just couldn't bring myself to let him play with those.

[jojo2324]

I close the gate to our hallway, blocking the stairs, close all the bedroom doors, bring a basket of toys into the hallway, and let him run around. It doesn't work, because inevitably he'll wind up sliding the doors to the tub open and getting soaked, along with the bathroom floor. It's a real PITA sometimes, because he can get out of his high chair WITH the straps on, so I can't leave him downstairs with the TV on. Also, if he's with me in the bathroom, I have to clear the entire floor space of the trash can, scale, toilet brush, take the toilet paper off the roll, and put it all up on our rather small sink area.

He usually takes a nap around 10, so I try my hardest to get in then, but sometimes I do go a day without a wash down. :)

[lukkykatt]

What is it with tampons? I thought that DS was the only odd one. I now keep them in a ziploc bag so he can't wreck them all.

Here is the list of my shower options:
1) Shower before the boys wake up (when possible)
2) Work out while my older son is in preschool and shower while both boys take their naps
3) Put on a video and take a REALLY fast shower (my 16 month old will only sit still for so long before he comes to find me) OR
4) Gate the stairs and shut the bedroom doors except my older son's room, which is incredibly child proofed. Pull out the Thomas train set and take a shower. This is a very messy option.
5) Every once in a while, if I work out at night I take a shower then and just get dressed in the morning. I am really much more of a morning shower gal, though.

[twins r fun]

My preferred shower option is to take it at night, but I very rarely do this. Second is to set my alarm and get up before the boys or jump in the shower right when I hear them wake up (they are content in their cribs for awhile). If I haven't done either of these and really need a shower, I will put a video in and leave them roaming free to watch it, but take a super quick shower. Or I'll wait until they nap. And then there's the days where a shower just doesn't happen. It used to be (even post kids, but when they would still take a morning nap) that I wouldn't go a day without taking a shower, now showering every other day seems reasonable and I only start to freak out on the third day!

[MelissaTC]

I try to take one before DH leaves but that doesn't usually work out. I close the bedroom door and try to time my shower with the Wiggles. I leave the bathroom door open (master bath) and take as fast a shower as possible. I do the same thing when I get ready in the morning. DS gets quite angry when the hair dryer is too loud and he can't hear the tv...LOL.. He usually comes in to say hi at least once and then goes back to watching tv or playing with some toys we keep in a basket on the floor. And then there are the days when Mommy doesn't get a shower at all...yuck :( That is when night time showering comes in...lol...

[raynjen]

My DD showers with me. She really likes playing at the "dry" end of the tub (the end nearest the drain) with her bath toys. In fact, she likes it so much that she begs to be included when anyone showers! She still showers with my DH - we haven't really decided when that becomes inappropriate, I guess we'll play it by ear.

Jen in Okinawa
Mom to Noelle (10/25/01)