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Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months
Dancer6978
member
How old (what developmental stage) should a child be when you can start showering while they're awak
Dancer6978
member
My son is 15-ish months old, and I cannot leave him in a Pack 'N' Play because he would never go for it (gets too restless). I never, ever leave him unsupervised to take a shower -- I always wait until he goes down for his nap on the weekends, and during the week, before work, I wake up super early to shower before he gets up. I don't plan on leaving him unsupervised in the bathroom while I shower, but I'm curious as to what age or developmental stage he should be before it would be considered "safe" to do so, just so I have an idea of how long this schedule may last. :P Thanks!
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Re: How old (what developmental stage) should a child be when you can start showering while they're awak
I just gate DS in the hall with the bathroom door open while I shower. sometimes I just gate him in his room if he's playing in there.
My child hardly ever naps and get gets up at the butt crack of dawn, so I have always showered with him awake.
If his room is baby proofed, I would think a simple gate across his door would be fine at his age.
If you get some door locks for the cabinets and toilet, it would be fine to just close the door and keep him in the bathroom too.
I already leave my 13 month old DD alone in her bedroom while I shower...granted, my bathroom is right outside her door, and I leave the door open, and her room is babyproofed.
You can't try to put him in the PNP with a special toy or book or something to occupy him while you shower? You must take really long showers.
I'm confused, your post says you won't leave him "unsupervised" b/c he wouldn't "go for it" --nothing to do with developmental stuff in my book. He's just not used to it b/c you don't do it. My daughter goes in her PP or crib (I put books, soft dolls/toys for her to play with) for 10 min while I take a quick shower. We've been doing this since she stopped taking her AM nap about a month ago and she's never freaked out on me or anything (i take the monitor with me in the bathroom) --I mean sometimes I can hear she gets upset, but it's only 10 minutes and mommy does need to shower!! That's JMHO though!
I think if you give if a whirl more often and give him plenty to amuse himself, he will adjust and be fine, I really woudln't categorize this as any developmental milestone.
He never really liked the PNP to play in, even as an infant. If we used it as a playpen, he'd just wail continuously until he was lifted out of it. He likes to be unrestricted and mobile. The question here is not about putting him in a playpen or crib; any child can be restricted like that (assuming they don't climb out). It's about when he is old enough to be left alone, unsupervised, for 5 to 10 minutes.
I see some people already do that, and that's great. I just don't know if I feel comfortable leaving a child alone to shower if I cannot supervise him -- at this age. Call me paranoid, but that's how I feel.
Just stick him in his room. As long as its safe, you know, book shelf strapped to the wall, non choking toys.
Some days I just put DS in his room to play, just cause I have house stuff to finish. Kids NEED that independence. And mommy needs a shower
I only shower if they are in the crib awake (which I do often in the AM if they are not crying or whatever). Our kids' rooms are not well babyproofed though- the drawers on dressers are not locked or anything, they both have humidifiers that they mess around with all the time and DS has a full sized bed in there too that he totally would be climbing onto & all over, soooo... not an option unless I want to do a lot of things in their rooms. We do leave them in the playroom to run downstairs to grab something, etc but not for more than a minute or two at most, they could totally climb up on chairs, play kitchen, etc in there even though it is prob the most babyproofed room in the house.
With two it is more challenging but if I had one & my bathroom was pretty babyproofed I'd just put the LO in there with me while I showered & leave some books & toys there for him/her to play with.
For awhile I had the jonny jumper hanging in our bathroom but DS has pretty much grown out of it. Now I just bring him into the shower with me and he loves it. I'm able to get us both clean all at once.
Ditto this. DD1 is a bit mischievous
I'd say she was around 2.5, but I take 15-20 min. showers.
I have a good friend who has been doing it forever with her (very calm and well behaved) DS from the beginning. First it was in the PnP, then in the jumper in front of Sesame Street in her room with the bathroom door open (she did this until he had WAY outgrown the jumper, but he didn't play in it, it just kept him contained while he watched TV), then he moved to a travel booster seat in front of the TV, and eventually just sitting on her bed watching TV...now at 3, he goes in his room with the door open.
What about bringing LO in the shower with you? I recently started doing that on occasion w/ DD2. Started w/ DD1 when she was around 18 months. Both absolutely LOVE it! We have a stall shower and DD1 stays out of the shower stream and just plays with toys on the floor. DD2 loves walking under the running water, so she walks around and plays with toys. I put a bathmat down to keep them from slipping. I can even shower w/ both girls in there with me now...then after I'm done, I'll sit and sing some songs with them in the shower. They think it's the best treat ever!
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This is what I was thinking. We got DS used to playing in his crib with toys and his music on at around 10 months. We started out putting him in there while we're in his room (cleaning up, putting clothes away, etc.) Now he's used to going in there and doesn't mind playing in there at all. I can usually get a good 20 minutes with him in there so I can shower and get dressed. It may just take some time for him to get used to it.
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Oh, I see what you're saying. Yeah, I completely agree with you. There is no way I would be able to leave DS unsupervised if he was not in a restricted area, such as crib, jumper, etc. I can just imagine the things my DS could get into or knock over in those 5-10 minutes...lol. I don't see him being ready for that for awhile.
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I babyproofed the bathroom (toilet lock, locks on cabinets) and let her play in there while I shower. I can see her at all times and she is content for the 15 min or so it takes me to shower.
I don't think I could ever leave her in a room where I can't see her.
Somewhere between 6-8 months. I just put LO in her crib with appropriate crib toys and left the bathroom door open. As a single mom I've got to shower at some point ;-) so I finally just put LO in her crib awake and showered.
ETA: I've also penned her in a hallway with a gate and closed doors but that's just to vacuum since she likes to unplug the cord if I don;t pen her in the hallway. It's no more than 5 minutes though and she;s used to it now. For me to be out of sight longer she needs better restriction the a gate and doors (she shakes every gate loose including the ones screwed into the wall) and she doesn't have her own room so no room in my apartment is 100% child proofed.
I used to strap DD in her bouncy seat while I showered. Now I just let her play. We have a dressing area attached to our actual bathroom, so I shut the door that leads to our bedroom and bring in some toys. She loves playing with an empty purse or a hanger. I take very quick showers when she's with me though. DD also has never played in the toilet or anything like that, and all the cabinets are locked, so there's not much she can get into. We have a shower door rather than a shower curtain, so I can keep an eye on her. I peek out if she gets too quiet. I also sing songs to her and talk to her the whole time I'm in there.
Another mom once suggested bringing in the booster/high chair and strapping them in and giving a snack (this is what she does). I guess it could work, but I've never tried it.
Often my DH will watch DS while I shower (he wakes up earlier, before heading to work, so I can also get ready) but occasionally I will put DS in his crib with a bunch of toys to shower (quickly). He is safe there. I bring the monitor into the bathroom. And a few minutes alone in his crib won't harm him. Of course if he ever tries to climb out of it, I may change my mind.
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I don't have an answer but I find it hilarious that no one actually answered your question, in spite of your clarifying...
I guess not in this age-range!
It's really not about your child's age so much as it is your level of babyproofing and comfort. Obviously you just don't feel comfortable enough to do it yet, and there's really no telling when you will...it all depends on you. I know a lot of parenting decisions depend more on what we're ready to do as parents, and not what our children are "developmentally" ready for.
I definitely suggest seeing if your LO likes taking showers with you, if you want to try it. It has definitely helped me with this issue.
Good luck. I'm sure you'll figure out something that works for you.
Yikes
I've done it for awhile, but I have an extremely laid back child that just doesn't get into stuff that isn't hers. I feel perfectly comfortable leaving her in the living room with a tv show on while I go shower. It doesn't really have so much to do with her age, but rather her personality.
Before we did this, I'd put her in her crib with a bunch of toys and books.
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