Taking a shower

After you have a baby, a shower can seem even more inviting than ever, but taking one can be complicated. My first thought when Ari was an infant was to shower when she napped. The issues there were:

 

1. I wanted to nap when she napped 

2. I wanted to nap : ) 

3. I was paranoid that I wouldn't hear her on the monitor, so my shower then became very stressful 

4. If she did wake up while I was in there, I had to hurry out to get her and not kill myself in the process.

So, I started trying different ways of showering with her in the bathroom with me. When she was small enough to be swaddled, I would wrap her up and lay her on a thick blanket in the sink. I know it sounds crazy but our sinks are very deep and she was very tiny, so I don't recommend this for wiggly babies or bigger babies, please just use common sense here : ) Then, we were given a vibrating bouncy seat. It was easy to move from room to room and most times she would relax in it at least long enough for my shower as long as she was swaddled. I have glass shower doors so I could see her the whole time. For those with shower curtains I guess you would need to leave one side open a  little.  

When she was too big for the vibrating chair and was able to sit up alone, I brought in this little play mat that would fold up on the sides so that she had "walls" to keep her in and upright. I would put some toys in there and give her a bottle or snack depending on her age. This was great! I actually just kept it in our bedroom and would drag it into the bathroom for shower time. It kept her safe and occupied until she was old enough to walk and realized she could climb over the "walls" and escape : )

So now Ari is 20 months old and so she is too big to be contained by "walls" so I utilize real walls and lock her in our bedroom which is attached to our bathroom. I make sure that there isn't anything harmful for her to access and I try to call out to her a few times to kinda check-in. She thinks it's a game like peek-a-boo : ) I am also more inclined to shower when she naps at this age because her naps are more predictable and I am not as nervous about not hearing her when she wakes up. 

Hopefully I have offered ideas to any new mommies that are struggling with shower time. Feel free to post any of your own ideas here as well!

Good Luck!