Climbing

T., I have only a single item of advice here, and this is literally from experience... put the items in another room. INCONVIENT I know but when my little ones were actually that little, they did much of the same thing. I actually kept all of my toiletries in a plastic bin and kept it in my closet. When it was time for showers and hairdressing, I brought the bin in with me, used what I needed and then put it all back into the closet for next time. I had to do that for two years. It was no fun but became a habit, and to this day, although my youngest is five, sometimes I STILL head to the closet for my bin before I get in the shower... although I haven't needed to do that for three years. Good luck to you!!

I am laughing in happiness, that I am not the only person with this problem. I will be reading your responses to see what people say.... In the mean time I make sure that all the products in my house are safe, and %100 toxin free. Meaning my shampoo and toothpaste too, there is some really bad stuff in name brand products. It doesn't make cleaning up the messy bottles all the time any easier, but it does give me the peace of mind to know that they can't be hurt or poisined by the products themselves while they are playing wiht them.

H.
http://wisemommy.fourpointwellness.com
www.saferforyourhome.com

My daughter LOVES to get stuff like that, and she has been a climber since she was a toddler. My best suggestion is to wash their hair and stuff, and then when you do leave the room to take care of a few chores (I do it too), lock the stuff up. I got a Rubbermaid container that has sort of locking handles on it, so it's not the easiest thing for a kid to open, and I store stuff like that in there so that when I'm not in the bathroom, I don't have to come back to find my entire bottle of shampoo has now made a bubble bath!

try getting them there own little empty bottles to fill with water and play with. Or keep the empty ones for them to have as toys. That way they can pretend to wash each others hair and such with out actually making a mess.

Dear T.,
Have you ever heard the term out of sight out of mind? Just because their toiletries doesn't mean they have to be kept in the B-room. Your daughters are at the age when they want to be pretty just like Mommy. Try keeping your toiletries in a hall closet or somwhere with a door. Then at bath time have them get involved. Let one carry the soap and the other carry the shampoo. this goes for time to brush your teeth too. Maybe if they don't feel like those things are a no-no they won't be as interesting. I went throught he same thing with my three year old and my make-up. I bouhgt her her own lip gloss and when I put on my make up she has some of her own too.

T.,

If you can get some kind of coloring books and crayons, or even arts and crafts. At this age arts and crafts are fun for them. They will allow you to have at least an hour or so, so your able to get some work done. But at this age they want to get into everything and whatever is there they most likely will.
I'm a pre-school teacher and sometime I have my 11 year old help me with chores. Maybe you can include them in picking up things for you and helping you they feel good they can.
Kids are perfect when they are told they are good for this and that and even at this age they love to be rewarded with praise.
Try having them just help alittle and then you will feel better they are learning to be productive as well in the home.
Make it fun for them and you.

You are doing a great job. Don’t think that because some things work for some mom, that it’s the best thing for you. Try many different things and see what work for you. I have left any one of my kids in the tub by them self, at some point in time. And have never had any thing happen, not that it can‘t happen. If some one is telling you that, they have never left a child along, even for one minute then most of them are lying. The phone rings, the door, to stir dinner, day dreaming in the same room, thinking about a problem, another kid get hurt Are you going to get the one in the tub out, wrapped in a towel before you see to the other child. I’m not saying It’s not safe to leave them there by themselves, but your mom probably did it and her mom and so on. My oldest is 19 and my youngest is 5, between all four of my kids. There have been many changes. Like, put babies only on their bellies to sleep, to do not put them on their bellies to sleep. To feed them and 3 months to don’t feed them until 6 months, give them juice don‘t give them juice. To hold them any time you want or they cry, don’t hold them all the time. WE ALL LIVED. ACCIDENTS HAPPEN EVEN TO THE BEST OF US. I am not a super mom and had to find ways to get stuff done and still kept my kids safe. So far all four kids are happy, loving, independent and well adjust little and big people

They are way too young to leave them by themselves in the tub. I am not a single mother but have had to make due by myself with my daughter during some therapy she needed in Northern California without my very helpful husband. So I've had a little taste and it's HARD!!! But still, way too young to leave alone even for a minute. Housework can wait, their lives are much more important. I'm a former ER nurse and have seen way too many near drownings/drownings. And it usually happens in the pool or the tub at home.

B.

I am just envisioning the worst- sorry- a bumped head on the tub's faucet that could knock someone right out without even a cry- turning on the scalding hot water, wet feet slipping while climbing... OMG, even though there are 2 of them, this is still too young to leave them alone in the tub! (If anything does happen, they could charge you for leaving them alone, too) --at least take that time to catch up on reading a magazine while sitting in the bathroom with them, or clean the bathroom.

Put the bottles in a cupboard, then put a childproof lock on it. They may be past the age where everything goes into the mouth, but accidents still happen.

I agree with a lot of the responses here, your girls are way too young to be left alone in the bathroom. Especially if you are leaving them there with water in the tub. My 3 year old knows how to turn the water on in the tub. Kids are really smart about figuring out how to do things that parents don't think they are old enough to do yet.

Any suggestions? Supervision. And child-proof cabinets.

Child locks on all drawers and cabinets that contain product that are unsafe for small children. And please stop leaving your children alone int the tub. They are way too young to be left unattended while bathing. I could write a whole page of all the bad things that could happen. If you want time to get house work done, do it while they are napping.

a 3 and 2 year old probably shouldn't be left to bathe unattended exactly for the reasons you have explained. Try setting them up with color crayons, play-doh (if you are brave!), or some other fun "just for when mom is cleaning" activity to keep them busy. At that age you should be able to get something done while they are playing. My kids are almost 1 and 2.5 and when I need to get something done I put on some fun music, get out some toys (or turn on some cartoons) and just do it!

Good luck!

Are you kidding me??!! Please tell me this is a joke. I can not believe this. For heaven sakes! PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE YOUR CHILDREN ALONE!!!

T.,
I did not mean to be rude or hurt your feelings. to be honest I was a little upset by your post. my grandmothers best friend had two twin babies that were burned so badly in the tub that they died because the mother was doing laundry and did not notice the water running. I also had a classmate in fifth grade who was watching his little sister and he was in the other room making her a sandwich when she ended up drowing in the toilet. A lot of kids made fun of him because his sister drowned in the toilet. It is sooo easy for your children to get hurt. ANYTING could happen. even when you are "in the next room" your are talking about your children climbing on things. How easy would it be for them to slip in the bathroom?? Please just think about this.

Wow I'm sorry I can't give you any advice on what to do, but when I read your email all that popped in my head is little wet feet and bodies climbing on slippery toilets and sinks. The last thing you want is one of them falling, which can be very very very dangerous

I say you should stay with them while in the tub (for their safety and your peace of mind). Put them in, wash them and get them out if you really need the time or if you want to let them play, why not clean the bathroom? That should be plenty of time for them to play a bit and get washed and you still get some housework accomplished. Or do your housework after you put them to bed or get up early and do it.

(FYI: there was a local 2-year-old who fell while standing on the countertop of the bathroom and got his head stuck between the countertop and toilet and was strangled to death. You don't want to risk something like that happening to your children!)