Safe Place for 1 Year Old While I Shower

Updated on January 15, 2010
K.M. asks from Virginia Beach, VA
30 answers

My little one has just turned one and she's into everything. She won't play in her jumperoo anymore so I have no idea where to put her when I need to shower outside of nap time. Just wondering what other moms do.

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A.L.

answers from Washington DC on

I used a pack n play. Worked great. Now my daughter sleeps late enough that I get up and shower before she wakes up.

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J.S.

answers from Washington DC on

When my son was that age, I used to put him into his Pack 'n Play with his toys...and pull the Pack 'n Play to the door of the bathroom (my bathroom's too small to pull it all the way in)...I'd continue to talk to him the whole time and/or sing a song. After a while, he got used to the process & he'd just play with his toys while I was able to have a "moment" taking a shower. =)

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V.D.

answers from Washington DC on

A playpen is the best!

Put safe (no choking hazards) in there while you take a shower. My sons loved the playpen now and then!

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R.H.

answers from Washington DC on

Hi there, I was in the same boat, the jumper was out....her being in the shower was more work than relaxing (as a shower should be).....play pin to big......so I found the perfect solution! BRING THE HIGH CHAIR IN THE BATHROOM AND GIVE HER SNACKS! I would cut blueberries and grapes into quarters or smaller so that she would take longer eating them...puffs work great. Just keep a refill by the shower so you can fill he tray up when she starts running low. I would keep my eyes and ears on her through the clear shower curtain we had or a crack in a solid one. Sometimes it would take my daughter 10-15 minutes to eat! Thats a long shower in this house! Good luck

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D.W.

answers from Indianapolis on

We have a large bathroom with a door, so I used to put a blanket on the ground, keep a tub of toys in there, and stick my head out occasionally to check on both kids.

Once they got a little older, we'd close doors to rooms we didn't want them getting into, put a sturdy gate at the top of the stairs, and let them have access to safe places so we could get a quick shower.

Hope that helps.

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D.K.

answers from Washington DC on

Fold up a towel and sit her on it in the shower with you. Give her a few toys to play with and make sure that the room is comfortably warm and she'll be fine. My kids LOVED to go in the shower with me.

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M.W.

answers from Washington DC on

Hi,

I used to put my daughter in her crib and turn on the monitor and bring it to the bathroom....now I just let her play in her room and I have the monitor. Make sure she can't get out of her crib, and gate her room, also make sure everything is child-proof and safe. You will be good to go!

It's time to either sell the jumperoo or put it up for the next one, if there are plans for another one in the future!

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H.P.

answers from Norfolk on

My first suggestion was going to be the jumper, but then I kept reading. I would try putting her in the playpen with some of her favorite toys and books. Hopefully she's content enough for you to hop in the shower. If that doesn't work you may have to wait for her nap to take a shower.

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N.C.

answers from Washington DC on

Enclose her in a safe room with a baby gate. Make sure that there is nothing she can ingest, and secure all tall furniture (like bookcases) to the wall. When my children were that age, I put them in their cribs to play while I showered. Neither one of them were climbing out at that age, though. You could also set up a Pack n Play (if she doesn't climb out). Even if she cries, you are only in the shower a few minutes, and you deserve to feel clean and fresh!

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S.M.

answers from Spartanburg on

I just take my little one into the bathroom with me. I give her some favorite books and toys and she'll play while I shower. I leave the curtain open a little so I can see her and of course the bathroom has been baby-proofed so it's safe.

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J.G.

answers from Washington DC on

I kept a pack and play in our bedroom for a long time for just that purpose. Put her in there w/lots of child safe toys. Even if she cries, at least get a shower. She'll get used to it. Don't rearrange your day by getting up at the crack of dawn, etc. She'll survive for 10-15 min. in a pack and play while you get some much needed alone time. :)

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S.M.

answers from Washington DC on

FOr a long time, I put up the Pack N Play outsid ethe bathroom door. She was fascinated for a long time. Then she started to hate it, but at least it was safe for 15 minutes. I would sing to her, and fill it with toys. Or give her a sippy and crackers and keep an eye on her. Try an Exersaucer too.

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K.H.

answers from Washington DC on

You may not like this idea but I kept my toddlers in the shower with me (they aren't too close in age so only one was little at a time). They were not afraid of the water falling on their heads. I gave them bath toys. When they were babies, I held them and that was a lot harder. Many days, I took a shower at 5 AM while Dad was still home and it was worth it just to feel clean and refreshed. When they were older, they loved showers and brought their toys in with them for some pretty imaginative games so it must have been a pleasant experience when they were little.

Good luck.

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J.K.

answers from Washington DC on

Yes, definitely baby proof your bathroom and rotate toys and then she can play in there while you shower!

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J.H.

answers from Washington DC on

you can take showers at night or get up earlier than she dose and take one then

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D.G.

answers from Washington DC on

My daughter still sat in the swing until around 15 months old. I had it in front of the TV. I would put her in the swing, and put in a baby Einstein video. Or, like all other responses, put toys in a pack and play. She will be fine. Sometimes I even put her in the crib with toys, and put our portable DVD player on a TV tray so she could watch something. I couldn't imagine putting a baby in the shower with me all the time...that's just a little too much! We need our private time, and a baby enjoys splashing in a bath tub before bed.

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D.S.

answers from Norfolk on

If your high chair has wheels, roll it in to the bathroom.

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N.L.

answers from Washington DC on

I simply showered w/ my little one. Two birds one stone. Well, three birds actually...we were both bathed that way AND I could keep an eye on her.

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D.S.

answers from Washington DC on

What always worked for me is to shut our daughter in the bathroom with me. The bathroom was baby-proofed so there was no harm she could do while I took my shower. I always made sure to bring in a few of her toys to keep her occupied.

Good luck!

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M.C.

answers from Washington DC on

I had a pack-n-play in my room, that was near a tv. Turn on a good show, and she was good for 25m.

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Q.R.

answers from Washington DC on

take her in the bathroom with you while you shower. Leave the shower curtain open (atleast 1/4 of the way) and talk to her while you shower. this should keep her entertained. it works for me. good luck!

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K.H.

answers from Washington DC on

If your 1 yr old is anything like mine then taking her in the bathroom won't work (she loves to splash about in the toilet bowl)!!!, before she was competely mobile I would make sure she couldn't get into rooms and I would leave her in the living room with some toys (bathroom on same level as living area) , but since she has been walking she has also become a climber and likes to climb onto the dining table so she has left me no choice but to put her in her crib for 5 mins with a book or toy. What the other person said about waiting to take a shower until she naps is unrealistic , you probably have things to get on with so need to get ready , just put her in the crib or playpen , yes she may not like it but at least she is safe and you get to shower , the worst that will happen is she will scream for 5 mins.

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L.G.

answers from Washington DC on

I either got up very early to shower - before either child was awake, or I put them in the stroller (a Graco which was the size of a Cadillac) and wheeled them into my bedroom where they watched TV as I showered.

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Z.D.

answers from Washington DC on

Like many of the other moms said, I'd put him in the shower with me. He'd sit at the far end of the tub and play with his toys while I moved the shower head closer to the front end as to not get too much water splashed all over him... When I finished showering I'd pick him up and bathe him - he loved this until about 14 months. Now I leave him in his room with many toys out and shut the door. When my shower is finished and I hear him crying, I nurse him immediately and praise him for being patient. If he's not crying I go in and start playing alongside him, as if I had never left. Good luck!

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S.D.

answers from Washington DC on

I actually place my 15 m old daughter in her playpen with toys outside my bathroom door.I sing her favorite songs while I'm in there. She does fine while I take a 2 min shower.

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T.H.

answers from Norfolk on

mine would shower with me. mine would alo watch tv but it sounds like yours wont sit long eough for that. will she stay in pack n play or crib and watch tv for the 15 minutes you are showering?

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S.C.

answers from Norfolk on

I got up to shower before my husband went to work. Sometimes that meant 5am but I HAVE to shower everyday! When he was out of town for work I would bring the pack-n-play or activity center (the kind they sit in the middle and have stuff to play all around them) into the bathroom with me. Some of my friend did the same kind of thing but had "special" toys that were only for mommy shower time. Good luck.

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P.W.

answers from Washington DC on

When Patrick was younger I placed him in his Exersaucer - he loved playing in it. Now that he's 18 months, he plays quietly with his blocks, books, etc., outside the bathroom door and he smiles when I come out.

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R.D.

answers from Washington DC on

I would bring my kids in with me once they were too big for things like the swing. or I would also just let them cry it out in their beds and just go quickly. It's necessary to shower, but they have to be safe. I'd rather have heard them cry because they were unhappy than cry because they were hurt :). That was my justification anyways. Hope it helps!

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K.P.

answers from Washington DC on

I use to set the pack & play up outside the bathroom door, leave the door open and talk to my little one while I was in the shower. I would 'hide' various toys so when it was shower time I could place things in there he hadn't played with in a while.

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