ds is 4 days old and i am trying to find a way to shower when i have no one else home with us. dh left for work already and im really grimy. i thought about putting him in his carseat in the bathroom with me, but he doesn't sleep well at all in it and im afraid he would just be sitting in it crying. is it ok to put him to sleep in the crib long enough to take a shower? he sleeps really well and im thinking i could wait till after he had been awake awhile and then had a good feeding that he most likely won't wake up, but i hate the idea that he might possibly wake up and be crying the whole time by hisself. :confused:

I'm lucky that DDs bassinet in our bedroom is only feet from the bathroom door. We don't use the crib yet, so I just left her in the bassinet to sleep with the door open so I could hear her. I would think it's fine. If you have a minitor, bring it in the bathroom with you so you can hear for the babe. If he starts crying, rinse like crazy and go get him (or do like me and get him with shampoo still in your hair and wonder why it looks like crap later in the day...duh..LOL).

I put DD in her bouncy seat now. Actually, the sound of the shower is really soothing, so you might be surprised to find that Baby will sleep soundly in his car seat. What about a trial run? Put him in his seat and turn the shower on for a few minutes. See what he does. The noise might just put him to sleep (the shower sounds like white noise, which resembles the noise our placenta made in the womb).

You sound like a very thoughtful mom. You might try
-the carseat and just be prepared to take a short shower
-a neighbor to hold him (people like to know how they can help)
-a bath with him next to you so you can hold him if he wakes
-laying him flat on a blanket (like in the crib) next to the shower
I wouldn't suggest leaving him in his crib if you can't respond to his cries. Showers are such a juggling act for new moms!

I had a hard time with this as well. I just wait for DS to go to sleep and then take a shower...even if it is in the middle of the afternoons. I don't want him crying and me not there for him.

I do have a bouncy seat the vibrates though ad if I NEED to get a shower to go soomewhere, I put him in that and he can last about 20 minutes..just enough time!

thanx to all for the quick responses! i have a baby papasan bouncy seat but one of the screws wont line up with the hole and neither i nor dh have been able to assemble it, so i think im gonna try North's suggestion of a "trial run" with him in the carseat while i run the shower.

also- does anyone know if toys-r-us might exchange the bouncy seat without the reciept?

They will. I took back over $200 of stuff with no receipt. I told them I got it at showers and did not get the receipts and they took it ALL back! ;)

I put DD in the carseat & in the bathroom with me.

I'd swaddle DD & propped her in the boppy pillow. That was a surefire way for her to sleep.

Bouncy seat was good.

Actually, once you find what works for you...you'll discover it's very easy to shower when babies are infants. I know it doesn't seem like it at the time, but it's not too bad.

It's when they get a little older & start reaching around, stretching for things...and especially scooting & crawling where it gets more challenging to get a shower.

DD is 9 months now, and I have to roll her in the bathroom in her high chair with some cherio's & a few toys so I can shower. She scoots around & pulls herself up on things if I don't have her contained in some way. Anything could happen at this point.

J Baby,
I also have the Fisher-Price papasan bouncy chair and I have put my newborn in it while I took a shower from day one. She sits right outside the door and usually she doesn't cry or fuss. The few times she does, I let her cry or fuss and just hurry up.

I also had these concerns with my first but worked them out. I would put ds in his swing and as soon as he was asleep I would run upstairs and grab a 5 minute shower. We had an extra monitor so I had it set up near the swing and brought the parental unit in with me so I could hear. Now that I have two I have to grab a shower when my dh gets home first thing in the morning before he goes to bed if I want to go out, or I wait until my ds#1 goes for his nap and for ds#2 to fall asleep in the swing. I have really fast showers now and usually don't have any problems. The few times they have cried I did was Orange said, just hurried. It won't hurt them to cry for a few minutes! It's good for their lungs! :D

i learned to put her in the crib and when she was sleeping - I would take the monitor in and shower fast! works like a charm for me - good luck to you!

I used this trick for my son when he was a newborn I would take a basket and line it with clothes not to many though so it's still deep enough for him to lay in then put it on top the dryer with it running and he went striaght to sleep and slept long enough for me to shower!!! try it
;)

We don't have a shower (shock, horror!) so I had lots of very quick washes or baths when DD was very young. I used to put her in a rocker chair in the bathroom doorway or in her crib in the room next door to the bathroom if she was asleep. There were a couple of occasions where she cried but it didn't do her any harm, although I hated it and did leap out of the bath covered in soap suds to cuddle her a couple of times. I lost count of the number of bad hair days I had because I sat and cuddled her with my hair in a towel and it stayed that way til it was almost dry and sticking out!

Now she is 9 months old, I try to have a bath when she has gone to bed at night time, or if I really need a bath in the morning I try to do it before hubby has gone to work (at 7.10 am!) or put her in her cot.

Your post most of all made me want to sign up. Its nice to know I'm not the only one that cares and loves my child more than anything. My son is now 2 months old. The best way to get a shower, and take it from me, when my son came home I didnt shower for a week. Eww I know, but soon as you lay your infant down just go take a shower and have a hand held baby monitor with you. Don't panic and run out of the shower right away if he starts to fuss or cry a little bit. The carseat idea in the shower is also good but make sure you vent the place by leaving the door open, it may start to get to hot for the baby.

I always thought monitors were the best bet, I always used them at night to, I probally would never be able to sleep if I couldn't here my babies noises. I also use to love taking the baby into the bath with me, congrats on your new baby, the baby years are so precious and go by to fast.:)