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I was in the shower this morning and got to thinking about how valueable a shower really is, especially if you have children. Trying to find time for a shower once you become a parent is like trying to find a needle in a haystack, you may never find it.
When I was pregnant with Maya I didn’t consider how our days would play out, what our routine would be like. I never considered that taking care of a newborn would mean I probably wouldn’t shower, I definitely wouldn’t sleep and I very likely would barely get a chance to eat. I mean I “knew” most of these things deep down, I did read all the pregnancy/parenting books afterall. But I didn’t really let myself think about it and I certainly didn’t let myself consider what they would mean for me when I was in the midst of it.
Once Maya actually arrived and I was smack dab in the middle of caring for a newborn I couldn’t deny it anymore. My needs, even the need to feel clean and not smell, were just not important anymore. Her needs came before mine, which meant some days I didn’t shower, I barely ate, and I slept when and where I could (often curled up on the couch with her 
)
After the first few weeks I realized that I needed to shower in order to keep myself sane. I really enjoy my morning shower, it helps me get going the same way coffee gets others going. So, I started working on a routine that would make sure I got that much needed shower. As Maya got older I had to revise the routine to fit her current needs (and mine), but I am happy to say that I have not gone a single day without a shower
I’ll share my little routine with you in hopes that it will help you find the time for that much sought after, hot commodity, previously known as a shower.
Newborn through about 6 months:
If I wasn’t able to shower during her morning nap (or I really needed to nap during that time as well!!) I would figure out a way to work a quick shower into another part of our morning ritual. I would plop Maya into her boppy bouncy seat or in her swing, sit it in the bathroom and shower while she either drifted off to sleep or played with the toys dangling in front of her.
6 months through about 8 months:
Once Maya started sitting up on her own she didn’t want to sit in the bouncy seat or swing anymore, so I changed things up a little bit and would lay her on the floor on her activity mat. She would roll around on there, play with a few toys and babble away while I got in my much needed shower.
8 months through about 18 months:
Once she started crawling and pulling up on things I needed to change our routine again. I got rid of the activity mat and replaced it with a few towels and blankets for padding, a bunch of toys and a few books. She would occupy herself pulling up on the toilet or the edge of the bathtub or playing with her toys while I showered. When she was about a year her favorite thing to do while I was showering was to stand by the tub and play with a couple of travel-sized shampoo bottles and “pretend” to wash her hair, it was so cute.
18 months through now (22 months):
Once Maya hit about 18 months old trying to contain her in the bathroom while I was showering became a huge battle and my shower was no longer enjoyable since it was accompanied by the yells and cries of a toddler demanding to be released. So, I had to devise a new routine. Our house has been baby(toddler) proofed so I decided it would be ok to let her be free while I showered. I put on one of her favorite Disney sing-a-long DVDs or put on an episode of Sesame Street for her and she sits in the living room (about 10 feet from the bathroom (we live in a condo)) and quietly watches her show, reads some books or plays with her toys. She’ll come into the bathroom if she needs something, and I can hear what’s going on out there since she is so close. It works out perfectly.
The thing I learned when I had a baby was that I needed to condense my shower so that I would have time to fit it into our routine even on those days when Maya was fussy and didn’t want my out of her sight for a second. I need my shower to get me going so I did what I needed to do to make sure it happened.
I hope you can adapt my routine to your life so that you too can find the bliss of a shower again
With toddlerhood comes a strong desire for independence. Tasks that were previously simple and easy are suddenly a battle. Your toddler wants to do everything by herself from putting on her clothes, eating with a spoon, using the “big kid” cup, to giving herself a bath. Toddlers are learning all about the world around them and how they fit into that world at a very rapid pace. They realize suddenly that they are independent of their parents and doing things by themselves is much better than having things done for them. This little swing towards independence is both fun and challenging for parents.
One of the big challenges can be bathtime. It may no longer by a breeze, even for those little ones who previously loved bathtime. Between being told they have to do something at a certain time and having someone do most of the work for them can make for a few meltdowns. So how can you make bathtime fun again for both you and your toddler?
- If you haven’t already done so, build it into your routine so your child knows to expect it every day or every other day at about the same time.
- Set expectations by giving your child a warning that bathtime is coming up by saying, for example “5 more minutes of play and then it is bathtime.”
- Purchase a few fun new bath toys that are age appropriate. I have found that my daughter loves the sponge letters and numbers I purchased for her. She gets something new to play with and gets to learn while she is playing.
- Get your child involved in bathtime by letting them help with the washing up. Let them wash their tummy or their legs as a way to encourage their new independent nature.
- Add buddles to the tub every so often to shake things up a bit and make your child “want” to get in the tub.
- Consider showers instead of baths if bathtime is too much of a struggle. A shower will be quicker and may make your child feel “cool” to be washing up like a “big boy”.
- Let your child help dry themselves off and put their jammies on after the bath.
Allowing them to stretch their new independent side will make everything, including bathtime, a little easier for them and you. Struggles are part of the territory but you can minimize them so you don’t feel like you are constantly in a game of tug-of-war with your toddler.
My daughter loves bathtime, however, getting her to remember how fun bathtime is and come into the bathroom when the water is ready can sometimes be a challenge. For the most part she cooperates but if she doesn’t I offer her something new or different, like I’ll take a bath with her or we’ll blow bubbles in the tub together.
What do you do to help minimize the battles with your independent toddler?
This past weekend we took Maya on her first camping trip. I grew up camping with my family and with Girl Guides (the Canadian equivilant of Girl Scouts) and my husband did a lot of camping growing up too. We hadn’t been camping since before Maya was born and we figured it was a good time to get back in the game and see what Maya thought about it. She loved it. Our first camping trip with Maya was a huge success and we all had a great time.
Since this was her first camping trip and we weren’t sure how it was going to go we decided to try out a campground close to home just in case we needed to make a mad dash for home. My friend, Heather, told us about this great little campground just up the road from her place (about 40 minutes from our house) called Klondike Park. It sounded perfect, so we decided to give it a try. We made a reservation, packed up the car and headed for the campground Friday afternoon for a fun-filled weekend of camping.
First things first we got our campsite all set up. Of course, Maya had to help!
Our campsite was great. Plenty of shade, a really nice firepit, lots of level, grassy areas to up the tent and for Maya to run around and play. The park itself was really nice too with well kept bathrooms, a common camp kitchen for clean up and food prep, a little lake to fish in (or throw rocks in if you’re Maya!), a playground and plenty of hiking and biking trails. We had a wonderful time exploring the campground and relaxing at our campsite.
Our only challenge (besides fitting everything we needed into the car!) was sleep. Maya went to bed okay the first night, it was later than normal for her so she didn’t fuss too much before falling asleep, however, she woke up a lot that night. I think part of it was she was a little cold and part was because it was brighter and louder than she is used to. Needless to say when morning came we were all still a little tired. Luckily, Maya did end up napping the next day since she was completely exhausted. It was a bit of a battle to get her to fall asleep, but luckly she did get a couple of hours sleep under her belt and was pretty good that evening. Saturday night proved to be much better sleeping wise. She went to sleep as soon as I laid her in her crib and only woke up once that night to be covered back up because she was cold. Sunday morning we all woke up much more rested.
On Saturday my friend Heather and her kiddos came out to join us. Her and her son Logan spent the night and then the rest of the family came out Sunday to enjoy the day with us. It was great fun. Maya loved having her best friend Claire and her good buddy Logan around to play with.
It was a great first camping experience and we’ll definitely be doing it again. But there’s nothing quite like that very first experience!
What you consume becomes very important during your pregnancy. Since what you eat can have an impact on the little life growing inside of you it is even more important to make sure what you eat is healthy and safe. During pregnancy it is recommended that women eat a balanced diet high in fiber rich foods, plenty of fruits and vegetables, lots of calcium, plenty of protein and lots of water. That being said, there are also fairly strict recommendationsg regarding healthy weight gain during pregnancy. To help avoid putting on more weight than they should many women turn to artificial sweetners to help keep their sugar intake down. But are they safe?
Due to a lack in research into the effects of the artificial sweetners, aspartame (marketed as Nutrasweet and Equal) and saccharin , on a developing fetus most doctors recommend that you avoid these artificial sweetners during pregnancy if you can or at the very least limit how much you consume. The other common artificial sweetner, sucralose, marketed under the brand name Splenda, is at this time considered safe for consumption during pregnancy.
For the most part natural foods such as unprocessed meats, diary, fresh fruits and vegetables, natural sweetners like sugar and honey, and whole grain breads and cereals are your best bets for a safe, healthy pregnancy diet. If you are concerned about any of the foods you are eating, or have questions about what is safe to eat during pregnancy and what is not, talk to your doctor or midwife. If you are worried that you are not eating healthy enough consider asking your doctor for a referral to a nutritionist for a consultation on healthy pregnancy eating habits.
I get a lot of comments on my post, Baby Poop, What’s Normal from parents concerned about their baby‘s bowel movements. Many are concerned that their infant may be constipated. Constipation in infants, especially very young infants can be very nerve-wracking for parents. Parents often have an expectation of what their baby “should” be doing in the poop department based on what others have told them, what they have read, etc. However, the most important thing that a parent can do is remember that no two babies are the same. Some babies will go every day, many times a day while others may go several days between bowel movements, both are perfectly normal. Your baby will set his or her own schedule and once you know what that schedule is you’ll be better able to determine when something isn’t right, such as constipation.
Your baby may be constipated if he or she is having large, very hard bowel movements and seems to be struggling painfully to pass his or her stool. If you believe your child is constipated you will want to take steps to help relieve that constipation. For babies who are old enough to eat jarred baby food or drink juice it will be a lot easier to help them relieve the constipation, for those too young for baby food and juice you’ll need to enlist the help of your pediatrician.
For very young babies contact your child’s pediatrician to see what he or she recommends, they may recommend fruit juice to see if that gets things moving or they may prescribe a laxative or stool softener. Your child’s doctor may want you to bring the baby in for a quick exam before determining the best course of action.
Once your baby is old enough to eat jarred baby foods and can drink fruit juice try giving him or her pureed prunes or prune juice to see if that helps get things moving a long. You could also try pears as they are high in fiber and can help with constipation as well. If your baby is eating cereal try switching to oatmeal or barley cereal instead of rice cereal as rice cereal can cause constipation.
If your child, no matter how old, continues to be constipated for several days or has a lot of discomfort while trying to take a bowel movement then contact their pediatrician to see what you should do next, ie stool softener, etc.
I’ve been lucky, my daughter has been pretty regular with her bowel movements from the beginning. However, every now and then she’ll get a little bound up and I always find that prunes or prune juice does the trick for her, and it tends to work quickly.
It can be scary when your baby is so tiny and you just can’t figure out what is bothering them or how to help them. If you are at all worried call your child’s pediatrician, they don’t mind, that’s what they are there for.