Where is your baby when you are in the toilet?

[DaddyTenbob]

Hi there,

First ever post from this very proud Dad to be (do I have to shorten that to D2B or whatever?)

Anyhow, I know this is pretty strange for a first post but my wife and I were just chatting babystuff, as you do. My wife asked me, what do you do with the baby when you go to the toilet? Now, I know before the baby is a toddler we can just arm ourselves with the baby monitor but what about when the baby is a toddler? My wife says you would just have the baby in the bathroom with you when you have to go. Personally I think it would be cruel to have our baby in there when I'm lightening the load, so to speak.

So, what do, or did you guys do? Oh, and we're 6 months pregnant at this stage. Yay!

[planetpotty]

Leave the toilet door open

[coastgirl]

A non-mobile baby can go on the floor/in a bouncy chair/cot or moses basket. If they cry, you just go quickly, and save your long trips for when there's someone else around.

[SeaShellsOnTheSeaShore]

Ummm...it has been known that the baby was sat on my lap whilst the toddler was playing with the bath toys (was at the stage he seemed to have a death wish so had to be in sight to make sure he wasn't trying to back flip off the sofa, the baby was crawling any had separation anxiety so couldn't be left) but I suspect that wasn't really what you wanted to hear?!

Congratulations btw!

[breatheslowly]

DD is a toddler. If she is awake then she is doing one of:

Walking towards me as I left the door open.
Scampering away with the toilet roll, tearing it into little pieces as she goes.
Trying to flush the toilet if she can get to it.
Wailing because I left the room and she doesn't know where I went, even though I am calling her to let her know.
Hammering at the door so that I don't know whether she is on the other side and opening it will send her flying.

[SazZaVoom]

Wherever they were before i went to the toilet

As long as stairs/open fires are out of reach, baby will be fine
Oh and congratulations BTW

[paranoidandroidwreckmyownlife]

She usualy bum shuffles her way in, pulls herself up to standing on your knees then says hello!
[Grin] Get used to it.

[scarevola]

If the child is mobile, it will follow you. And it will be YEARS before you ever have a private pee again.

[GrizzlyMacDuff]

my toddler generally runs riot around the house with a chalk chunk which he stashes when I am not looking. or in front of cbeebies, or pulling on my legs going 'mammeeeeee mammeeeee' or if I shut the door, banging on it going 'mammeeee mammeeeee'

It is amazing how quickly you can learn to pee etc with a toddler around.

[Pascha]

Rolling bath toys round the bathroom floor, slapping my knees, throwing stuff into the bath... Just playing really. Friday in the public loo at the pool my son dropped my carkeys into the toilet bowl. After I had used it. Before I had flushed. [hhmm]

[DaddyTenbob]

Wow!

Didn't even think about just leaving the toilet door open. Doh!

SeaShells, yep I didn't want to hear that. And BreathesSlowly, had a giggle picturing some of those situations.

Oh, and CoastGirl, saving up the long trips sounds a good idea - when possible!

Thanks for your replies. I'm sure I will have many more silly questions in the future.

[DaddyTenbob]

Cheers for those extra replies which came in while I posted my last note.

Lol at Pascha eeeeuuuuu!

[Pascha]

[hgrin] your time will come...

[CultureMix]

As with everyone above. Wave goodbye to private toilet time - especially once kids are mobile they want to be there with you or will be wandering in and out. They reach a stage when they particularly want to see all the happenings up close too, and it's useful preparation for potty training. And if you really need to go and have a screaming child who needs a cuddle then you do both simultaneously. Possibly TMI but when they're little they don't seem bothered by any smells.

A special daddy note that if your DC is a boy he will be particularly interested in your peeing performance .

[MayDayChild]

Culture, DD also fascinated by daddy peeing equipment
Will never forget her trying to wee standing up.
DS is most often on my lap whilst I use loo clingy devil.

[RefereezaWanka]

I remember, post c-section, taking my first baby to the loo with me every single time. I would either hold him or carry him in his moses basket into the loo. Way OTT.

Second baby - stuck her in her cot and weed in peace

Non-crawling / pulling up babies are fine to be left for a few minutes in a cot. Seriously.

[cjbk1]

Our 3 1/2 yo dd still tries to wee standing up after watching our ds and dad

[Meglet]

Cot / moses basket as a baby.

Playpen as a toddler.

I rarely let my dc's see me pee at home as there isn't the space in the bathroom for two people. I can't be doing with being bashed while on the loo.

[cory]

I had one room (the living-room) which was absolutely baby safe and we just put a safety gate on that- acted like a giant play pen.

[matana]

Oh, we relish those rarest of moments in our house these days.... the luxury poo. The theory is that when i need one my DH takes my DS (now 11 months) and when DH needs one i return the favour. What invariably happens, however, is that DH gets said luxury poo ok usually while i feed DS breakfast or something. When it's my turn i hear a thumping like a baby elephant along the landing, accompanied by mischievous giggle, the bathroom door creeps open, DS crawls in smiling, before proceeding to pull himself up on my legs and wedging his head between my knees. I know, i really do need to remember to close the door. But when i do, i invariably hear a thump followed by tears because DS has got his head wedged in a rubbish bin while my DH isn't looking.

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

Lone parent here.... baby DS was often 'left' in bouncy chair, carry cot, pram, cot or just sitting playing with toys whilst I went to the loo, hung out the washing, took out the bins, took a shower, made a cup of coffee, cooked supper or all the other million and one things I have to do to keep the house running smoothly. He's still OK.

[Rikalaily]

I have a travel cot in the livingroom and it stays in here from birth until they are old enough to climb out of it, lol. I put baby in there when I nip the loo/answer the door etc while under 1, over a year old and I just leave them in the livingroom playing, it's babyproof and has a baby gate on.

I used to take my toddlers upstairs with me (babygate at the top of the stairs) until dd1 (who was about 2.4) managed to open the baby gate and roll headfirst down the stairs within 5 seconds while I was sat on the loo watching in horror with the door open, she did it so fast! I was heavily pregnant with dd2 and by the time I'd pulled my pants up and ran to the stairs (which were only 2m away) she was in a heap at the bottom, she was unhurt, didn't even have a bruise (no idea how she got away with it) but it scared the shit out of both of us and we were hysterical.

[5ofus]

I remember asking this very question to my HV when I had DD .

Bless her heart for explaining carefully how DD couldn't yet move or roll and would be fine for a few mins. You just get used to assessing what stage they're at and what doors or gates you need to close to keep them safe.

[Athrawes]

When people ask whether I am glad to be back at work they look appalled when I say that one of the principal joys has been to go to the loo alone.

[ATruthUniversallyAcknowledged]

This is the kind of thing I wondered about too!

Luckily our change table is in the bathroom and DS loves lying on it with his nappy off so he stays on there kicking his legs around while I nip to the loo (and when I shower).

DP hates it though... "I just want to use the toilet in peace! Is it too much to ask?" (um, yes!)