What do yo do with your toddler when cooking/getting ready in the morning?

[HoneyJarvis]

I'm subject to total Mum guilt, I end up putting my toddler in front of the TV in his highchair when I have a shower and get ready or when cooking otherwise he ends up hanging off my leg which is dangerous with hot pots and pans about and he escapes from the bathroom when I'm showering. I'm keen to reduce his Exposire to TV and was wondering. What everyone else does with their 2yr olds at these times? I hate him watching too much TV but at a loss what else to do to ensure he's safe when I can't watch him. He won't sit quietly and look at a book, etc if I'm there and my husband often works so on my own some morning and evenings (otherwise he would look after him).

[karigan]

I have a shower once she is in bed at night so no interruptions there!

Whilst cooking she either plays on the kitchen floor with wooden spoons/tupperware etc, sits in her highchair colouring or playing with play doh, plays with her toys in the living room (living room adjoins kitchen so I can see her) or watches TV.

[kiki22]

I always took mine into the shower with me then left him playing while I got dressed and put my make on once I was ready to go dry my hair id take him out into the bedroom and let him play with some toys. While cooking I sat him either in the high chair watching tv or gave him plastic bowls with macaroni to play at cooking bashing pots with a wooden spoon was always a winner too.

[soundsystem]

I usually shower before DD(2) wakes up, but if she's up she just potters about. Puts my slippers on and stomps around, or chooses her own clothes ready to get dressed.

If I'm cooking she sometimes plays in the living room (open plan so I can see her), but more often than not she wants to help so I get her to bring me ingredients or get her to butter bread or something. She enjoys peeling carrots (and is getting reasonably proficient at it!) so we are eating a lot of carrots at the moment!

[Luckystar1]

We no longer put the tv/iPad on, as behaviour was becoming intolerable.

I wait until the baby (16 weeks) is napping then I have a shower, I usually take DS (just turned 2) into the bathroom with me with a toy he's picked, or he messes around upstairs.

In the evening while cooking, he stands on a chair in the kitchen 'helping' or plays in the sitting room with toys. And pottering back and forth in to me.

[MeredithShepherd]

And DS goes to bed at 7 and wakes up about 6am. His gro clock is set to 6.30 though so he stays in bed or plays in his room until the sun comes up.

[MeredithShepherd]

I'm a single parent to 2 year old DS. He just plays while I'm doing housework/cooking/showering. He doesn't need containing anywhere he's perfectly happy playing alone with his toys.

[Thegiantofillinois]

I had early risers, so when I was up 6, they were generally already up. For the past 6 years, they have sat in our bed watching ch5 (only channel we can get upstairs) until I'm ready for work.

I know every episode of Fireman Sam, pretty much word for word.

I know if I'm on track for being ready for breakfast at 7 by the programmes. Screwed when schedule changes.

[Cineraria]

DS just goes in the shower with me and scrambles around playing with his bath toys and getting ticklish from the water jets. From when he was six months until a month or so ago I used to sit him on a potty while I showered and stick his sassy wheel toy to the door of the bathroom cabinet for him to play with, but recently he hasn't enjoyed that so much and gets up when he's finished his poo instead of waiting for me to get out of the shower, so I don't think that's safe anymore.

I can't cook with him in a highchair nearby, which was my original plan, as he gets so cross when he sees the food but can't have it! He usually goes in the playpen with noisy toys for a while and then brings a toy train or car into the kitchen if he starts to miss me before I've finished.

We do still use TV as a distraction though. He watches Sofia the First songs on YouTube every day while we give him his medicine and then extra at the weekend when I'm cutting his nails.

[shhhhSleeping]

Ds potters about in the bathroom while I shower... chews on his toothbrush for a bit, plays with his bath toys on the floor, then throws all the shampoos into the bath while I skip about trying to avoid them. The art is in getting finished before he moves onto shredding the loo roll or going through the bin

[deuscat]

I get up to get showered and ready before DS wakes up and DH is still at home. I get up 6.15 and toddler wakes about 7.30. I have time to do a few jobs too! I cook dinner whilst he naps in the afternoon. I don't think a bit of TV here and there does any real harm though.

[CaveMum]

On days I'm at work I get up at 6 and shower/prep stuff before going in to get DD (2.8) up at 7.15. On days I'm not at work I usually stay in bed till she wakes up then bring her into my bedroom to watch CBeebies on the iPad while I shower.

She goes to bed at 7/7.30 and usually wakes about 7/7.15 every morning, though has been known to sleep till 8! I found dropping her daytime nap a few months ago made a huge difference to getting her off to sleep in the evenings, is that an option open to you?

I'm currently expecting DC2 so we'all see how that shakes up the routine!

[NannyR]

I'm a nanny so I get the luxury of showering and dressing in peace before I go to work, but with the cooking I just used to put the baby/toddler in his highchair in the kitchen and chat to him whilst cooking, give him a wooden spoon or a whisk to wave around, let him chew on a bit of carrot, put some music on and sing a bit whilst cooking, that sort of thing.

[dogdinner]

I take my son in the shower with me then he goes in his room with a stair gate on while I get dressed. He also has a play pen which he goes in while I cook or can't watch him. It has lots of his toys in. Some times he shouts to get out but then will get distracted and I can usually get about half an hour out of him. He does watch tv though but I try and just let him once a day. Xx

[Freedom2016]

IN not of - we're not eating out the same pot all week

[Freedom2016]

Dd is down by 8pm and awake from 6.45am. I shower and dress and aim to be done by 6.30am giving 15 minutes to throw her snack box together for nursery before I get her up

[Freedom2016]

Same as previous posters - I shower before DH leaves and before DD is awake. Get ready then dressing gown over the top to protect me from jammy hands and toddler mess

I bulk cook so I am essentially just heating a pot that also serves as serving dish of the week. On the rare occasions I cook in the week - I give dd jobs - so settings get the table will buy me time to get the dish out the oven. Or I let her go at the mushrooms with a butter knife.

Doesn't always work helps.

[lovelilies]

DS (2) potters around while I shower. DD 2 (5m) rolls around bathroom floor

Sometimes I have a bath with both of them in with me, usually in the evenings though.

DS gas recently dropped his nap so the 2 little ones (I have an 11 yo too), go to bed about 7.30 and get up any time between 6-8am

[Coconut0il]

DS2 goes to bed about 830/9, he's up at 7. I'd love him to go earlier but he's always gone later. On the odd occasion he's fell asleep at 7, he has woken up about 3.
I don't get up before him and I'm normally so tired I go to bed with him

[HoneyJarvis]

Thanks for all the feedback! My little one is up and about by 6.30am we're working hard to get him to bed by 7.30 but most nights is still wide awake gone 8pm so I struggle to get up before or cook and eat after, but more so as we like to eat together at the table. What times are everyone's children getting up/going to bed?

[BananaPie]

Personally I wouldn't have the TV on in the background - if it's on it's because we're watching it. I'd worry it would harm a child's attention span.

Interesting article here: www.urbanchildinstitute.org/articles/policy-briefs/infants-toddlers-and-television

[Mol1628]

Using the tv is fine! So long as it's not all day and all you do with them. I wouldn't leave in a high chair whilst I showered though mine would topple it.

Generally I leave him to wander round and play, if I have to shower when I'm alone with him I shut him in the bathroom with me with some toys. But my eldest would have had to have the iPad, he wouldn't entertain himself with toys till he was about 3.

If tv is working and it's how you manage to get things done then I would stick with doing that!

[Applesauce29]

I keep separate toys in the bathroom to occupy my one if I want to have a shower, or download episodes of peppa pig to phone and let him watch that.

[DoctorDonnaNoble]

My toddler gets up around 4 and DP works shifts so unless I can get him back down for a nap in half an hour which is a possibility then Postman Pat will be on in the background while he plays in the living room while i sort things out for the day.
I really can't get up half an hour before him and then teach all day. I'd have to start going to bed at about 7 to manage that.
I don't feel guilty as he only 'watches' about 5 minutes before getting on with playing.

[Chattycat78]

Sorry to say that I use the tv more than I should. However this is largely because Standards have slipped since ds2 came along 5 months ago. Ds1 is 22 months and will rarely sit still with a book or do an activity such as drawing and I'm hoping this is partly due to his age and it will change when he's older. Tv is definitely required when feeding baby.

I shower before dh leaves house as I'd have no chance if I waited til he left. Cooking is done in The evenings and toddler is saved portions suitable for his meals.