When do you find time to shower with a newborn?!

[Poppy2421]

My second baby is 4 weeks old and overall I'm finding it much easier than last time but the thing I'm struggling with is when I can wash and get ready for the day!? I feel so much better if I'm able to have a quick shower in the morning but baby is only really awake to feed and then wants to be held while napping all the time. I've put him in a sling so I can eat, use the toilet etc but I'm often still in PJs by midday. When I tried putting him in the sleepyhead in the bathroom so I could wash he just stayed awake for hours and got gradually more agitated, so didn't seem a good solution. What does everyone else do?

I remember at that age mine used to wake for a feed and then pretty quickly go back for a nap again, and I used to try to use that window to get myself showered (or sometimes just go back to sleep if I felt like it!). Maybe I was lucky though.

I used to put my baby on a change mat on the floor in front of the shower, so she could see my face. It was, (and is) the only way she wouldn’t cry. Some days I would have to sing to keep her happy.

Once she was so bad I just got in the bath with her and we both had one.

I put mine in his cot and was quick to shower. It was very important to my mental health to do so.

I had a revolving musical mobile that lasted for 15 minutes which he was always transfixed by so he was in one room in his cot and my 1 year old was in his room in his cot! Usually at least one of them cried a little.

Cot, shower in ensuite. Door open. I can easily shower in less than five minutes. Probably two minutes at a push.

What time does dp/dh leave the house? Could you nip for a shower 10mins before he leaves?

Low lying vibrating bouncy chair on the floor in the bathroom. Probably while singing loudly to him while showering. Quickly. Couldn’t guarantee no crying.

I used to get up and have a shower before my husband went to work (sometimes he'd be leaving before 6am), then I'd either get ready for the day or put on fresh pyjamas & hop back into bed.
Otherwise I'd feed the baby and put them in a bouncer in the bathroom while I showered.

Moses basket on bathroom floor so he could see me and I would talk to him. Not the most relaxing way to get clean but needs must.
I was able to shower in under 3 minutes by the time he was 6 weeks old.

You put them somewhere safe and have a quick shower or whatever , even if they start crying it’s only going to be a minute or 2 which won’t hurt .

I showered every day, to look after my mental health. He sat in a bouncer for a bit and either watched or slept; and when he started getting whinny about it; I started taking him in. He’s three now and still showers with me pretty much every morning.

I found a felt a lot better; and a lot more me, if I was clean and dressed before we went downstairs. It also meant we were ready to go out and do things!

I shower in the 5-10mins before DH leaves in the morning. It means I have to be in the shower at 6am but this is a breeze compared to the alternative - my youngest is now 1 and I showered while DH was already at work yesterday. I ended up breastfeeding a slippery 1 year old, with a 3 year old splashing around by my feet whilst I rinsed my conditioner, the opposite of an relaxing shower to say the least 😅

Just put baby in the cot and have a quick shower. No need to piss around having them in the bathroom with you.

No harm will come to him to be left in his little basket whilst you shower. I agree with pp who’ve said it’s important for your mental well-being to be showered and dressed.

DD is only a year old but I feel like the newborn stage was a million years ago.

I’d keep her in the bathroom with me either in her vibrating bouncy chair and then her portable seat thing when she got to four plus months.

I think I did do more showering at night when I knew she was somewhat settled/DH was home.

If I didn’t need to wash my hair I’d often just get in the bath with her (I still do). When she was able to sit unassisted (6 months?) I’d sometimes just plonk her in the shower cubical with me too. One of my favourite photos of her is her doing tummy time in the bathroom door way with pillows on the door frame and toys scattered around.

If I was in a rush and I needed a shower I’d plonk her with DH when working from home and quickly have a shower. She’d often scream but you’ve got to shower!

I'd pop them in moses basket/cot or a baby bouncer by the bathroom door and have a thirty second shower.

Put baby in some sort of container and have a shower. They will be fine even if they cry the entire time, 5 minutes does them no harm and you are important too.

Just do it. If baby cries for a few minutes it won't hurt.

This. You matter too!

Baby bouncer in the bathroom with you.

Exactly. This was late 80s but I remember the health visitor telling me to make sure the baby was safe and just let him cry. They soon get used to not being picked up immediately and learn to settle themselves

I did combination of things - if DH was there, he obviously took the baby while I showered. If he wasn't there, bouncer or mat on the bathroom floor, or if we weren't going out, shower later in the day while baby napped. There were also days when I held the baby in the shower with me and accepted that just letting the water rinse over us both with no soap was better than no shower at all 🤷🏼‍♀️

Put baby in their cot whilst you shower or use the loo. Can’t say I ever took mine to the toilet with me. Do you not put the baby down when you go to sleep?

Strapped into portable carseat, very quick shower

Haha it’s a long time since I had a newborn but the difficulty in putting them down so I could go to sleep was one of our major issues for the first ???many??? weeks.