Here’s how I got a much-needed shower on a daily basis when the twins were little!
Hey there Mommas!!
I’m happy to announce a new series here on Making Mommas – Tips for SAHM’s!!
Yay!!!
If you don’t know what a SAHM is, then rest assured – you are not one.
😉
SAHM stands for Stay-At-Home-Mom.
Hi, my name is Shannon, and I’m a stay-at-home mom.
I’ve been a stay-at-home mom on and off over the years.
I have also worked part-time at some points and full-time at others.
It is tough, to say the least.
Any of it.
All of it.
I love the mommy wars – how everyone is always talking about which is harder – being a SAHM or being a working mother – oh yeah, and we can’t forget the WAHM’s! (Work-At-Home-Moms!)
Having done all that, I can end the war once and for all:
They are all HARD!
Parenting is the toughest job you will ever have.
I don’t think it is easier if you stay home. I don’t think it is easier if you go to work.
The fact of the matter is, it isn’t easy. Period. End of story.
But because I am a SAHM, I do want to unite with other SAHM’s out there.
The structure of our days is different than that of a working momma.
We have our own challenges; some similar to working moms and some in a world all their own. And I’ve learned a trick or two over the years – I am just dying to share with you! Of course! That’s what we are all here for, right? To learn from each other!
One of the most common questions new moms face – especially stay at home new moms – is how to sneak in a shower!
You may laugh, but it is true.
When you become a mom for that first time, you lose every sense of who you once were, right down to the most basic of bodily functions. This includes everything from sneaking in a shower to peeing by yourself to grabbing a glass of water when you are thirsty.
Your child will interrupt them all – and keep you from completing any of them alone.
You will be peeing with a child in the bathroom with you (I had two on the floor and one on my lap!).
You will be grabbing that glass of water with a baby on your hip.
And you will be showering…. Right…when will you be showering again?
It is especially important for SAHM’s to find a way to fit in a shower.
Your hygiene and self-care habits directly affect your mental health. Do not let yourself get in to the habit of going days without showering, putting on a little make up, or doing your hair.
If you look greasy and gross, you feel greasy and gross.
If you feel greasy and gross day in and day out, week after week, month after month, you are going to starting thinking you are greasy and gross.
And your self-esteem will plummet.
But it is sooo hard to get that shower in.
You are up all night with the baby. The last thing you want to do is get up early in the morning too.
Sleep is necessary, and the age-old adage is true: sleep when the baby sleeps. At least, during the first year. There is no reason why you should have to sacrifice sleep for a shower during that first year.
The best way to get in a shower is to move your showering schedule around a bit.
Sure, the morning shower is the absolute best way to start off the day. You feel clean, refreshed and otherwise great. If you can fit it in, keep that routine.
Can you get up before hubby leaves for work, to take a shower?
Or maybe baby sleeps until eight and you feel comfortable getting up at 7:30. Maybe baby gets up at six but goes back to sleep at ten. Can you sneak in a shower then?
If not, try these tricks:
How to sneak in a shower when you are a SAHM
1. Shower when someone else is home, to care for the baby.
Do you have older kids that come home after school? Can they keep an eye on the baby for a bit while you shower? Can you fit it in when dad comes home? Do you have a good friend, neighbor, mother or sister close by? If so, use them! Ask them to sit with the baby while you shower.
2. Bring baby in to the bathroom with you.
I have done this in times of desperation. I prefer my bathroom time to be my time if at all possible, so I try not to shower with an audience (remember, I have three little ones, so it seriously is an audience). But it does work.
If baby is little, put him in a bouncy chair or bassinette and roll it in to the bathroom with you. If he can sit up and crawl around, put him on the (clean!) floor of the bathroom with a few toys. Shut the door so he cannot leave.
Make sure there is nothing harmful to him before you climb in to the shower.
I once forgot about a plant sitting in the planter. My crazy little explorer pulled it down, right on top of him. I had to hop out of the shower, dripping wet, clean up the mess, kiss his boo-boos and then hop back in and finish scrubbing myself.
It was a novice mistake. And I’m an old pro.
I was not impressed.
While you are in there, sing, talk, recite poems, anything. Keep up a continuous flow of chatter so that Baby knows you are still there. If Baby is young, the new sights and sounds may frighten or worry him.
If he is old, he needs to know you are there, watching, so as to ward off any temptation he may face to go rooting around in stuff that is not his to play with.
Use his name often, and if he is nearing talking age, ask open ended questions. That will keep him engaged with you (hopefully!) and out of, say the toothpaste drawer.
3. Bring baby in to the shower with you.
If she can sit up and play safely at the end of the bathtub while you shower, than bingo! Bath and fun time for her, shower for you. If she can’t sit on her own, they do have a lot of bath tub chairs and whatnot that might help keep baby up and stable, or at least contained.
4. Use containment units.
If you have multiples, or more than one very young child, they may not all fit in to your bathroom while you shower.
If your bathroom is not connected to your bedroom, put the kiddos in high chairs, bouncy chairs, walkers or any other containment unit that you can find that will fit neatly in your hallway.
Leave the bathroom door open.
And take a two minute shower. Seriously.
They won’t last long without being able to see you and talk to you, so take the fastest shower you have ever taken.
Be sure to give them some toys to play with while they are contained.
They will throw them down and then not be able to reach them, so your goal is to shower faster than your children can throw all the toys down. It’s hard to do!
5. Lock them in to your bedroom.
If you have a master bathroom attached to a master bedroom, and the children are old enough to play in there safely, baby-proof your bedroom, and then shut that door.
Contain them in the bedroom, leave your bathroom door open, and, again, take a two minute shower.
It’s really not ideal, having them bumbling around in your bedroom without your supervision.
So go fast.
If you can haul in high chairs, bouncy chairs, etc., that is better. They need your constant supervision and crazy stuff can (and does) happen. So shower super-fast.
And only do this out of pure desperation.
I came out of my bathroom once, to my one year old trying to climb out of his high chair, and he almost succeeded.
It would have been a disaster.
6. Shower during nap time.
This is the most ideal way to squeeze in a shower. You know your little tyke is safely snug in bed.
The trick is to shower before baby wakes up.
Since I had twins and a two-year-old, there was always one who wasn’t asleep. It took about a year to get them on the same sleeping schedule. So nap time showers was not an option for me.
But it could work for you.
7. Bathe instead.
Totally skip the shower and take a bath instead. This way, you can bring baby in the tub with you.
There you have it! How to sneak in a shower when you are a SAHM!
It is best to shower when there is someone else around to watch the little babes. But if that is not an option, then trick is to be flexible and creative. You need to be willing to give up your perfect shower routine and grasp at anything that gets the job done.
Gone are the half hour showers, ladies! You can shave when your kids go to prom and trim your toenails when your high school reunion rolls around! 😉
The two-minute shower is essential!
Got any more tricks for us? Do share below! We all love a good hot shower.
More on being a stay at home mom
The Desperate Mom’s Little Guide to Surviving Life with 2 Under 2
The Secret to a Great Stay At Home Mom Schedule
How to Make the Best Stay-at-Home Moms Schedule With an Infant
12 Super Important Benefits to a Daily SAHM Routine
How to Sneak in Some Exercise When You Are a SAHM
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