11 Ways to Occupy a Toddler While You Shower

My toddler’s sleep routine and my curly hair routine are at odds. So a few times a week, I’m forced to navigate showering with a toddler who is into allthethings.

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If you find yourself in the precarious position of needing to shower during your toddler’s waking hours, and the spouse or a reliable older sibling are not there to help, here are some tried-and-true ways to occupy a toddler while you give yourself some much-deserved hygienic self-care.

1. Booster Seat or High Chair

Above all, you’ll need a containment device for your toddler. We keep the highchair in the bathroom, now that she’s sitting in a booster chair at the table. A pack-n-play or exersaucer work well, too, but I’ve really had the best luck with a high chair. It might even be worth buying an extra high chair or booster for cheap that you can keep in the bathroom, especially if the kitchen is on the other side of the house.

2. Breakfast on the Side

If you’ve got your toddler in the highchair anyway, you might as well serve him or her breakfast (or lunch) while you shower. If you make yourself a smoothie or shake, you can drink your breakfast at the same time, too. Three birds, baby!

3. Dry-Erase Markers

Dry-erase markers and a cheap dry-erase board are fun for little ones that like to draw. She likes to explore all the surfaces around her, so a dry-erase marker makes it easy to clean up her high chair after she’s enjoyed some artistic expression.

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4. Educational Animation

If ever there was a good excuse to plop your kiddo in front of a screen, it’s mama’s shower time. The PBS App on the phone or kindle is my favorite. My toddler can navigate it herself and change her mind as many times as she wants. I think she’s really just in it for the introduction songs. (I can’t blame her, some of those are catchy.) Use the guided access feature on your iPhone to keep your little one locked into an app.

5. Peek-a-Boo

If your toddler is just not having it, peek-a-boo with the shower curtain can often get you through the home stretch. Or try singing his or her favorite songs. Hopefully, you won’t have to abruptly end your shower with one leg shaved.

6. Play Dough

Some moms might break out in hives at this suggestion, but when I tried this with my two year old, I was able to wash my hair, shave my legs, do my hair and make-up, and even get dressed! It was totally worth picking dried bits of play dough off my tile for a few days.

7. Sacrificial Box of Wipes

How much are you willing to pay for a peaceful shower? How about two dollars? That’s a bargain, if you ask me (and if you look up babysitting rates these days). My toddler is never quieter than when I find her sneaking into a box of wipes, so sticking her in a pack-n-play with a box and free reign is a sure fire way to keep her quiet and happy.

8. Shower with Your Toddler

If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. Put your toddler in the shower with you, and get clean at the same time, or let them splash around in the water. We keep cheap shaving cream on hand for the kids to play with on the shower walls.

9. Snacks, Snacks, Snacks

Plop some Cheerios or puffs down on the tray or in a snack cup, and lather up fast. The clock is ticking. You might want to hide a sucker in a discreet spot just in case there is a mid-shampoo meltdown.

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10. Special Toy

A friend of mine bought her little one a special toy that she’s allowed to play with only when mommy showers. It stays special that way, and they both have something to look forward to when it’s shower time.

11. Ziplock Bag of Trinkets

There’s something extra about a Ziplock bag of toys and trinkets because, not only can toddlers play with the toys themselves, but they can also take them out of the bag and put them back in, open and close the zipper. The bag is half the fun!

If all else fails, dry shampoo and deodorant can carry you through a lot longer than you’d think. A day will come, mama, when your child will sit through an entire episode of Sesame Street, or play independently for 20 minutes without being destructive. It will be here before you know it, and you will shower in peace once again. Until then, treat yourself to a new cute hat every now and then!