I’m going to start a new series where I post questions I get from my readers and answer the question. . . hopefully others can chime in and offer their tips and advice as well!
I will try and do this the 2nd and last Friday of every month.
Some of these will be very personal so if you do not wish to know certain details of my life, proceed with caution.
My first question is one I just got tonight from Lee. She’s a stay at home mommy like me, has no outside help and wants to know what I suggest she do with her son while she takes care of personal needs. It’s not as easy to just run to the bathroom for those of us in chairs. We have to do things you’d never even imagine and Lee feels that her son is getting to the age where she needs to start giving herself more privacy. What should she do with him while she tends to these needs that could take from 5-10 minutes.
That’s really a very tough question that I’ve often struggled with. Honestly, I’ve gotten to where I am able to do things more discreetly than Lee is able to so my only suggestion is that she let him watch a TV show or reserve a special very fun toy just for these times during the day.
Of course, try and time things so that at least one of your bathroom needs coincide with nap time.
Now that I have 3 kids, my oldest two can keep the little man occupied so that has been a HUGE help.
I hope you can figure something out that works for you Lee.
If you are also in a chair, what did you do with your little ones when you needed to tend to bathroom needs?!
I am in a chair and feel that TV is a great thing for them to do (or be allowed to have IPAD time or something. With a very small one, I would feel safer if they were in their room vs. being where they could go outside or something. Just make it a fun or special room time so they don’t eel like they are in trouble for something. Maybe “you be setting up your blocks and playing and when I get finished I will play with you” so that they look forward to your alone time because it means they will get play time with you!
Offering a reward afterwards is a FABULOUS idea!!
Darla posted on my picture accidentally so I will post her response here:
Darla:
I’m a young grandma in a chair. My bathroom is connected to my bedroom so they can play right on the other side of the door and they can hear me so I talk to them and reassure them I’ll be done soon. I think a few special toys reserved for that time is a great idea.
It seems like the age that we both need more privacy is the age that they can be in the next room safely so that’s good. Also, maybe a web cam in the room they are in?
Great question!
Such a great idea! This series is going to be awesome, I bet there will be a lot of inspirational thoughts, I really like this kind of interaction between writer and reader. Looking forward for it;)
Renate´s last blog post ..Wunderschöner Frühling
When my son was a baby (before he could walk) I put him in his carriage and placed it where he could see me (at that time, I had a bathroom I could not with the door on so I had to take it off). He still cried. When he was older, I put him in a playpen with some toys/video on TV, which worked until he could get out on his own. Sometimes he still cried. When he was too old for the playpen, a video and toys worked well. He was in the bedroom. There was a bathroom right off my room (had to take the door off here too). I don’t remember exactly what age he was when I had complete privacy every time I used the bathroom, probably 7-8. I do, fortunately, have a bathroom with a door I can keep on and still get in the bathroom.