Take the baby in the shower with you. Or the bath, I found it easier.

high chair pulled into bathroom where you can easily see/reach from shower.

That's what they make playpens for!

I put my son in his bouncy chair. We kept one in the bathroom for that reason. I never had an issue.

I set mine in her (empty, dry) baby bathtub and set it up right next to the shower so I can watch her. It works for now, as she's still an infant and isn't going anywhere yet. I'll probably drag her play mat into the washroom with me when she's old enough that there's a roll-over risk with the baby tub method.

Seriously? Children sleep. Shower then.

@Bookcat - that's what I did too. Bouncy seat on the bathroom floor. Easy peasy. Or do it when they are asleep in their crib. You typically leave them in there alone at that point anyway. I like the playpen idea too.

I'm not a mom, but every mom I know tell me they put their baby in the basinette, or seat, and set it on the floor. Peek out every once in a while to make sure they're OK. No problem. If they're past toddlers (but still need to be watched) they can sit on the floor and play with some toys, color, etc.

playpen near bathroom ! or in bathroom, or in something in bathroom!

I remember this dilemma!! If awake:

1. while tiny, place sugar in babyseat and bring into the bathroom; that way you can hear and see the muffin while showering.

2. when larger, bouncy seat playpen in bathroom.

3. shower while baby sleeps.

Take a shower while your husband watches the baby.

This is precisely what Elmo DVDs and baby bouncy seats or pack 'n plays are for. I had 14 m/o twins + a newborn. 20 minutes of "Elmo Sings Country Songs" is painful for an adult to sit through, but pure joy while a mother showers. (Yes, I could see them from the shower ;)

My kids are only a year apart, I put them both in their high chair in our bathroom while I shower. I've heard of so many accidents with small children left unattended for just a few seconds (just even in my circle of friends) that it's not worth taking a risk.

Yes, children sleep, but no, it usually doesn't coincide with the typical shower-taking hours of the morning before heading off to work.

I'm seriously depressed to think there are new parents out there who have not thought issues like this through already.

If a single parent, confine the child in the same way you do for other down times (like when you sleep) presumably in a crib or other "container". If a two-parent family, the other parent should take a turn. You might need to arrange your schedules to accomodate two showers before leaving for work by getting up earlier or something. But really, these logistics should be logical and obvious, shouldn't they?

It's amazing how easy it is to shower with them. Once Immy could sit up. I just throw down a non slip mat. My little girl picks her toys and we are good to go. I can take my time this way and I don't feel like I have wasted a nap time or gotten up extra early and missed out on much needed sleep.

I used a bouncy chair or car seat, I was a single mom. Nobody to watch bebe while I bathed, usually. A car seat or bouncy chair on the bathroom floor worked great. Have people seriously wondered about this "issue"?! It's not rocket science!

Besides all that, how's a new DAD supposed to shower?

Don't have kids?

this is meant to be serious? You take the kid with you when you're on your own (some dads work, some kids dont sleep) - not really a major issue. Next you'll asking how they go to the loo (answer: the same)...

When my daughter was a baby I just buckled her into her car seat/carrier and set her in the bathroom while I showered.

Why are we even talking about this? Why do we put new mothers under so much stress? The probability that your kid is going to come to some preventable harm while you're in the shower for 5 minutes is so remote that only hypercompetitive uber moms and insurance companies give a flying fig. Use your common sense. Human beings have been doing it for hundreds of thousands of years and we're still here.
Check out Lenore Skenazi's blog http://freerangekids.com for more sanity. Pressure on parents to keep their kids permanently attached by their umbilical cords is unrealistic and getting to be ridiculous. Don't give in to it.

KHinNJ: If you think that it is safe to leave a highly mobile 18 month alone anywhere for more than a few seconds you either aren't a parent or have very unusual children. FreeRangeKids isn't advocating that either, by the way.

Your hundreds of thousands of years comment is irrelevant too. During most of that time people lived in extremely small domiciles and their children were probably never out of their sight for the first several years of life.

I agree that this problem is very easy to solve but your comment is judgmental, inappropriate, and poorly though out.

I knew a father who would put his little kid in his car seat and set the car seat on the bath mat while he showered. It worked for them. I don't think it's possible to raise kids in the usual family setting without the grownups' sense of modesty being infringed on for a good while. I don't have kids, but have seen unattended little kids attempt unbelievably dangerous things without warning. It's necessary to protect them from themselves until they've attained interest in self-preservation.

snotty comments from ppl about the dad watching the kid, or not being worthy because a mom hasn't figured it out are uncalled for.
new mom life is chaotic, at best. sometimes a mom just needs ideas.

i did this, in a carrier, placed near the shower, and you peek out about once every 15 seconds. it is insane, but hey whatever works!

wait til you have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night with a clingy newborn and your hubby works nights. i did so many times while holding DS in my arms... and i'm sure i know what ur thinking right now... yes i had to hold him while doing all of it!

ppl, don't crap on new moms for asking questions, not nice :)

yes for thousands of years these were non issues, because ppl lived in settings where another adult was close by to watch the child. now we live on our own away from family and when it's u and kiddo alone for half the day then it's very different.

Sure, extended families lived together in small homes, with the elders, the new nursing moms, the ill, and the kids caring for each other while the able grownups were away from home. The nuclear family we think of here and now as normal actually is a relatively recent gigantic social experiment. It's stressful, but at least kids get to go to school. I believe the current family home setting is preferable to institutionalizing kids even though caretaker crews could work in shifts with privacy during breaks. Each child care option has its pros and cons.