Bout to Drive Me Crazy!

Around this age, naps should be getting a little shorter. An hour to 2 hours is about right so I think you're going to have to change up your routine.

If he wakes before you shower, can you put him in a little seat or carrier and take him in the bathroom with you? I know it's not the same as a relaxing shower while he's sleeping, but at least it's a shower.

Or you could fill the bathtub and take a bath with him. Again, not the same but at least you're getting clean!

Children "reset" their nap needs all the time. You can't depend on his keeping a schedule that fits with your needs.

Time to get flexible and try some new nap and bed times. You say he takes one three-hour nap each day, starting four hours after he wakes up. If he sleeps solidly through the night, he may be starting a period when he does not need that nap just four hours after waking; put him down later than noon or 12:30 and wake him after two hours if he's not already awake. Or move to waking him at 7 and putting him down at noon and see if that helps. He is telling you that his need for this nap is dwindling. If he is otherwise cheerful and fine -- not tired, cranky, fussy, rubbing eyes etc. -- in the late afternoon, you may be headed for one later and shorter nap each day. Eventually he will give up napping entirely, possibly as early as 2, so don't become overly attached to your own schedule that depends too strongly on his having a specific nap time.

By this age naps have usually shortened considerably so it appears that's what's happened. At this age two hours was the max for my little guy and now that he's almost 3 one hour is the norm.

Try getting him up earlier, say 7-ish, so when you put him down he's a bit more tired. You can also put him in his pack n play while you shower which he can nap and/or play in (you can have it outside the bathroom with the door open so he can hear you and vice versa.) Put him in it when you do housework, or in a safe gated area. If he screams he screams, he won't be happy 100% of the time, that's a reality of life, and he will learn that he can still see you and hear you and play at the same time, a win-win for you both.

1) At that age, my son started helping me with chores.

Yep. They take longer. But it ALSO uses up hours in the day :) Infants/toddlers are the worlds BEST mimics. So if you're wiping down a counter, hand him a damp bar towel, and he'll wipe down the cabinets. If you're cooking give him stuff to stir/ rip/ etc. If you're doing laundry, have him help sort into colors AND have him toss the clothes into the wash.

Will it take 3 hours to do 1 hour's worth of chores? Yup. And in 2 years, it will take half an hour, because he'll have your back and be a serious "helper".

It's also great learning ops. Colors with laundry, counting with dishes, and oh so faaaaaabulous with following directions.

Put the baby to work. :D He'll love it. He's wired to copy you, so don't give him toys that PRETEND to copy you, but actually let him copy.

2) Have a "water baby"? Get a big toy bucket with rope handles, fill it half full of warm water & bubbles, strip him down, plop him in, and drag it room by room with you as you clean. LOVED this trick when mine was small. Sometimes I even just pulled it up by the couch and read a book

3) Babyproof the bathroom... and lock both of you in and take a shower. Have a door stop? (the kind made out of twisted wire) It makes the BEST noise. Don't have a shower connected to the toilet? Show him how to flush it. Give him a few toys and take a shower.

When my son was an infant, I took 2-3 showers a day. If he was awake, I just strapped him in his carseat. Once he was about 1 year old... I just let him play in the bathroom while I took one of my 2 showers a day. One in the morning when I woke after he'd eaten (would also bring the highchair into the bathroom with me... he'd eat while I showered), and one at night.

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It's time for workarounds!!! You can do this.

Depending on nap time is a losing battle. And you can do some housework while he's awake. There's also a baby carrier where you can wear the kiddo on your back - the ERGO - I LOVED it. Then you can do stuff "with" him (Vacuum, etc) - he'll like the snuggles of being with mommy. It's ok if he doesn't sleep as long as he's quiet and resting. You might need to find something so he doesn't get his leg stuck and wake up - crib bumpers or something?

if he's only sleeping an hour or two, it's not to make your life miserable, it's because that's all he needs. time to reevaluate. maybe do your housecleaning while he is napping and save the shower for after he goes to bed at night. take a breath. this isn't the first or the last time he will throw you a curveball right? kids are constantly changing. just wait till he outgrows naps all together! lol.. i don't know when he goes to bed but you want to look at the sum of hours he is sleeping. i believe kids around this age need about 12? (might want to google that to make sure). as long as the total amount of sleep he is getting is that much, it isn't AS important when. you do have to work with HIS schedule, don't forget. good luck!

I am so sorry you haven't gotten the support here that you need. Everyone gets frustrated, toddlerhood is not easy! You have the right to be frustrated and the right to want/need time to yourself. We have enough mommy-guilt, we really don't need other mothers placing it on us. (My soapbox.) My daughter is 16 months and went through a phase of short naps. I think it was teething...may have been the start of a cold. Both interrupt her sleep. I also put her down 4-5 hours after waking up. That's just about right for this age. I'm thinking it's just a phase and he will go back to napping longer. Having him help you clean and trying to clean with him around is not practical and likely not safe. There are certain things I do (dust/vacuum) with my daughter around, but cleaning bathrooms are out due to the chemicals. I can just see her wanting to get in the tub or play in the toilet! I still put her in an Exersaucer to take a shower, if I don't get one while she's asleep. She doesn't love it, but I'll put books and different toys on it to keep her entertained for that short period of time. Best wishes to you and the new baby!

I put my 14-month-old in an activity center if I need to take a shower when she is awake. She can't move, and I add lots of extra toys to the surface. On occasion, she will knock off all the toys and scream. On those days, I speed up the shower. Some days I don't get a shower, or I might take a shower at night. The day really is about being flexible as I'm not only doing housework, I'm also trying to do a bit of part-time work.