@Drew
Mine was a contact napper till 6 or 7 months, so I had to do chores and cook while she was awake, and we did exactly this. Now she’s walking, and I chase her around the house with the vacuum, and she thinks we’re playing haha
I needed this reminder while I’m lying on the couch for my own nap while my baby naps.
Oh my gosh, yes! I honestly call her naps my breaks, like ‘when I’m on my next break’. 
I used to try cleaning and cooking during her naps, but now I have a routine of working out during the first nap, and then usually reading, drawing, or just zoning out during her other nap(s). It has made life so much more enjoyable.
I’ve also recently discovered that instead of having her sit in the bathroom with me while I shower, I can leave her in her crib with Sophie and a rattle, and she’s totally fine, which is a wonderful discovery haha
@welkamnubi
What do you do now when you need to cook?
Luca said:
@welkamnubi
What do you do now when you need to cook?
We have something I call a ring of neglect, which is a stationary activity center that we keep in the kitchen! She sits there happily while we cook. We also have a playpen arriving today because she’s very active, and right now if I turn my back for a second, she’s trying to get to the cat food, so we can use that at the same time (we can see the area where the playpen is going from the kitchen)
@welkamnubi
That is hilarious! My little one is only 9 weeks old, so I can’t wait until he can sit and play by himself. That’s why I’ve held off on getting a harness; I’d like him to have a more stable neck so I don’t accidentally hurt him.
@Luca
Totally understandable! Until recently, I would often put her in a baby carrier and have her watch me do things! She’s just getting too big for that now, so I had to find a new solution, but it worked really well up till last week.
@welkamnubi
Omg love that for you, a solo shower is so relaxing!
One of the many reasons I hated exclusively pumping. My limited free time was spent attached to a machine that made me feel sick or depressed (or angry…). But I fully support this idea. If you have a good napper, take that break!
@Maris
Oof, I admire those who exclusively pump. That’s true dedication!
Mackenzie said:
@Maris
Oof, I admire those who exclusively pump. That’s true dedication!
Thanks for creating such a positive post! I hope you find those peaceful break moments throughout your time as a parent.
Yeah, I’ve realized that I can’t keep trying to work through my 6 week old’s naps; it really isn’t safe to do so. I need to nap.
Don’t do anything while the baby is asleep that you can do when they are awake! Take that break and do dishes while babywearing or during tummy time. Bring the bouncer to the bathroom with you to shower or the playmat while you fold laundry. That downtime is so key!
Unfortunately this doesn’t work for me since my 7 month old only contact naps. I really look forward to the day she sleeps alone.
Dakota said:
Unfortunately this doesn’t work for me since my 7 month old only contact naps. I really look forward to the day she sleeps alone.
With our third, we just never had contact naps.
Naptime? Straight to bed. Sleeping in 6-8 hour stretches by 3 months. He’s 1 year now and we have a solid 10-12 hours a night.
Getting our first off their sleep dependencies was tough because we had no clue what we were doing.
Never do anything while the baby is napping that you can do when they are awake! For example: the baby can lay on my bed and watch me put away laundry, so that doesn’t get done while she’s sleeping. But important discussions, napping, or tasks that need focus, those come first.
@Nico
Important discussions, that’s so valid. It’s practically impossible to have a serious or detailed talk with an awake baby!
Mackenzie said:
@Nico
Important discussions, that’s so valid. It’s practically impossible to have a serious or detailed talk with an awake baby!
Exactly! We were trying to make major budget decisions with her the other day and realized what we were doing, so we put that on hold until she was asleep and we could really focus.
@Nico
We had a similar moment when we were trying to plan out details for an upcoming trip 
Thank you. I really needed that reminder today because I always go all out during naps, but today I think I need a little TikTok/bed time/naptime myself lol.