“He sleeps the full night … literally 12 hours,” Chloe Molina, 25, tells PEOPLE about her 5-month-old son’s unique sleeping arrangement when they travel.
Chloe Molina is giving the phrase “baby shower” a whole new twist.
This first-time mom, who’s 25, went viral on TikTok thanks to her ‘travel hack’ which involves letting her 5-month-old baby sleep in the shower during vacations.
In an exclusive chat with PEOPLE, Molina shared the reasons behind this unconventional sleeping spot for her son Ezra, and how she stumbled upon the idea.
Molina and her husband, David, first tried the shower solution during a trip to Mexico last August when Ezra couldn’t sleep because his crib was placed too close to their bed in their rental.
“Babies can sense if you’re just a couple of feet away, so they keep waking up as they want milk,” explained Molina. “Especially for breastfeeding moms, they can smell you and your milk.”
Taking a tip from her sister-in-law, a mom of four, Molina decided to use the bathroom. “It’s like having their own room,” she noted, despite some space issues.
“We couldn’t fit the crib in the bathroom. The only place it fit was the shower, so we put the crib into the shower,” she admitted. The surprising result? “He slept through the whole night.”
Molina made it clear she’s utilized the shower set-up for Ezra only four times, and only when traveling. At home, if guests take over the baby’s room, they’ll move the pack-and-play into their closet and shut the door.
“It’s another way to create his own room,” Molina explained. “He fits in the closet, and we close the door.”
Curiosity about whether Ezra realizes he’s sleeping in the bathroom is Molina’s most common question. “He just knows it’s a room with a door and darkness. He has no idea it’s a bathroom,” she said with a smile.
The new mom added, “He doesn’t even know we’ve sometimes put him in a closet!”
Another frequent concern is how they handle bathroom visits at night. The answer is an inventive one!
“We pull the shower curtain slightly to cover his crib so he can’t see us using the bathroom. Once done, we open the curtain back up,” she explained. “Then we leave, and he doesn’t wake up at all.”
“He sleeps the full night … Literally 12 hours,” Molina said.
Though this shower hack has been a blessing for their family, it has also drawn mixed reactions on TikTok. People have pointed out possible issues like mold and the shower turning on accidentally.
“I never had those fears,” Molina shared. “I don’t live in that parenting fear mindset. We don’t sit around living in fear. My belief is you have to do what you feel is best.”
“You were chosen to be your baby’s parent, so if you think putting them in the shower is right, then it is. Everyone has their own parenting style and makes decisions based on what’s best for their child,” Molina said confidently.
The reason she uploaded her video on TikTok was to give new parents “glimmers of hope” for traveling with kids and to help them look forward to it rather than dread possible sleep issues.
Above all, Molina hopes parents “feel empowered to take trips with their kids.” She added, “It works. People might not believe me, but it works.”
