XP: Any Tips/Tricks for Bath Time?

kmawb · November 2010

I'm all ears ladies for any tips or tricks you might have for bath time and would love to hear how long it took for your LO to start enjoying baths.

DD is just over 4 weeks old and she still screams her head off like someone is driving spikes under her fingernails/she's being skinned alive when we bath her in her infant tub (the type with a newborn sling). We are looking into borrowing the deep round European style tub (aka tummy tub) from DH's co-worker to see if she prefers it before we go out and buy one.

kcarnovale · November 2010

I am so sorry to hear that! Our little one loves bath time and the warm water. Try putting a space heater in the bathroom and make sure the water is actually warm enough. I sing songs to my LO and make sure it's not too bright in the bathroom? Also, I do baby massage with lotion after the bath too, so she looks forward to it. Just a few thoughts. Good luck!!

chocolatechippy · November 2010

I agree with pp, make sure the bath is warm enough. Our dd loves bathtime, but the one time we made the water a little cooler it was nothing but screams!

aribs2010 · November 2010

Our LO didn't like the sponge bath but likes the tub as long as she doesn't get cold. Make sure the room is warm. I put her little tub in the sink in the kitchen. I run the dishwasher at the same time so that the space on the counter top is warm so she has a warm spot when she gets placed on her towel and diapered. I also put a wash cloth with warm water over her torso during the bath and re-wet it frequently to keep it warm. Also, make sure that your baby isn't hungry when she goes in. Of course if the baby eats right before the bath it may cause her to spit up.

kjuliet91 · November 2010

kcarnovale:

I am so sorry to hear that! Our little one loves bath time and the warm water. Try putting a space heater in the bathroom and make sure the water is actually warm enough. I sing songs to my LO and make sure it's not too bright in the bathroom? Also, I do baby massage with lotion after the bath too, so she looks forward to it. Just a few thoughts. Good luck!!

Ditto this. If you don't have a space heater, run the shower (hot water) for a few minutes with the door closed before LO's bath. DD would scream during her bath until I started doing that.

ougrad1 · November 2010

I'd start bathing her every day so she gets used to it. Talk to her while you're bathing her and try keeping her warm by placing a warm wash cloth over her body while you clean her. She's probably crying because she's not used to it yet (in time she will be) or she is cold while you're giving her a bath.

juliane2004 · November 2010

Try warming the water a bit.

Sing to her. Make up words, lol, like "Yayyy, bath time!"

Bathe her quickly. Get a towel on her as soon as she's out of the tub and dry/dress her quickly.

Wait it out. DD hated bath time for about 2 months. If we fed her before bath time, she screamed so much that she'd puke. After about 2 months, she started enjoying it.

tresmama · November 2010

My kids all love bath time and have never disliked it. I would draw a bath and put them on my lap. It was bonding time for them and me and has always been very special for us!

LemonBlush · November 2010

My DD also hates bath time and we also have the tub with a newborn sling. Is it just me, or is she not actually in the water while in that?

Arielle27 · November 2010

Have you tried taking her into the shower? DS doesn't love baths, but does like when we take him into the shower. I think it is just about being constantly covered by the warm water, rather than partially wet, partially dry, partially warm, partially cold.

kafunder · November 2010

Are you putting enough water in the bath to cover your LO? Our babies didn't like bathtime until I started putting more water in the tub so that their bodies were fully submerged and kept warm. I also do the warm washcloth on their tummies to keep them warm.

Hudson_Hawk · November 2010

kafunder:
Are you putting enough water in the bath to cover your LO? Our babies didn't like bathtime until I started putting more water in the tub so that their bodies were fully submerged and kept warm. I also do the warm washcloth on their tummies to keep them warm.

Ditto. The directions on the infant tub say just a few inches, but my LO would freeze like that. I fill the tub up to the top so he's mostly covered by water and then cover his torso/belly with a wet washcloth. Then I take a scoop and pour warm water over his body to keep the cloth warm. If you're sitting right there with LO it's not much of a risk. Also, we use the newborn sling AND the sponge bath sponge thing combined. We have the first years froggy bath center thing. We put the sling in the tub and then top it with the sponge seat so it's soft place for LO to lay on.

BeccaBabyBecca · November 2010

Have you tried a shower instead of a bath? It takes a little coordination, and definitely two sets of hands, but our LO loves it.

I get in the shower and do my thing, then DH hands me LO. I wash him up and hand him back out to DH, who dries him off and dresses him while I dry off and get dressed.

Graney · November 2010

I am with those that suggest trying the shower. I never bought a baby bathtub, just a pillow thing for my DS to lay on, then I would sit in teh bathtub with him on the pillow with the shower running. It stays nice and warm then we can both get clean. My DH was on deployment, so my mom would be the one to take lil one out of the shower and dry him off while I got dried off. Of course, no showers till after the cord falls off, but he really loved them and still does to this day and he's now 3.

kmawb · November 2010

Thanks ladies!

We do the washcloth on the torso to keep her warm during baths but it doesn't seem to help too much. I will try the warming up the bathroom before her bath by running the shower trick first I think.

I agree that the water level in the infant tub is really low (and I know I hate being in the tub with not enough water, brrr!) so putting more water in the tub might help too - this is where the Euro style tub might help since they allow the baby to be in the water up to their chest in a sitting position).

If all else fails I will try getting in the tub and having DH hand her to me and see how it goes (but first I have to make sure I can get in and out of the tub safely by myself since my abs are still a bit sore from my c-section). I am hesitant to try the shower as she is very wiggly and I'd be afraid of her slipping out of my grasp.

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