Baby HATES baths

elsie2014 · November 2014

Anyone else have a little one that hates bath time? She screams bloody murder the entire time, the worst screaming I've heard from her, nothing else gets her as upset. We've tested the water temperature, tried the sink, the bathtub, sponge bath, nothing seems to make much of a difference. It's traumatizing for everyone and DH and I dread giving her one so we try to go as long as possible in between. I always have to nurse skin to skin to calm her down after.

Any advice on how to make it better??? I'm desperate!

Emerald27 · November 2014

How cool do you keep the water? My kids like it a bit warmer than recommended. I test with the inside of my wrist and if it feels just a bit warmer than my skin, it's perfect for them.

Babies don't really "need" baths. If you wipe her neck folds, armpits, and diaper folds, with a warm wet washcloth once a day, they really don't need a bath but once a week or so. Because of the craziness that is our life, my LO is lucky to get one bath a week!

ETA: You could try getting into a bath with baby (my babies love nursing in a warm bath with mama), or even getting into the shower with baby. But have DH on hand for assistance! Wet babies can be slippery.

elsie2014 · November 2014

@Emerald27‌ we've tried different temps, I tried it cooler tonight thinking maybe it had been too hot before (I've also tried warmer than recommended) but it didn't make a difference. And yes, we only bathe her once a week...it's too much for all of us to do it any more than that!

How would a shower with baby work? Like holding her? I'm always concerned about getting water in her eyes/ears. I feel like a shower would be hard to keep her from getting sprayed straight in the face.

BreandMikewedding · November 2014

Is she cold? You could try to put a small towel on the bottom of the baby tub and a wash cloth on top of her to keep her warmer. You could also try giving her a shower with you. She might be comforted by you holding her.

Unknown · November 2014

This content has been removed.

andrieya · November 2014

We do the washcloth as blanket method too. My BFF took showers w her little one who hated baths. It's definitely a faster method.

MrsL2B · November 2014

I'm also curious about how showers work. Anyone want to share their technique?

andrieya · November 2014

@MrsL2B‌ my friend had her husband hand him to her. If she was alone, she would bring the little vibrating chair into the bathroom and pick him up from that when she was ready to get in.
It's definitely easier if you have an extra set of hands to had baby to you and then have towel ready to receive.

ariel06 · November 2014

We warm up the bathroom with a small heater. Before we started doing that he would scream the entire time.

lrobi13 · November 2014

We use the wash cloth on the belly trick and run the heater in the bathroom so it is nice and toasty in there. Made a big difference with my lo

sabby2 · November 2014

dredford said:
I give E baths wrapped in a thin blanket so she is constantly warmed by the water. Just unwrap the body part you wanna wash and cover back up when done. Pour warm water over as you go to keep the blanket warm. She loves baths and I've always done it this way. Give that a try?

We do this and this is how they taught us in the hospital. DD loves baths this way.

BreandMikewedding · November 2014

I have given showers to all three of my kids. My 2 year old will not even take a bath because he prefers the shower. If I am alone, I take a bouncy (you could use rnp as well) into the bathroom and I get baby undressed down to just diaper and then wrap them in a towel to stay warm. When I'm ready I get baby in the shower holding them in a cradle hold and let the water spray me. I take a washcloth and get them wet around their neck and face, then apply soap and then wash again with the washcloth. Then I put their head under the water carefully, apply soap and rinse. It is really easy once you get the hang of it. It is easier if you have someone available to take lo after the shower but if not I just wrap them in their towel and put them back in their seat.

cmac6186 · November 2014

We tried all the tricks, Warner , cooler, with washcloth , etc...DD screams bloody murder every time. Bath time is not pleasant at our house at all. Kind of jealous of those babies that find it soothing as a bedtime routine.

Syllessa · November 2014

BreandMikewedding said:
I have given showers to all three of my kids. My 2 year old will not even take a bath because he prefers the shower. If I am alone, I take a bouncy (you could use rnp as well) into the bathroom and I get baby undressed down to just diaper and then wrap them in a towel to stay warm. When I'm ready I get baby in the shower holding them in a cradle hold and let the water spray me. I take a washcloth and get them wet around their neck and face, then apply soap and then wash again with the washcloth. Then I put their head under the water carefully, apply soap and rinse. It is really easy once you get the hang of it. It is easier if you have someone available to take lo after the shower but if not I just wrap them in their towel and put them back in their seat.

This is pretty much exactly what I do. Alex screams through baths, but smiles in the shower. Dd2 was the same way.

TinyTRex321 · November 2014

We warm up the bathroom first by turning the shower all the way to hot for a few minutes to steam it up.

Saragoeswest · November 2014

I know there are slings you can wear in the shower although that option doesn't seem that fun to me.

swise22 · November 2014

DS didn't seem to like them at first so we turned the water temp up a little and use a bath cozy if he seems uncomfortable to keep him warm. We also have a heat lamp in our bathroom that we keep on and he's seemed to like his baths ever since.

abb08 · December 2014

We also do showers. I put a towel in the bouncy seat and baby loosely wrapped in the towel, wearing an unfastened diaper. I usually get in first and wash myself quickly, then grab baby. Cradle her and wash with a washcloth. When done, I lay her back on the towel and wrap it around her, then get myself out and dried off. It's pretty fast and means I get a quick shower too.