Alright, guys, I need your help again. Sadly, bath time is not our best time. L's first bath was so traumatizing, I'm surprised I didn't end up having a nervous breakdown. We've tried two different tubs, and both resulted in her wailing her little heart out. We've also tried altering the temperature of the water, but that doesn't seem to be much help. So I'm wondering, is it just a newborn thing? If so, roughly when do they stop freaking out so much and actually enjoying being in the water? Or, maybe it's just a personal issue? She is pretty finicky when it comes to practically everything else, so I guess bath time would be no different. We have friends that just take their baby into the shower with them. That seems like a good idea in theory, but I have to admit it freaks me out a little. Is this something you've tried? Do you have a better idea? I'm in need of any and all suggestions.
Our friend, Molly Schiot, shot by Cass Bird
Hi Celia! My boys HATED baths for their first few months. I had twins too, so it was super traumatizing as one would be screaming in the bath as the other was screaming in his bouncy chair. Nightmare. I just tried to do it as quickly as possible, and only like once a week with sponge baths in between.
ReplyDeleteEventually it started naturally getting better, now they are 2 and looove taking baths together. I think being able to sit up in their own made it better. That said there was a brief relapse where Arlo was afraid of water at about 6 months. I ended up bathing with him with me while nursing, and after about a week he was fine again. You could try that now, i know several mamas that always bathe with their babes. Good luck!!
We started baths after about a month, only using a washcloth before that, because we had a similar disaster when LP was a few days old. I'm also a fan of bathing with your baby -I'm still doing it with F. I'll probably do it as long as she can't sit well.
ReplyDeleteThe best advice my pediatrician ever gave me is that you don't have to bathe them that often. As long as you're wiping them really well at diaper changes then they're probably staying pretty clean.
ReplyDeleteMost moms I know find the easiest way to do baths is to have mom and baby get in together and to breastfeed in the bath, calms everyone right down.
I do think that pushing the bath issue too much can come back to bite you later... if you force her through them now and she learns to hate them, she might be ridiculously hard to get in the bath later when she's older and has more tools for defiance :)
Hope you find a good solution!
The hospital where I'll be delivering offered an infant care class and in it they said most babies don't like being submerged for the first couple of months and that infrequent sponge baths are totally fine. Of course I've still got 4 (or so) weeks to go before we cross that bridge...
ReplyDeleteI agree with sponge bath type cleansing for newborns, especially if baby isn't enjoying a real bath. My boys all loved their bath time, but in the beginning I stuck to mostly wiping them clean and occasional baby lotion. Good luck. Your new girl is a doll!
ReplyDeleteWell, as you know, I'm not an expert but I will tell you what we do with Alice and it works very well..but each baby is different!
ReplyDelete1) the room temperature is at 23C (73F)
2) the water temperature is at 37C (99F)
3) we wash (soap part) Alice with a wet washcloth + soap on her changing cushion...after we rinse her in her little bath.
4) we put a warm wet washcloth on her belly so she is not cold
5) and we finish with her head so that she is not cold.
I also want to try the shower / bath with her. Maybe next week...let me know if you try it!
Good luck! xox
I always had to go in with her and hold her upright. Have you seen the tummy tubs? Lots of people swear by them. We were tempted to try that as it was traumatic!
ReplyDeletemy little guy HATED sponge baths and did not like being in the tub at first. i found getting in the tub with him and nursing when he wanted it made all the difference in the world. now he loves bath time and just about anything to do with water.
ReplyDeletei find parenting is more successful when you stay calm and act like you know what you're doing. confidence (even pretend confidence) goes a long way. :-)
Looks like everyone has already mentioned washcloth when needed and/or getting into tub and nursing. I think babies only need to be bathed a couple of times a week as long as you are keeping diaper area clean. The skin is so new and sensitive and your little one is probably not going to the gym yet right? Good luck.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like a common newborn thing. My baby hated baths for the first few months so we made them quick and infrequent. I've heard good things about the Puj tub - maybe worth a try. Also, I showered or took baths with her when she got a little bigger. Helped a lot. Good luck!
ReplyDeletei can be of no help, unless you would like me to speak with L in a soothing voice about how wonderful bathing can be (which i am happy to do, for bathing is my favorite thing), but you should see the calligraphy on the love letter i'm writing to molly's tattoos. it's admiring, not creepy.
ReplyDeletei highly recommend taking a bath and breastfeeding with babe. lindsey's advice is pretty great.
ReplyDeletei unfortunately know someone who had a tragic accident from taking their baby into the shower which nipped that idea in the bud for us. i did it a couple of times when i had no other options but it really freaked me out.
that photo is rad by the way!
Hi, did you try chantala bath tub (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbrNt24eHVQ&feature=related) for my baby was the best, and you don't need to wash her all the time, just let her be in the water doing nothing. My baby use to cry a lot when I took her out of the tub, so sometimes I didn't even put her oil or any creams, I just dress her as fasy has i could, because it was hard for her.
ReplyDeleteBut then after a bit like 2 months she gor better and let me do anything I want.
But like others said above, don´t need to take a bath everyday.
everything will be fine, you will see.
rad picture.
ReplyDeleteand this is great getting the advice just a week or two ahead of time. ;)
It is pretty common for little babies to HATE their baths. We struggled with a few different tubs and only bathed our son once a week... until we learnt to bathe with him. It was so much better. My man and baby would bath together and it was the best thing for their bonding. They still bath together almost 2 years later. Think of it like co-sleeping - it is a pretty natural thing to do. It is a bit scary at first, and you definitely need to have two sets of hands on duty for juggling a wiggly (crying?) slippery baby but it gets easier as their body strength and your own confidence grows.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, and try breastfeeding in the bath too.
ReplyDeleteAnother bather with the baby here. Although we didn't have too much crying, it was all just too squirmy for me in the baby tub. Since my babies were HUGELY fat within days, they needed baths round the neck area too. Otherwise they started to smell like cheese. Cute cheese, but still.
ReplyDeleteTalia was terrified of the bath until my SIL got us one of these: http://www.mamasandpapas.com/product-acqua-two-stage-ergo-bath-pearl-white/4538472/type-i/
ReplyDeleteIt totally supports them so they don't get freaked out. Once they're sitting up, they go in the other end. In fact, we still use it sometimes now. It's quite big so you need space for it, although I know there are alternatives that sit in the big bath/a normal baby bath e.g. http://www.mamasandpapas.com/product-acqua-bath-support-pearl-whitesoft-lime/4552499/type-i/
But yes, I agree with everyone else that you don't need to worry about washing her too often. And she'll love bath time before you know it, honest.
Secret: babies don't need bathed. At least, babies don't need bathed THAT OFTEN.
ReplyDeleteOurs were probably bathed four times in as many months. Not because they hated it, because TWO BABIES. Who's got time for bathing? Much easier was a bowl of warm water, changing mat, soap, cloth, and then baths just as something fun to do when there was a spare half hour (haha).
Honestly, I think it's a little traumatic for newborns and there's no harm in waiting until she's a bit older to try the whole submersion. thing.
echo...babies can do with just one bath a week.
ReplyDeletein the meantime, a cat bath is just fine. a warm damp cloth for freshening up.
we (my hubs and i) bathed with baby.
if baby is especially upset in water, try breastfeeding in the bath. that usually does the trick.
good luck.
I'm a first time mom and have a 9 week old son, and he also cried when I bathed him for the first 2 weeks (its very heartbreaking) but then my mom recommended I turn up the heat in his room and it worked for him! He loves baths now and after a bath I give him a full body massage and a feed and he is super happy after that.
ReplyDeleteI have also learnt that if I remain calm, he also calms down.
All the best with your lovely little angel. I hope this helps.
I have no great advice but I am in love with that photo and Molly's amazing tattoos.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck bathing your beautiful Lucia!
I have a funny pool story I can share with you later;) Mom taught us all how to swim as infants.
ReplyDeleteOur little man was born February 11th. We never got around to buying a baby tub. I just sit in the tub with my knees up and drape a warm washcloth over him while I wash him. Or we have family shower time. My husband and I take turns holding him while the other one gets clean. Then we tackle cleaning the little man together. He is surprisingly less slippery than you would think.
ReplyDeleteour little nugget was pretty much fussy all the time & the bath was no different. But give it a little time, because a month or so in it became her favorite, relaxing time. The puj tub was also amazing & I highly recommend it.
ReplyDeleteWhen my baby was born we were told not to bath her in a bath until the stump from her belly button fell off, so we just gave her sponge baths until then. When we tried the bath she hated it, so we continued with sponge baths, usually just using water and only using soap once a week. We occasionally tried bathing her in the baby tub, but she always cried and fussed. Finally at about 4 months old she seemed to take to it. Now we happily give her baths in her tub a couple times a week. For the most part young babies don't really get dirty, so I wouldn't stress over it. The main thing for us was to wash her face and neck regularly, and once a week wash her armpits and other areas where there are folds of skin.
ReplyDelete