Bathing twins is no fun

For those of you whose babies love baths, what is your secret? We absolutely hate to bathe our babies, and they really don't like baths either. We hate it because it is a major ordeal and when we get the boys out of the water (and swaddle them in thick towels to keep warm) they always start screaming. They look a little perplexed while they are actually in the water, like they are wondering why in the world we keep pouring water on them, but they don't mind that terribly. It's taking them out of the water that sets them off.

We just can't seem to figure out a smooth bath routine. Originally we filled a baby bathtub with water and then put it on our dresser so we could bath them standing up, but clearing off the dresser and lugging a heavy tub with water sloshing everywhere was an ordeal in itself. So now we bath them in the regular tub in the bathroom with them in a baby bath sling. But that is hell on our backs and knees, and by the time we put a cushion down on the bathroom floor covered in towels (to place the swaddled baby that comes out of the tub), a space heater, and a bouncy seat (for the baby waiting his turn for a bath) - we can barely move in there!! As for them screaming when we take them out of the water, we try to immediately cover them with big thick towels and dry them off so that they don't get cold, all while a space heater is running (and causing me and DH to sweat bullets).

From start to finish it is a stressful ordeal for us and the babies. I've seen others post that they bathe their babies every other night (or every night) and that their twins love baths. How is that possible? What is your secret? We need to figure out a better solution, because right now they only get bathed every 6 or 7 days :unsure:

 

Ours are a bit younger than yours, but thought it wouldn't hurt to share our routine. Ethan and Kendall used to scream through baths. Now, we eat our evening bottle and head to the bath. They are both content and seem to really enjoy the water. We bathe them one at a time and keep a warm, wet washcloth on their chest/tummy so that they don't get cold during the bath.

They are a little fussy when we take them out - we just make sure to dry quickly and get them in warm jammies ASAP - followed by swaddle for more warmth. We actually have an extra long counter next to our sink, so it seems to be easier for us to have the baby bath tub up there because we can drain without having to move it. A big bathtub does sound like it would wreak havoc on knees with two little ones who can't sit up.

I think the bottle first helps soothe our LOs - plus the fact that they are getting sleepy we seem to have a bit less fussing once we take them out.

Good luck!

 

At that age, it is tough. I second keeping the warm washcloths on their tummies...we did that until they could sit up in more water. Mine weren't happy in a baby tub, either, especially out in a big cold open room, so I started laying a big towel on the bottom of the big tub, filling it up about 2 inches with warm water, and laying them both in there together side by side. Mine were happier together so it worked for us. And having them in the tub instead of out in the kitchen made it so we could close the bathroom door and it stayed nice and warm! Maybe try turning on the heat for the 10-15 minutes of bathtime if you need to, and get them dry and into pjs as soon as they get out.

It was rough on the knees, though, but by about 5 1/2 months, I switched to using the big inflatable duck tub inside the big tub and it was so much better. It has high sides that actually help them stay sitting up. Mine would go in together facing each other with their backs agains the walls of the inflatable duck. They loved this because they could play with toys and splash each other! I used that duck until they turned about a year. Now they both sit/stand/whatever in the tub, alone or together, whatever works that night, and they have a blast. I think bathing them together and always keeping it playful was the key for us!

 

My boys didn't really start enjoy their baths until they were sitting up in their seats - probably around 5-6mos. And we don't bath every day either - more like 3x/week. Sometimes I do baths in the middle of the day - it just seems less rushed and the babies could play more

 

Here is what works for us. I bath the boys every other night. I only bath them one at a time but sometimes both at the same time if I have enough help. Usually I take one and put him in the tub then when he is finished DH brings the other one and we switch. DH gets the first one dressed while I bath the second one. We use the big tub, at first we would put towels in the bottom of the tub so the boys wouldn't slide around so much but now they do anyway so its no problem. I personally wouldn't bother with the space heater and the bouncy chair in there, that is to much stuff getting in the way and probably making things more stressful and hot. If I am bathing the boys myself the other twin usually waits his turn in his crib then I switch. That way I have lots of room to manuver in the bathroom. Also I shut the BR door soo there isn't a draft while I am bathing them. Good luck and I hope that bath time gets better for you.

 

Thanks everybody. Keeping a warm wash cloth on their tummies is a good idea. And btw, I really like that inflatable duck! I saw somebody (maybe you) post about it on another bath thread a couple of weeks ago and I thought it looked like it would work well. And if my elbow were to slip on the watery tub (which happened the other day) at least the baby would land in the padded duck, LOL. I tell ya its dangerous holding wet babies around bathtubs while you are in an awkward position. Anyway I like the idea of bathing them together when possible too. They may still scream when we take them out...but I guess that is something they will just grow out of as they get more used to baths.

 

I'm not sure how big your tub is, but I used to sit on a stool inside the tub to bathe the boys in their sling. It was MUCH easier on my knees. Are you and DH always doing this together? One of you could be in the tub, the other ready with the towel. Then he takes the baby out of the bathroom to get them diapered and pj'd while you bathe the other baby. By the time you are done, he should be ready to take the baby in a towel again. That will free up some space in the bathroom too. FWIW, bathtime was ALL business for us until the boys could sit up on their own (about 7/8 months).

 

We switched to bathing in the kitchen sink for awhile, until the babies learned how to splash too much! We have a deep sink, and I would put this yellow bath foam cushion thing we bought to put in the tub, into the corner of the sink to prop them against (you can use a towel for this too). I filled it halfway with water and propped them up one at a time. It made for a quick/easy bath for them.

The last few weeks they are big enough that I put them both in my big garden tub on their bellies and they crawl/splash around in there like little fish! Bath time does get funner I promise!

 

I gave baths (and still do) every night.. but at that age, I always gave them a bottle first, then bath
and bed. You do not want the combination of a tire and hungry baby! I used the baby bath tub with the sling and the other baby would be sitting gon the boppy chair with the music on....(most of the nights I'm alone)and got them dressed on my bedroom next door. When they got bigger, I used the stationary excercise, and now they bath together and get dressed on the bathroom with the door lock.

 

My girls hated baths for so long! It was horrible! Then I met people who had girls 5 weeks older than mine who said they showered with their babies. Now I do that. I get in the shower with one, wash her, let the water run on her back and it calms her down a lot. Then we trade a clean for a dirty and repeat. It's also a great way for me to get a shower in too! Naked babies can be slippery but I have tricks! It calms them down a lot for bed. Now if I am alone and they need to get ready for bed, I give them a bath in their baby bath tub on the counter and they tollerate it better. The shower time gives me some good bonding time with each baby too.

 

Our girls like the bath but HATE getting out. Think it is just cold and uncomfortable. We put towels in the dryer for about 5 mins and pull out when it is time to get out. We bathe in the baby bathtub on the bathroom counter, so on colder days I will run the shower on hot for a couple minutes - makes it nice and steamy in there and warm. I hold them in their towels and snuggle them to make sure they are very dry before I spring to dress them as fast as I can - bottles are then waiting. At 4 mos I also had a couple rubber duckies I was putting in their with them to distract them - that worked pretty well - until it is head/hair washing time.

 

Excellent idea to dry towels to get good and warm, and the dryer is right across the hall from the bathroom. We also have been giving them their bottle after their baths which helps calm them down and gets them sleepy for bed. That's how they told us to do it in the nicu too. But we try to start their baths in plenty of time so that they don't get fussy due to hunger. I also think we'll use a boppy next time instead of lugging a bouncy seat in there.

Thanks for all of the suggestions! I can't wait until they actually enjoy baths and splash around

 

I guess I'm a lucky one that both my girls seem to love bath time from the start. They laugh when we trickle the water over their heads. I have a tub that I can fit over my kitchen sink AND i bought this foam thing that fits into the tub so they don't slide. Until I got that i was so nervous bathing them. I love the idea of the warm cloth on the belly and the warm towels. I'll have to try that now that the weather is colder.

 

I just wanted to add that when we first heated up the towels, we lost track of time and when we pulled them out they were HOT. Just test them like you would if you were microwaving food.

 

I use a Bath stool next to the tub. I got it with older DS and now use it with the twins too. It has two heights just turn the lid to make it higher or lower. And when bathtime is over store stuff in it. Then you don't have sore knees. I don't have any suggestions for the crying after since my boys don't really mind it that much.

 

I too hate bath time, ours are bathed so far only about once every 4 or 5 days too just because it is such an ordeal! But we are also trying to do bath and then feed and if we do that it ends up at the 10 pm or later feed because that's when they get a bottle vs bfing,

We have a bath tub with a sling that fits over the kitchen sink which is great! I spread everything out we need for after on the island behind me (towels, diapers, creams etc)and that part works well, it's just trying to bathe and feed that's not working so I think we'll just bathe when we have the free hands instead. Usually someone else has the other baby, dh or my 11 yo dd.

 

My boys didn't like baths until I started to warm the water up more. I had a floating themometer the hospital gave me and kept the water in the "safe zone" reading but they would cry and scream. It seemed a touch cool to me so I warmed the water until they seemed happy, but read "too hot." It works for us and baths haven't been too much of an issue since.