bathtime suggestions

My girls are 11 weeks old, and we give them a bath every night as part of their bedtime routine (bath, dress in pj's, nurse, bed). They HATE the bath. They scream and cry, almost louder than when they got their 2 month old shots! Once we take them out of the tub and wrap them in a towel they calm down. Has anyone else had this experience? Is it normal and do babies grow out of it? Does anyone have any suggestions to make bathtime easier on them? Thanks!

 

Welcome to TS!! And congrats on your twins! I think that they will grow out of it. Maybe you could just give them a quick sponge bath every other night or so until they get used to the regular bath!

 

We give our boys a bath every night as well. (They spit us so much that I HAVE to give them a bath every night). At first they hated it. But then I used warmer water and made sure to close the bathroom door ( to keep it as warm in the room as possible). I gave them a bath as fast I could and that was that. they are 11 weeks old today and they are used to bath time now. I even make them bubble baths with duckies and everything now. They seem to enjoy it now

 

I use very warm water, and slowly put them in so they can get used to it, I also use a little heater. I wash them in front of that, then they go in the tub. When they come out I change them in front of the heater, they love it. My girls also used to hate it when they were smaller, and I think they were afraid, the minute their clothes came of they had a look of fear on their face, and would hold on to me for dear life. I use to make sure that their hands were grabbing on to my arm, and then they still did'nt like it, but it was much better. They will grow out of it, because they love it now. Good luck.

 

try using the safer bather..its sft and cradles them so they feel secure
safer bather

 

Make sure they are covered by enough water to keep them warm. We bathed our girls in the bathroom sinks when they were that age. It kept them covered and warm, and it was easy for us.

 

HI,

my kiddos hated their bath for the first 3 - 4 months or so -- so I just bathed them every 3-4 days and that worked out well. There's really no need to bathe them every day. To help them like it, I placed a mirror in front of the bath and they got to see themselves as they got bathed and it did wonders for getting them to like the bath. now they LOVE their bath... I think it was their age (newborns hate any change in temp, etc.) and now I bathe them in the tub and they LOVE that -- we just added this to their nite time ritual a few weeks ago -- at 7.5 mo.

Cheers,

Teri D

 

What really made mine happy when they were that little was to keep them covered with a hand-sized towel the whole time they were in the tub, and would pour warm water on the towel occasioanlly to make sure it stayed nice and cozy for them

 

QUOTE(excitedk @ Apr 20 2007, 02:22 AM) [snapback]227681[/snapback]
What really made mine happy when they were that little was to keep them covered with a hand-sized towel the whole time they were in the tub, and would pour warm water on the towel occasioanlly to make sure it stayed nice and cozy for them


This is what we do too! Sometimes they cry right up until I put that warm washcloth over their bellies...then they are in heaven & all smiles.

 

I was actually advised at the hospital to put a washcloth on their bellies and keep pouring water over it. Apparently it makes them feel more secure. Also make sure the bath water is nice and warm. My first time bathing them at home they screamed the house down, I warmed the water up a bit more the next time and they almost fell asleep WHILE in the bath :mellow:

Good luck

 

My twins just turned 12 weeks today and for the last couple of weeks one of them has not liked her bath at all! I used to follow the bathing routine I was taught in the hospital (washing cleanest bits to dirtiest bits) but have found with her it is useful to save washing her head until last as that is what seems to set off the screaming. Also, on the weekends I have had my husband get in the regular bathtub and hold each baby while I wash her. They both seem to much prefer this style of bathing - I'm guessing they feel safer. One has started to play and splash with Daddy.

 

Thank you so much everyone for your suggestions. We tried the hand towel over their stomachs last night, and it did the trick! Well, it did the trick with one and the other cried a little less than usual Hopefully they'll soon be part of the "We love our bath" club

 

QUOTE(blink_fitz @ Apr 22 2007, 03:53 PM) [snapback]229951[/snapback]
Thank you so much everyone for your suggestions. We tried the hand towel over their stomachs last night, and it did the trick! Well, it did the trick with one and the other cried a little less than usual Hopefully they'll soon be part of the "We love our bath" club

Glad it worked!!! Soon they will love the bath and not want to get out It gets really fun once they can sit up on their own