Both in the bath

Is there anyone else who can't bathe both babies at the same time unless you have help? When we do baths, both DH and I are there, otherwise someone is trying to stand up or falls under water while I'm trying to work with the other one. Getting out of the bath is impossible unless we're both there because the baby who is out first takes off and I'm still trying to get the other out of the tub. It's crazy. I'm thinking about this now because DH is going to be gone for work for a few overnight trips and I'm worried about how to do baths. I guess I can do each separately, but it takes longer that way.

 

I do still bathe them at the same time, but it has become a very quick process. Rinse, wash, rinse, and out! Otherwise it turns into a fight to get to the faucet, fights over toys, trying to help wash each other's hair (which makes the other one mad), etc.

I'm contemplating bathing them 1 at a time just to make bathtime a bit more pleasant!

 

I bathe mine alone, they still sit in bathseats though. I dread the day they won't sit in them, its probably coming... soon.

 

My dh gives all the baths in our house (unless he's away and I HAVE to do it..) He does it all from getting them undressed to washing them. However I do help with getting them from the bath to the nursery.
We had bathseats for awhile but just got rid of them a couple months ago, they do pretty well in the bath. One of the reasons dh does it at our house is because it makes me so nervous! I'm always afraid one of them is going to hurt themselves. Dh is much more relaxed and laid back about it all, I honestly think he enjoys it as much as they do! And it gives me time to get their night stuff ready.
I don't know if it helped but it was also his job to bathe our oldest son as well, so these aren't his first. However having 2 in a bath is a lot more difficult then just one!

 

We do it alone in our house. Either DH does it or I do. We take turns. I empty the water first before I take either out so I don't have to worry about any one slipping under the water. Plus I generally don't fill it that much so if I am washing one and the other does slip, which happens, they won't go under. I just lift them up tell them they are fine and continue on. GL!

 

I didn't start doing baths by myself until they were about 15 months. But by that time, they were pretty well-trained not to stand up in the bath, because as soon as they could stand up (around 12 months), we would take them out of the bath immediately if they stood up. They loved their baths, so this made an impression on them. We never had bath seats -- they just made me nervous.

I think I still did them one at a time when I was on my own, though -- just to keep interaction between them in the bathtub to a minimum! I would shut the bathroom door, strip them both down and start the water running. Then plop one in, wash and rinse her, take her out and dry her (mostly). Let her run around naked while I did the same with the other one. Then pull the plug right before taking the second one out, so the water was draining while I dried her off. I tried to have PJs or at least diapers pre-selected and waiting in the bathroom, so I could get them on before opening the door.

It was hectic but not nearly as difficult as I imagined.

 

I do it alone every night and have since July when my DH was deployed to Korea.....the actual tub was too difficult so I use a baby/toddler tub in front of the tv and bathe one at a time in it while the other plays in front of the tv.

 

Here is what I do to bathe them together (please note that until they were 13ish months old I bathed them separately because they'd stand up and I couldn't control them)...

First, I get the bath ready while they finish dinner. I undress them right after dinner and bring them into the bathroom undressed except for diapers. I make sure the door is closed (for when bathtime is over). Then I put them in the tub, clean them up, and let them play. If one is being wild or trying to stand up, she gets a warning and then a TO (sit out of the tub on the bath mat). I drain the water while the girls are still in the bath. When its almost drained I take one out and dry her off and wrap her in a towel. She sits on the bath mat, while I dry the other off and wrap her in a towel. Some nights they want me to carry them both into their room, but usually they both race into their room with their towels flapping behind them! I let them run around naked for awhile in their room (again, door closed). When they were smaller I made sure to put diapers on before they ran around (learned this the hard way!), and then we get lotion and PJs and go read a story.

Is it relaxing? NO! Is it doable for me? Yes! Do they have fun in the bath together? Definitely yes!

GL... you'll find your rhythm. I'd suggest doing it a couple of times with DH home, but not helping so you gain some confidence and your girls learn what to expect when mommy is alone.

 

ok, so how lame am i? i can't even bathe them both separately by myself, lol!..... our bathtub is giant and i hate jumping over it to get in w/the little tub. so, dh does all the bathing! which means they don't get baths every day, oops!

you're ahead of me so i have no suggestsions!

 

No. I bathe one baby per night -- so they get baths every other night. Works great for us.

If they get extra dirty from playing outside or for whatever other reason, I still bathe them individually, and hand off the just-bathed baby to DH for lotioning, etc.. They HATE sharing the bathtub, and it's not worth the hassle.

Also, we have the extra-long non-slip bathmat from One Step Ahead, and it's the best thing ever. It covers the whole tub, and it doesn't make me nervous even when they do stand up and horse around in the tub.

 

I have had to give bath's alone only on a few occassions but when I do I give all three at the same time. I usually get diapers, lotion and pj's all ready to go on the bathroom sink and lay a few towels on the bathroom floor. I wash all three kids and rinse (let them play for a minute if they are being good, which is rare ) I get one out and lotion, diaper and put pj's on then the other one and let my 4yo play in the tub until I get the babies teeth brushed and in their cribs-then go back in and get my 4yo out and dressed for bed. I am usually exhausted by the time it is over but it is doable
It makes me sad because bath time was so fun with my first dd when she was little-with these two it just seems like a chore! ah well....

QUOTE(Becca34 @ Apr 22 2009, 02:23 PM) [snapback]1284283[/snapback]
No. I bathe one baby per night -- so they get baths every other night. Works great for us.

If they get extra dirty from playing outside or for whatever other reason, I still bathe them individually, and hand off the just-bathed baby to DH for lotioning, etc.. They HATE sharing the bathtub, and it's not worth the hassle.

Also, we have the extra-long non-slip bathmat from One Step Ahead, and it's the best thing ever. It covers the whole tub, and it doesn't make me nervous even when they do stand up and horse around in the tub.


Wow this seems like a really good idea-I may have to try this!

 

At 12-14 months, it was terrifying for me to bathe them both at the same time. We finally used bath seats and I did like those for quite awhile. Now, it is MUCH easier for me and I prefer to do both together. However, we have a strict rule about standing up. The first time, they get a warning and have to sit down before I count to 3. The second time, they get out and stay out. They don't like that, so they typically comply.

 

Yes, I bathe them both myself all the time. Here's what I do at 15 months old. I go in their room and gather diapers/pjs/towels. I put them up on the bathroom sink and start the bathtub running. This usually gets the girls to come running into the bathroom. I do not fill the bathtub very full. This way if they fall over, their head is not going under. They love baths! Once they are both in the bathroom I close the bathroom door. I get them both undressed. Then I take the diaper off of one of them and put her in the tub, then diaper off the other and put her in the tub. We wash our bodies and hair, and then I give them all the toys. If one of them stands I tell them to sit in a stern voice, and they usually comply. I sit on a step stool next to the bathtub the whole time, usually reading a book while they play. I find it the right height. The toilet is too high. When I can tell they are ready to get out I pull the drain. I grab a towel and get one of them out, pat dry quickly, let them run around the bathroom naked and get the other one out, pat dry, put lotion on, get dressed. Grab other baby, put lotion on on and get dressed. Move step stool away from bathtub (learned this the hard way one day when I found one of them in the bathtub!), and continue with bedtime routine. I hope this helps, it works really good for me.

 

I don't think I could do it, as one of them would be alone in the tub while I get the other one - not happening! If I had to do it alone it would be one at a time.

 

DH usually helps out with this & takes a bath with one baby & then we swap it out while I'm drying, diapering and lotioning the first baby to get done TEAM WORK! I don't think I could ever do both at the same time.. kudos to all the mamas who can conquer that escapade!

 

QUOTE(twinmuffin @ Apr 22 2009, 09:29 PM) [snapback]1284398[/snapback]
Yes, I bathe them both myself all the time. Here's what I do at 15 months old. I go in their room and gather diapers/pjs/towels. I put them up on the bathroom sink and start the bathtub running. This usually gets the girls to come running into the bathroom. I do not fill the bathtub very full. This way if they fall over, their head is not going under. They love baths! Once they are both in the bathroom I close the bathroom door. I get them both undressed. Then I take the diaper off of one of them and put her in the tub, then diaper off the other and put her in the tub. We wash our bodies and hair, and then I give them all the toys. If one of them stands I tell them to sit in a stern voice, and they usually comply. I sit on a step stool next to the bathtub the whole time, usually reading a book while they play. I find it the right height. The toilet is too high. When I can tell they are ready to get out I pull the drain. I grab a towel and get one of them out, pat dry quickly, let them run around the bathroom naked and get the other one out, pat dry, put lotion on, get dressed. Grab other baby, put lotion on on and get dressed. Move step stool away from bathtub (learned this the hard way one day when I found one of them in the bathtub!), and continue with bedtime routine. I hope this helps, it works really good for me.



You wrote my reply for me

I do the exact same thing. I've always bathed them by myself. If dh is home then he'll help get them diapered up and dressed. One thing I do after they are naked is sit on the pottys before getting in.That way they aren't peeing in the bath.

 

My DH is able to bathe them by himself but I have not done so yet. Normally we bathe them together, I wash one and he washes the other and we get them ready together. Like Veronica, I give all you Mommas and Daddas a ton of credit for doing it by yourselves. I'm not that brave yet!

 

Ok, so now I feel like the crazy one. I've been bathing my girls together in the regular adult bath tub since they were about 10 months old. My DH isn't home at bath time so I have never had help, and I never thought to bathe them separately. I take the two girls into the bathroom with me and they play with toilet paper or whatever else is in there while I fill the tub. Then off with the clothes and I plunk them both in there. We only wash hair every few nights so most times the bath is simply playing with bath crayons, letters, etc. I take one out at a time. Usually I start draining the water when I take the first girl out, so the water is slowly receding while there's only one girl in there. I dry off the first one and get her pajamas on quick, then repeat with the second. They both want to stay in forever, so we rotate who has to get out first. The first one out sometimes takes off into my bedroom, but that's ok - it's mostly childproofed.

I don't know... it isn't that hard, but perhaps that's just our routine and the personalities of my kids. They learned really quick that if they stood up in the bathtub, then bathtime would be over.

 

Yeah-we bathe them together here as well. It really isn't all that bad, at least for me. I generally do it myself. Somedays I will ask dh to do it and I will clean up dinner or something. Pretty soon-he will have no choice but to do it as my belly should be getting in the way...

What I do is bring both into the bathroom clothed(unless they have dirty diapers). I turn the water on, let it warm up, and then undress them. I unload the toys and then let them in. I wash them both, their hair, and then let them play for a bit before I rinse off the hair(Nicholas tends to stand at this point as he doe NOT like getting water in his face-but I will say-he doesn't flip out like he used to, nor does he cry!). Then I let them play a little longer.

I empty the water while they are still there. I take one out at a time, hold them for a few minutes and dry them off/warm them up. Then we go across the hallway and get lotioned up and put pj's on.

I agree with a pp...do the baths of the twins together while dh is home, so at least he is there if you need some support, and so you can get used to it. GL and let us know how it goes!

 

I don't bathe them both at the same time alone. Only because Hailey tries to crawl around in the tub too much, and Hannah will occasionally throw herself backwards (CP... she's getting much better about this though...). I'm always nervous that Hannah will throw herself back and hit her head pretty hard if I don't have my hands pretty close by. DH helps if we bathe them at the same time. Otherwise, it's one at a time.

 

No, I'm terrified of bathing them by myself. First of all, I think it may be differnt for me becasue I have a true phobia of drowning, I almost did when I was in high school so i'm scared to DEATH that something might happen to one of them. They are wiggly worms in the tub and try to stand, and also they grab at the water nozzle so I'm also scared they will burn themselves, I can't hold onto both of them at the same time!
Soooo, I don't know, I'm just scared to do it. I have taken them into the shower with me at the same time and that was ok. I just like doing it when Dh helps me. Basically, they don't get bathed very often because DH travels a lot so I reallly need to start bathing them one at a time...UGH. Oh, well. Also they have the eczema going on so I'm not suppose to bathe them very often....so that's my excuse, lol!

 

I have had to do bath's alone from the very beginning quite often because my DH is gone for 48+ hour shifts at a time. I started bathing them together around 7 months old or so.

 

I actually give all three of my kids a bath at the same time. I have done it since the babies were old enough to sit up. I make sure I have everything ready in the bathroom (towels, lotion, toothbrushes, clothes, ect) and then put them in the tub. I wash them all and then let them play. The water goes up to their bellybuttons, and after a few times of going under because they were standing they usually sit the whole time. I always get my youngest DS out first because he is the most impatient. Once he is dressed I open the bathroom door and let him run around upstairs (I have a babygate by the steps). Then I do my DD, and then my oldest DS is last. They just know what to expect now, and although it's a pain sometimes you will find what works for you...you will be able to do it alone! I have found the key is to be prepared!

 

anyone ever use this?
http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/produc...cmSource=Search
If so, is it worth the money?
Maybe this is how I could get them in the tub together....

 

I also give both kids baths together. At first it was stressful, but it has gotten easier. Everyday it is a constant battle to "sit down!" They love the water coming out of facet and playing and splashing together! I do hate it how they get into all the cabinets because I don't have them baby proofed. But that is my fault...it's just that the kids are only in the upstairs bathroom for baths! We just usually keep the door closed!

Anyway, I get the towels, diapers, and clothes all ready in the bathroom also. Good luck!

 

I've bathed them together since they were about 3 months old--I put them on a bath pillow in our big tub and got it with them with a towl layed out on the bathmat next to the tub to deposit them one at a time when they were done. Once they could sit up, we bought a non-slip mat and put them in their tub together. I end up doing it alone most nights (or my husband does if I'm traveling). We've had a very stern "no standing" rule from the beginning (maybe the only rule I've actually been really consistent on). They love bathtime so much and splash around together, I enjoy bathing them at the same time!

I do it logistically similar to PP's... I get out the diapers and pjs ahead of time, then run the water to warm it up. The twins run in to the bathroom when they hear the water and stand at the tub while I undress them, then put them in one at a time. I let them play around while I sit on the bathmat and watch (and occationally warn, "no standing"). When they've played for a while, I scrub them down one at a time then unplug the drain and rinse them off. I always have their towls right there and I set them down, dry them off, let them run around naked for 15 minutes or so, then it's pjs, bottle, brushing teeth and bed!

If you prefer to bath them one-at-a-time, I think the idea of doing one-per-night sounds like a really good idea!

 

When DDs were old enough to sit up, I starting washing them together in the tub. Like PP said, it is a quick wash and rinse process, and we dont play in there as much as I did with my oldest.

 

I'm sure this is somewhat of a duplicate, but here's our routine when DH is gone. If he's here we are both in there for bathtime and both take one after to diaper and dress.

While they are strapped in their high chairs I get pjs out and ready in their room and towels, diapers and lotion out and in the bathroom. Our toilet is right next to the tub so if alone I throw both towels over the toilet seat. I get water ready and go get the boys. I herd them into the bathroom and strip them down to diapers then one at a time remove diapers and put them in. They play pretty well and for the last couple of months (15-16 mo) don't try to stand up as much. I wash them quickly then let them play as long as they want. They love baths and if DH is gone it's the only peace I get . When done I take one out and set them on the towel on the toilet and dry him off. I put a diaper on him then so I don't have anyone playing in pee. Then I get the other one out and do the same. I do lotion while they run around the bathroom then we go to their room with the door closed for PJs.

I was scared to and used to put it off. DH was gone this week though and they got a bath every night because they loved it and it was the only time they weren't screaming at me for something or another. I would recommend getting a new bath toy too if you are nervous. The boys LOVED the bath crayons (I did too!) There were plenty so no fighting over them and easy cleanup.

Good luck - you will be fine with them!

 

QUOTE(idril @ Apr 22 2009, 09:19 PM) [snapback]1284792[/snapback]
Ok, so now I feel like the crazy one. I've been bathing my girls together in the regular adult bath tub since they were about 10 months old. My DH isn't home at bath time so I have never had help, and I never thought to bathe them separately. I take the two girls into the bathroom with me and they play with toilet paper or whatever else is in there while I fill the tub. Then off with the clothes and I plunk them both in there. We only wash hair every few nights so most times the bath is simply playing with bath crayons, letters, etc. I take one out at a time. Usually I start draining the water when I take the first girl out, so the water is slowly receding while there's only one girl in there. I dry off the first one and get her pajamas on quick, then repeat with the second. They both want to stay in forever, so we rotate who has to get out first. The first one out sometimes takes off into my bedroom, but that's ok - it's mostly childproofed.

I don't know... it isn't that hard, but perhaps that's just our routine and the personalities of my kids. They learned really quick that if they stood up in the bathtub, then bathtime would be over.


Exactly, except I have B/G, not G/G and I let A&R run around the house in their towels (hence the poop on the carpet the other day) while I get the stuff together after their baths.

Am I the only one who doesn't lotion the kids? I have never done it.

 

QUOTE(becasquared @ Apr 24 2009, 09:38 AM) [snapback]1286962[/snapback]
Am I the only one who doesn't lotion the kids? I have never done it.


I usually only lotion Hailey, because she has very very dry skin. I hardly ever put it on Brooke, and I never used it on DS when he was this age.

 

I lotion both after their bath as one has excema and why not do both? They used to hate it, now they try to eat it!

 

We don't do lotion every time, only if I notice dry skin during the bath.

 

I bath them by myself pretyt much every night. Sometimes DH pops his head in and keeps us company but doesn't really DO anything and it's a piece of cake but maybe I'm realizing that my kiddos are easy about baths.

AFter dinner we head upstairs, I fill the tub while they are climbing up the stairs and who ever makes it to me first gets stripped down and put in the tub then I put the other one in. I wash faces, bodies, etc.... while they play and they stay in as long as they like playing with toys. Yes the fight sometimes but always end up working it out with minimal help from me. Whoever wants out first gets toweled off and can either stay in the bathroom or roam around upstairs, then I get the other one out, toweled off and we head to DD's room for diapers and jammies...

I don't know if that was helpful or not but I hope you have an easy time while DH is away...