When we first brought her home from the hospital she HATED the bath. My friend Angi suggested we put a warm, wet washcloth on her belly while in the tub to keep her warm; we did and VIOLA! she no longer screamed bloody murder during bath time!
I tried to incorporate bathtime into her bedtime routine, but quickly found that the bath would wake her up too much and then I'd have to deal with an overly tired, but not ready to sleep, baby for hours on end. I nixxed the bedtime bath and replaced it with a middle of the day bath.
That plan was working just fine until I noticed that the bath was seriously drying her skin out. "Just put lotion on her afterward." Is probably what you're thinking, but my girl is not a happy camper once you take her out of the bath. She doesn't like to be cold, and no amount of towels keep her warm enough. She screams and cries when you take her out of the bath and the ENTIRE time you're getting her diapered and dressed after. So, while I TRY to put lotion on her it doesn't always happen, and even when it does it's done half assed and she's left with ashy shins.
So, because babies don't really get dirty I cut her baths down to once or twice a week depending on how busy we are out of the house during the week. I use this heavenly, all natural, lavender bubble bath from California Baby and try to make bathtime like a spa-time. She seems to enjoy it, and it seems to calm her down.
Finding the perfect water temp is tricky, though. If it's too warm, she freaks out. If it's too cool, she freaks out. She's almost 3 months old and I still can't seem to get the temp right. When the temp is wrong and you put her in it she does this silly gasping for air, eyes wide in disbelief, arms flailing all around bit that I can't help but laugh at - but then feel bad about once she starts crying. Which is inevitable. But, it usually stops as quickly as it starts and then she continues to enjoy the aromatherapy of the bubble bath and the relaxing body and scalp massage I give her while washing her.
Today, however was a different story all together. Today she screamed, nay shrieked, at the top of her lungs for nearly 20 mins. At first I pulled her out of the tub to try to console her while I had Jeff try to adjust the water temp. She did not calm down, but she needed a bath so back in she went. With every cup of water over her head or body the crying got louder. With the application of the shampoo the daggers being shot in my direction flew faster. It didn't stop her ENTIRE bath. Nor did it stop after her bath. Or during the getting-dressed-after-the-bath. OR when I gave her her bottle. She actually cried during the first ounce, or so, of her bottle. Then about another ounce later she PASSED OUT asleep and proceeded to sleep for an hour and a half.
Geeze Louise! Just because you're tired doesn't mean you have to act a fool, Bean!
My mom has many pictures of me as a baby/toddler where I'm completely red faced screaming in the tub. Supposedly, I liked the bath but DID NOT like my hair being washed. I fear that her outburst is genetic. What goes around comes around.
This is me, circa 1986 melting down in the bathtub.
I guess we'll have to wait and see when I bathe her next. *sigh*
6 comments:
Your little girl is hilarious!!!!! All of your stories make me laugh. She is such an over exaggerater! It's not really funny ha-ha, especially since you're a part of it. It's just funny how something as simple as a bath makes your kid flip out bloody murder when really, it's not THAT big a deal. What a funny kid.
On another note, what kind of tub do you use? Aryn was crying in the blue tub a friend lent us and it turns out the padding on the back was hurting her poor little back. So I went and bought a totally different one and - voila! - happy baby in bathtime. Something to think about. :)
Good luck1!!!
Jump in the tub with her. I took baths with my babies till they were old enough to sit or older. D still bathes with me occasionally and Kai would rather bathe with his bruba.
Kai was like Maddy and hated the infant tub. Screamed bloody murder like we were pinching him the whole. time. It was kind of funny at the time how absolutely unreasonable he would get.
Anyway, yeah. Hop in the regular tub and lay her on your knees or chest while you wash her. It worked for us. Something about not being alone and cold I think.
I agree. I bathed with Em and she never flipped out, only when I first tried her in the infant tub alone. Also, she can feel you hold her and that might calm her. Just a thought!! Good luck!! You are SUCH a great mom Cole, so proud of you!!! We love you!!!
She's not in the infant tub. She bathes in the big tub sitting on one of these http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/415hbvkmZxL._SL500_AA300_.jpg And she liked the bath until 2 weeks ago. I don't know what's changed...
Graham and Leah both freak about baths. Graham has finally gotten over it and now actually begs for baths. Leah still hates them. She is lucky if she gets a bath once a week. I know that sounds bad, but she doesn't get dirty and she hates them, so I pick my battles. I know she's gonna freak, so I just make them as quick as possible instead of stressing over how to make them better. They eventually get over it. lol
So I forgot to ask you yesterday, but now I see on here, that MJ is using the big-girl tub (which I think is wayyy better than the infant tub!). I know you say she "sits" in something and I didn't click on the link to see what it is, but maybe you could try laying a hand towel in the tub, filling the water with your yummy scented bubble bath and then putting her in there, with a washcloth on top. MM never sat in anything in the tub (although I have heard of people using the bumbo), but if it were me, I'd rather be submerged in water, not half in, half out. Right now, MJ is still little enough where she won't try to sit up when you lie her on her back. Just a suggestion...I figure it can't hurt, and MIGHT help! :)
Good luck with the next one.
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