Your bath time secrets

Ok ladies (and gents lol)... i need your super secrets and hints

DD Screams the whole time she is in the bath, we have tried different temps from 36-37.5 degrees - still screams

so what r your secrets (i promise to try them all!!!!)

What I've done with my boys is put a washer on their tummys whilst in the bath and it's always worked.

hugs xoxo

we play her bath time cd for about 20 mins while she is having nudey rudey nappy off time and cleaning her room and getting the bath ready... the lights are dim and the room is warm, this lets Eden know what we're up to... in the bath ive always sat her first to get used to the water and have a little splash then i soap her up and lie her down at the end for a quick float and then we're outta there.. she takes one bath toy with her to keep her amused while we do her massage and get dressed... we've done this since birth- altho the toy bit only added in in the last few months...
hope you have some luck with everyones ideas

We fill the bath, with bubbles and everything to about 4 inches and lay her down in it to kick around by herself. DD loves it, esp when she kicks water in her face!

Ashley may be a little young for that though.

My DH always does Stephen's bath. He sings their bath time "splashy" song and makes silly faces at Stephen the whole way through while he's washing him. Stephen always used to like his baths but since singing this song he absolutely loves it with big smiles all the way through. He now even starts to smile as soon as I bring him to his dad in the bathroom. Funny thing is he doesn't really want me there. It's like he knows bathtime is dad son time and I shouldn't be there!

Steph was always a screamer in the bath too (well, to be quite honest, she was a big screamer anywhere!), but today I gave her just a quick wash (without washing her hair) as her dirty nappy traveled up to her armpits practically, and she was so quiet and good. The only thing I have done differently is take her swimming last Saturday. She had a great time in the water, so I think that maybe she thinks the water is a bit of alright now.
I know that's a bit more difficult than just hopping in the shower, but maybe worth a try?

The washer on the tummy works wonders. Ashley will get used to it as she gets older, my DS was a screamer too until a month ago. He's just scared of being naked, makes him feel vulnerable I think. So the washer on his tummy made him feel like he has clothes on. We just did it really quickly until he became used to it so it wasn't a trauma and he didn't associate it with a negative thing. Now that he actually likes it, I make it much longer.

I also have a bath with him sometimes and he loves it, just the temp I have to bathe him in, I find really cold for me (i feel the cold badly)

OMIGOD!! NO CRYS!!!!

I did a combination of all yur suggestions.
I made the water a little warmer (37), Put the back of her head in first then her body slowly after, warm washer over her belly and sung a bath time song (we choose rubber duckie - and played with our rubber duckie).... and NO CRYS!!!!!!!!!

It was amazing. She spent like 10 mintues in there (and cried when she got out! go figure huh)....

Cant wait for next bath time, i hope it wasnt a one off! :P

Thanks girls

I'm sorry, but I am stealing your thread! It sounds like you were helped and it seems like the right place to ask. I have two questions
1) Suddenly she cries when I wash her hair - screams. Never did it before, just suddenly started about a week ago. I sing and talk gently, but she don't like me touching her head. Could someone give me advise on this?
2) I want to try the shower thing, please could somebody tell me exactly how to do it. Can her head go under the spray? What if water goes in her ears? (Don't want to let her get ear-infection) How do you soap her up and keep her from slipping out of your arms? Do you sit down in the shower? How do you dress at the same time? It's freezing here!!

Ok, it more that two questions :D

DS screamed when I took him out the bath, until I made it into a game. I now ask if he's ready to leave the bath, and lift him out and let him do five big jumping splashes in the bath (as I count them) then say "and we're out!" after five. He has a big grin on his face now.

BTW, we have three songs. One for getting in the bath, one for washing, and one for playing. DS isn't too fond of hair washing, so I kiss his tum as I do it (when I can) and have a hairwash song too.

Nadine, DD cries usually when we wipe over her head with water too.
What i did tonight was i have a fish that squirts water and i just zigzaged soft squirts of water over her scalp - kinda like a vishi shower (if that makes sense) and she liked that...

PrincessMya,
She has a rubber ducky, so I'll try that tonight. She likes it when I squirt it on her tummy, so maybe it'll work for her head also! Thanks

Princessmya, you're better than me, I gave up on the baths for a couple of months and took her in the shower with me - it was too traumatic.

Nadine, Darcy has recently decided she hates having water on her head, and so we've gone back to showers, but now she's big enough to play on the floor (and is the biggest shower hog!!). She's perfectly happy to play under the shower, but not have water tipped on her head - go figure :dunno: don't think I'll ever work this kid out.
When she was small I just waited until DH was home adn we'd shower then. I'm allergic to soap so when she was really small we only used water to wash her. he'd take her and I'd finish. I know of other girls who wrap their bubs up in a towel and secure them in a bouncer etc and then quickly finish/dry themselves. Don't know if it's cos I'm slack or stupid, but the thought of having water in her ears never occurred to me and she's had wet ears thousands of times. She still loves you to cuddle her (like a koala) and put her under the shower. She shuts her eyes and really relaxes.

some babies prefer hot. Mason will only have the water really hot. The same temperature that I would bath/shower in. This is the only way he is happy.

I have yet to find a wonderful solution for hair washing, especially as they get older! When my girls were babies, I would wet their hair with a washcloth, and rinse it the same way, and everything was fine. But now, (at 20 months and almost 4 yrs.) they cry and try to get away the whole time. Not a whole lot of fun. I've tried having them sit up in the tub, lie down in the tub, hold a dry cloth over their eyes, in the shower, what ever. They just hate it! So we do it fast. My only tip for that would be to stay calm and gentle. If it seems like you are panicking too, it will make it worse for them!
About baths for the tiny ones - my babies both LOVED their bath if I was in with them. They would feel warm and secure resting on me, and then the bath was great. I think usually babies cry in the tub because they feel insecure. That's what the cloth on the tummy helps too - makes them feel like they are cuddled, a little bit.
And as far as showering with a baby goes, I haven't really tried it, but my sister does it all the time with her girls (2 yrs and 6 months) because they have no tub, and she doesn't trust them alone while she is showering! She fills up the baby tub with warm water and sets the little one in it on the floor of the shower, and makes sure the water isn't going to fall on her face, and lets the two year old just stand in the water with her. When everyone is done, you can get out, slip on a bathrobe, then get the little ones out. If your bathroom isn't too big, it will warm up from the shower, and they'll be fine.
HTH!

Cricket- what if they pour the water over their heads themselves?? what if they wear goggles- a bit extreme, but may make it fun??

I don't think I could convince them to pour water on their own heads, but the googles might not be a bad idea. They'd probably get a kick out of that. I'll have to see if I can find some on sale to try out! Thanks!

Cricket - HOw did you go with the bath and googles- did you manage to buy some.
Ashley fell asleep early last night so she didnt have a bath (we incorporate the bath as a routine rather than a wash iykwim)... but tonight hopefully it will work again . might get DH to bathe her to see if it is the technique or the bather-er! lol

Ok, I tried the squiting duck, no luck. BUT I did pour the water over her head with a jug and the water was rolling down her face in her eyes and she just sat there, quiet as a mouse not moving, with a big smile on her face and looking at me with that beautifull eyes!!!! I think we will try again. It's just difficult because she can't sit up straight on her own yet. So holding her, and trying to keep water out of her eyes and pouring water on her head is a real arm twister. Why can't we grow an extra arm after pg?!? Would sure come in handy!!:p
As for the shower, we had terrible weather the weekend and I took a rain-check (no pun intended) on it for now. Maybe when the weather clears up. Thanks for the advice, Cricket. I'll try as soon as I muster the strength.