Why does she hate bath time so much?

Does/has anyone had a bub who hates bath time? Emma is generally a very settled and happy baby - except at bath time. I always thought that babies loved bath time, but not Emma. She has enjoyed it sometimes, but most of the time she hates it.

Does anyone have any tips on getting her to enjoy it? I feed her before and after so she is settled before getting in, but it doesnt really seem to help. It just has me baffled!

Sorry to hear you're going through this - it's no fun at all if they hate it.

Keenan loved his baths up until recently, so we were fairly lucky. He suddenly loves them again now.... Go figure! LOL

I know there's a big difference in age between Keenan now and Emma now, but I just made sure his bath was the same temp (about 37 or 38 degrees) and made it as calm in the room as possible - nice and quiet, had everything ready and absolutely no distractions. Same routine and time every night.

Have you tried putting her in the shower with you (gently of course) - that worked for us occasionally as a last resort.

Some people say to wrap them while they're in the bath (in a cloth nappy or the like)- but I just don't know if this would have worked for us - I think I would've been too worried about geting tangled ( but that's just me LOL)

Hope someone can help you!

Hey Linda,

Perhaps she is feeling a bit frightened by it still? She's only a couple of months old and it can sometimes take at least this amount of time before they start to feel ok with being stripped off and in the bath.......before that they tend to feel a bit frightened and vulnerable! I think I'd be petrified too if someone took all my clothes off and threw me in a tub of water without me knowing what was going on ROFL!!! Well that's the way I tried to look at it when Jacob would get upset IYKWIM? It soon passed, and he came to LOVE bath-time (and still does - he's a master of splashing!)

Is the water too cool or too warm? Have you tried having a bath with her so she feels safe and snug against your skin?

Thanks guys...

Rachel - we havent tried the shower yet, but we might give it a go soon.

Melinda - I guess you're right, it would be pretty scary. I just want to make sure I dont make her fear it more IYKWIM? I have bathed her with me and she does enjoy it a lot more.

Linda - Have you tried having a bath with Emma or even Daddy having a bath with her? If not give it a go it`s very relaxing for both you and bubs and she might feel more secure knowing Mummy or Daddy are there with her, plonk her on your chest and she`ll be able to feel your heartbeat and give her a breastfeed at the same time :D You may have already tried this but I know Matthew loved it the couple of times we had a bath together.

How often do you bath Emma? If it`s daily perhaps it`s all too much for her especially if she doesn`t like it, perhaps cut back to 2 or 3 times a week and by the time she`s old enough to get dirty she`ll like it enough to go back to daily baths.

Poor Mummy and Emma it must be awful to have a baby who doesn`t like the bath too much.

Thanks Dee

Shannon - I'm glad Emma isnt the only bub not to enjoy it..

Before you know it, she'll be loving it and will hate it when you get her out LOL!

I hope you're right Melinda!!

Maggie was a bit like Jessalyn, initially she did not like the bath, so we only bathed her every 2 or 3 days, or gave her a sponge bath. I'm not sure when she started to like it, but it may have been when I started to give her a massage afterwards, which she really enjoyed. These days she enjoys both the shower and the bath.

hope it gets better soon for you

Astrid

Linda, Have you tried covering her with a face washer? I know Emily wasn't impressed by bathtime when she was a little bubba.... placing a washer over their belly can help.

BTW... they grow out of it :)

Tanya

Well we have just been through this with Lach and it was seriously breaking my heart hearing him scream blue bloody murder when he was put into the bath. We tried many things like the clam pool and putting him back into the baby bath.... the other day Kam was in the pool and I had lach out there walkign around naked. He got muddy as he was happy to splash but not actually get in it, so I put him into the tub while Kam was in the pool. He screamed for about 5 mins and then was quite happy and played...... It clicked "he was alone!!" every other time he has had a bath with Kameron.

I know that doesn't help your situation any Linda LOL 8-[ but thought I would share my story.

Love

Try the facewasher on her tummy, as that seems to make them not feel so exposed, IYKWIM..

Also I sing to Indah & she smels at me & kicks around & cries when we take her out!!!

Also Initially I'd dangle her feet in & put her in slowly so as she was getting used to it, as I am currently doing baby massage with Pinky, we then give Indah a massage after her bath & she really loves it now!!!

Good Luck Linda...

Tamsin didn't exactly hate bath time, but she didn't really like it either IYKWIM... She often looked unhappy or was a bit grizzly about it. We have started taking her in the shower, as she seems much more calm about it. I think it's because she is supported better due to us holding her more upright in the shower. So maybe a seat or support so she isn't lying down would help?

Thanks so much for all the support and ideas everyone!!

I think we will try the shower tonight and see how that goes and go from there. Thanks for the reassurance also that it wont last. I can put up with it, I would just love to see her enjoy her baths, I cant wait for the day she splashes around having fun!! :D

Like Brooke has already mentioned..the bath chairs are great. I think it makes them feel that bit more secure too rather than being held in the water (unless you are in with them) and it saves your back too! I have to put a towel in it though cos it seems a bit hard where his little boy bits are. We put a facewash over Sammys tum too...hes always liked that..though now he grabs it and starts slurping away on it :-s I do think its a phase and she will love the bath soon enough.

Jo

Here's the update.....

Emma had a good sleep then a good feed & was really happy so we thought we would try the shower. I took her in & held her & she loved it!! Yay \:D/ the water was even splasing from her body up to her face & she just closed her eyes & stuck her tongue out LOL - it was so cute!! So i think we will shower with her a lot now!! DHs turn tomorrow!!

Thanks everyone! :D

It sure is Shannon! What a relief - I'm even looking forward to tomorrows shower LOL :D

Maria isn't fussed on the bath, and will only not cry if we give her her own washer to hold. But she loves the shower, Dh showers he every morning and sometimes at night as well, we don't soap up every time, and usually on use Sorbaline creme to clean her with.

Showers are great. It is very cute when DD licks my skin and waves her hand under the water. I have found showers have the extra bonuses:

Great destress for both me and bubs ( I love my showers)
Quicker than setting up the baby bath.(our house does not have a bath)
Good for clearing blocked noses

I wish I had started showering her sooner.

Linda - that's great that Emma loved the shower! Such a relief for you.

Gabby was one baby that loathed water for a very long time. I thought she would never start enjoying the bath! She would scream the whole time. I just kind of put up with it until she got over it. It's only been up until recently that I can safely say she LOVES bath time (it got progressively better over time). She gets all excited when she's all nudey and can hear me filling up the bath. Of course, she can sit up now so that helps.
Just keep plugging away at it. When you think about it, it's probably a pretty overwhelming experience. Maybe it's not so much that she hates it as she doesn't quite know how to handle the emotions that go with it? She'll get there. Then you will have the opposite problem of her not wanting to get out of the bath, LOL.

My two have always been in the shower from birth, they have both loved it and of course there's that skin contact, warmth and all :) Some things you might like to try depending on their age is:

* checking the room temperature - baths get cold quickly and then they get out, it's very cold too! Showers tend to warm up the room and stay the same temperature, so perhaps you might have the room warmed up, a warmed up towel or other if you are having a bath.

* making bathtime more fun - when marisa goes through her phases of not wanting a bath, I put sparkles in the water and make up a magical story, so she has glitter in the bath or a little bit of colouring to make it fun. I try and avoid bubbles for her skin, but if I use something I try and make it a gentle brand. I also give her containers, spoons etc to play with in the water and try and find new or different things all the time.

* I have a shower while she's in the bath. She thinks it's great we are washing together and can chat while we play. It's also a good way for mummies to get a shower ;)

* Choose bathtimes carefully. I always have dramas in the bath when either of my two are hungry (nearing food times) or over tired.

* After the bath - I always tell them what to expect next if facing a struggle! 'Let's have a bath and then after, we can snuggle up and read a book / do a puzzle / play cars together / build a block castle! I wonder what book you'll choose today?' She loves books so it's a sure winner :) I also always emphasise the bits after and talk about them heaps, so they have forgotten about the big deal with the bath and I can undress her while we talk about books and before I know it she's in and happy talking about books!

I don't know if your bub is still young enough, but I bath Regan on her tummy. I hold her chin and support her sometimes with the other hand as well and she loves her bath. When I wash her hair (which I do first before putting her in the bath) she cries. As soon as I put her in the bath on her tummy she relaxes and enjoys it, she'll even kick her legs. I also did this with my second daughter and she also loved bath-time. I found once they were old enough to put on their backs the bath wasn't such a scary thing to them.

Thanks Kel & Lee-Ann. More ideas I can try. I never thought of it on her tummy - sounds difficult! But I might give it a go...

linda,we put a face washer over chantelles tummy and that works well for us
nikki

I tried showering with Indah, she hated it!!! So bath is fine for us, she loves it anyways, thank goodness coz she hated the shower!!