What has happened to bath time?

[Picketty]

So, for the last 4.5 months, my DS has enjoyed his bath before bedtime, smiling away and generally being a happy little man. However, 4 days ago he started screaming when he heard the water running and then screamed all the way through his bath until we took him into his bedroom for evening bottle and then bed. He's done it for the last 4 evenings. We don't really know what to do. Like a lot of people we use the bath as a sleep cue so what happens if we stop doing a bath at this time and do it in the morning instead? Has anyone got any ideas why he is doign this all of a sudden, I don't want to be upsetting him unnecessarily.

[skybie]

both my kids have done this at around the same age too!
i think its a phase, both of them love their baths again now though

[appletree]

Maybe hop in the bath with him for the next few times so he can be in a more seated position and he is reassured by having you there?

[Loula]

Happened here at this age too, next is the hoover! lol

[skybie]

Dd2 regressed at some point around 12 months and we worked out that she didn't like the bubbles!

[HotI]

If he is getting distressed, it's probably not the calming you are looking for, so try doing a morning bath or take bub in the shower with you. Babies (and big people) can adapt to new things.

[CrazyLady]

Maybe hop in the bath with him for the next few times so he can be in a more seated position and he is reassured by having you there?

I did this with DD for a while. It was a nice opportunity to relax too. From about 9 months onwards when we said it was bath time she'd get all excited!

[YoYo]

This just happened to me recently with dd.

We figured that she had a teething sore bum one day and it hurt her.... She didn't like baths for about 2 weeks. Id still persist, then if she just screamed, I'd get her out, give her a sponge bath and carry on with bedtime.

One day I tried the bath again (ds had to be there) and she loves it again!


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[loulabelle]

Dd went through this for almost 6 months! She didn't like anything in the water, I think it irritated her skin. She did grow out of it though and now requests multiple baths a day.


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[Picketty]

Thanks ladies. I've bathed him for the last two days, instead of DH, and made a few changes that seem to have made it a better experience for DS. I've run the bath while he is on the playmat on the floor in the living room, so that the noise of the water doesn't scare him, and then put him in the bath and held him in a sitting position, rather than the reclined position that we were doing before. I've managed to stave off the crying until I'm getting him dressed afterwards by doing this. I think it's because he knows that after bathtime comes a lovely big bottle and he just wants to have his dinner and go to sleep. We'll see how the next few days go but otherwise we might have to change tactics.