Baby doesnt enjoy tub time :(

Anna - posted on 01/26/2009

It is reassuring to hear that our little guy isn't the only one that isn' fond of bath time. We have a bath tub (http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-M3177...) and have tried him in the sling part and just sitting in the end but no luck. We tried the kitchen sink as well. He was a little happier with that but still screamed pretty quick.



Thanks for the idea of a shower or holding him in the tub.

Jessica - posted on 01/26/2009

I haven't read the other replies, but my little man hated baths, so around 2 weeks old I started bathing with him. He LOOOVES it. So either DH or I have a bath with him every night as a part of our routine. He really likes bath time now!

Alicia - posted on 01/25/2009

I think a few other people may have mentioned this, but I recently started getting in the bathtub with the baby instead of using the infant tub. He seems much more relaxed with Mommy there with him and has even started kicking and splashing around instead of looking stiff and anxious. Haven't tried the shower, but I know some people have success with that approach too.

Allison - posted on 01/25/2009

My little one did not like the bath until recently. She looked so uncomfortable in the infant tub. I recently bought a tub seat that looks like a bouncer. She finally seems to enjoy bathtime. I am sorry I didn't buy it sooner.

Pheona - posted on 01/24/2009

i too have the same tub but in blue what we did with our first was bring the tub in our room and put it on the bed ( i didn't even think of the sink till i read this thread) and my husband made up a 'lidija bath time' CD and had it on every bath time she loved it...so i suggest u do the same if u can bring the tub to ur room or her room a place that doesn't echo and familiar for her and just let her enjoy the time...she'll gaze into ur eyes and u can explain what ur doing or just have a chat with her lots of smiling and just go slowly with wetting her with the water then she'll be fine...just keep wetting her so she is warm throughout the bath...and make it quick too until she's more use to it then u can have her in longer for now just get all the folds and important parts done then get her out and massage her with the music still on and before u know it she'll be all excited once she knows it's bath time...good luck!

Laura - posted on 01/24/2009

well i just bought a sponge thingy for the bottom of the big tub (the one shaped like a teddy bear) and i am going to try that tonight and see if she likes being covered by more water than she can be in the sink tub. hopefully she will relax otherwise i may have to cut it out of the bedtime routine since it defeats the purpose if she isnt calm after. Thanks for all of your advice!

Angie - posted on 01/24/2009

Zach isn't a big fan of baths, either, but he's getting better. We also found that he likes the water warmer than we expected, which I guess makes sense because he hates being cold.

He used to just SCREAM when we would give him a bath, but it's not like it's something we could just stop doing, so he's been gettin gbetter. As long as we keep him warm, he seems to be ok.

We still don't use them as part of a bedtime routine because he does still tense up. It just isn't a relaxing thing for him, so we don't want think it would be beneficial before bedtime for him.

Hayley - posted on 01/24/2009

I use just an ordinary baby bath. We usually put the heater on to warm the room a little beforehand, dad runs the water & brings the bath through & puts it on the stand, we have a thermometer so its always 37 deg, sometimes it feels a little too warm for me but she hasnt complained. I take all her clothes off (except nappy), wrap her in her towel, hold her head over the bath(body resting on my hips-arm under her body) and wash her hair which she doesnt really like) then after I've pat-dried her hair, off comes the nappy & in goes the bath. We've introduced some little ducks which she seems to find interesting... After bathing her I give her a few minutes to 'play' by picking up a duck & just spending time enjoying the water...dad & I usually talk to her a lot throughout... Also I used to use one of those towelling-covered bath seats but she was getting cold as she wasn't right in the water so now I hold her with one arm (her head resting on my forarm & my hand around her shoulder/middle) She did hold her fists until a few weeks ago but has started relaxing her hands a little & especially when I let her play a little with the ducks...

Melissa - posted on 01/24/2009

We have the same tub but fill it all the way to the top and he likes warmer water. We also only leave him in there for about 5 minutes. He kicks his legs and loves it. i also wet a washcloth and put it over his chest and tummy so he doesn't get cold.

Kelly - posted on 01/24/2009

We have the same tub as you Laura but in blue.

Check the temp of your water, it could either be too cold or hot. If it is too warm Gavin wont put his legs in the water, but if it is too cool he will tighten his fists and stiffen up like a board.

We put the tub on our bathroom counter so Gavin can flirt with himself in the mirror. He loves it and gets really excited and splashes water all over the place, so it ends up being a big mess, but it is worth the clean up to see him soo happy.

Annie - posted on 01/23/2009

We started having one of us sit in the big bathtub and hold our daughter for the bath. It's great bonding, one parent gets to take a bath too, and our daughter seems to like it way better than the plastic tub. We tried the shower, but she seems to like the bath better. I'm sure your little one will get over it however you do it, bath time is fun :)!

Irene - posted on 01/23/2009

Hmmm, bath water might not be warm enough, surprisingly, my little one likes the water warmer than I expected... also, she cries if i wash her hair at the same time as bathing her, (apparently if u don't dry their hair straight away, they lose their body heat faster through the top of the head... hence the tears) - so I hold her over the tub to wash and dry her hair first

Mary - posted on 01/23/2009

My LO wasn't crazy about baths either. So we just started showering with him. He is almost 5 months old and he LOVES it. He gets so excited when he realizes it's shower time. Of course, we are careful with the water temp and we don't put his head under the spray. We lay a towel on the bottom to sit/lay him on while we wash him up, but he just loves snuggling skin-to-skin with the water on his back. He laughs and giggles the whole time. This is more difficult to do if you are set on doing it every day, but we just went to showering every 3 days, and it didn't effect our nights that much. We still do the bb massage with lotion, and that calms him right down.

Jenny - posted on 01/23/2009

I think your tub looks fine.

My son used to sit very still in the beginning as well, with his fists clenched.  As he got older, he relaxed a bit more, but I also bought him a "Bath Luve Frog"  from Babies R Us.

Here's the link:  http://www.toysrus.com/search/index.jsp?...

Scroll down until you see it.

It's a terry cloth frog/towel thing that drapes over the baby while in the tub.  Basically it keeps him from getting cold.  I just keep pouring water on it throughout his bath.

If the reason your daughter doesn't like the bath is because of being uncomfortable or chilles, this may help.

Also, how early was your daughter born.  Even if she is 5 months old, if she was a premie, her development may be a little behind at this point, so it may just take her a little longer to get comfortable.

If she' not crying, she may be fine with the bath.  My son still stiffens up at times because it's a different feeling to be bouyant in the water and he feels a little insecure.

Anyway, I hope this helps.

Take care.