Bathed baby in bath too hot!

[Kudds]

I am revisiting something that happened a few yrs ago as it has sort of become relevant.

When my some was around 1, I had accidentally bathed him in very hot water (1-2mins at a time) every day for maybe a week or two. It was maybe 40-42 degrees. He usually would scream when we initially out him in bath so he did that as usual but these times he kept screaming and we just thought he didn't like that bath (I literally can't believe we didn't consider it was too hot!!).

I was using a digital bath thermometer that was apparently not working properly and reading below the actual temperature as I found out later. My hands were very dry and couldn't distinguish water temperature accurately so I had relied on that.

I am revisiting this now as he is now suspected to have ascending testes. During consult with dr we talked about how testes high up are under higher body temperature and so can become impaired. I am now worried that his exposure to hot water baths in the past could also have impaired his testes function.

Has anyone else bathed their kids in such hot water by accident?

I bath my baby in 38C water, which is recommended.

I can't imagine that a couple of degrees difference, would have caused your son's condition. Please don't blame yourself.

42 degrees? Jesus, that's hotter than a hot tub. I don't know what to say really. Yes, it could've caused it but this condition usually resolves itself

Sorry I mean yes it could've caused some damage but it would usually not have a long term impact. Don't worry about it. I'd be more worried about the psychological trauma of being plunged into too hot water tbh!

It is really surprising you didn't realise 42 degrees was too hot.

Aren't you meant to test with your elbow not your hand for the very reason your hand will take hotter water? I also wouldn't have ignored a baby screaming when you put him in the bath, there was something wrong. But too late now, I doubt anything was permanently damaged, I think you should have noticed skin burns before anything else, which I assume you didn't.

How did you find out the water was too hot if you couldn't tell? How do you know when the thermometer stopped working properly?

42 degrees! No wonder he cried OP even I can only just tolerate 40 degrees

Did he not have a colour difference where the water line was? Normal skin colour about, red where he had been in the water?

This has got to be a joke? How on earth can you 'accidentally' bath your baby in too hot water several times? Bloody hell!

Because the thermometer she relied on didn't work..... As she said.

Surely you don't rely on a thermometer though, you use judgement as well
I used to dip my elbow in and run more cold in and swish if in doubt
However my DC are 30/ late twenties when logic was normal

I'm not sure how to react to this post. Sometimes people post about abusive or neglectful situations with their children, wanting other posters to minimise it or justify it in some way. Whether you intended to or not, it sounds like you caused some sort of harm to your baby, likely short-term rather than the health concern you describe. The thermometer doesn't matter really, you told us your baby was distressed - this is when you should have realised.

And her hands were too dry to feel the heat of the water? Really 🙄

If you want to know whether this could have contributed to his condition, then you need to ask the doctor.

I'm horrified.
You must have noticed that the baby was distressed.

Do you mean undescended testicles? Was he not born with this? It's common for it not to be noticed immediately.

DH had both undescended, and they didn't operate for far too long (several years) so his testes were "cooked" and he's infertile. As in 100% infertile, not "healthy eating and loose pants" curable nor "relax and it'll happen" curable.

Hot baths will not cause this.

But she would of felt it on her arms and her baby would be red and steaming. Once maybe more then that I don't see how. Also babies have very distinct cries and you can tell a pain and distress cry.

I hope he will be fine! If it is any consolation, I did the opposite as the baby book I was following said (erroneously) that bath water should be 30°C so baby's first couple of baths were too cold. No wonder baby cried!

It's REALLY obvious when bathwater is accidentally too hot because the baby will go red - one of mine liked hot baths, to go in with DH, and occasionally we got it too hot. I rarely ever used a thermometer as found them annoying and fiddly.

OP said they took him out of the bath when he kept crying so it's hardly abuse - just a mistake. No need to pile on the guilt about it years later. It's also nowhere near hot enough to burn though it is hotter than recommended for a baby. At 1yo, this is also less of a problem than it would be for a newborn who is less able to regulate their body temperature.

Also, OP is not asking if too-hot baths have caused the undescended testicle. She is saying that the doctor said undescended testicle can cause later issues with fertility due to the testes being in a warmer location than they are supposed to be.

She is wondering whether a hot bath earlier in life could have caused additional problems with the testes, and therefore made this problem (which is entirely random and nobody's fault) worse for her son.

OP I think it is unlikely. IIRC from what I read when we were TTC, it's extended periods at higher temps which are a problem for testes, not a couple of minutes at a time. Think about saunas - people go into saunas which are much hotter, for longer. (Obviously not toddlers, but you get my drift!)

Are you sure? because 40 degrees is what I set my water heater to, when it gets a bit colder, and its not exactly that hot, certainly not an "only just tolerate" situation.
Im sure 42 would be somewhat uncomfortable, for sure! But surely not a "permanent damage" situation.

My baby bathes in 38/39 degree water and she loves it.

No as I always tested with my elbow to check temperature.

It sounds terribly neglient - I can't bear any hotter than 30 degrees centigrade.

42 degrees centigrade is far, far too hot.

Poor baby.

Please, please check with an elbow in future.

No a short time in water of 42 degrees won’t have harmed his testicles. Heavens, the human race would have died out long ago if this were the case. The issue with undescended testes is that they are too warm for years, not a few minutes.

No idea why people are being so unpleasant on this thread.

You would have seen hot steam rising up from the bath plus his skin would have been very read/flushed cheeks. When you took him out of the bath could you not feel how hot his skin was?

Omg that's too hot. Test with your elbow or little finger
Wow some parents......

Jesus, this is really shocking

How do you know it was 40-42 degrees? Surely if it was that hot you would have felt it with your own hands (dry or not), you would have seen steam, his skin would have gone pink / red? Perhaps it wasn't that hot OP?