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Parenting

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Original poster

help me with my 4 month old who hates having a bath

23 replies

moschops · 29/11/2005 11:06

at 4 months old i have only managed to bath ds a handful of times....
he absolutely detests it. i have tried again this morning and ended up with a child who has cried hysterically for 30 mins.
i've tried slowly introducing him to the water, just dangling his feet in it and he's not too bad with that, then sitting him in it....at that point he got a little bit fretful but i managed to soothe him....anything beyond that is a big no no..he just screams, and looks absolutely terrified. i take him straight out as soon as he starts crying and then it takes me ages to calm him.
i'm having to strip wash him to keep him clean, but i know i need to defeat the bath demon!!

anyone else been there and come through the other side? please help me to help my little boy enjoy bath time.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

tracyk · 29/11/2005 11:07

how about if you are in the bath too?
has he been swimming yet? or under a shower?

ThomCat · 29/11/2005 11:09

Is he too big for the tummy tub?

handlemecarefully · 29/11/2005 11:09

Yes it's a phase - it will pass without any intervention from you. I would just leave the bath for a couple of weeks and just try periodically...

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ThomCat · 29/11/2005 11:11

Should I stop bathing my baby in the TummyTub® when it is 6 months old?

Although the TummyTub® was originally developed for babies from birth to 6 months, many midwives and parents tell us that their children love being in this familiar and trusted environment for much longer.

You can maybe look at getting one from e-bay?

babaworshipper · 29/11/2005 11:13

Tummy tub for us. DD loved it and then transferred to the big bath no problems. Looks odd but works a treat.

tummy tub

We went from hysterical bath times to outrage at being removed from the tub.

babaworshipper · 29/11/2005 11:14

Snap Thomcat!

bundle · 29/11/2005 11:14

it is err just a bucket?

Miaou · 29/11/2005 11:14

What do you bath him in? A little bath put in the big bath? Sometimes I think the perspective they have (looking up at you from down inside a big white thingy) can freak them out. I've got a baby bath that sits on the top of the bath, which works fine.

I second tracy's idea of getting in with him - though you will need dh's help to pass him to you when you are in/take him off you whilst you get out.

Otherwise, if he is happy having his clothes off and his feet in the water, just do that for now, and splash him a bit so he gets used to it. Don't progress to sitting in the water until he is absolutely at ease with that - at least three sessions. Then try sitting him in the water next session, take him straight out if he objects and try again next time etc, until he is totally happy with that, then try lying him in the water. It may take a long while but if you persevere, taking it really gradually, then he will take to it in the end.

mummytosteven · 29/11/2005 11:14

yes, I went through this with DS. Before they are crawling they only really need a bath once/twice a week, as long as you top and tail them everyday. Unfortunately i never really got the hang of top and tailing - DS would inevitably wee/poo during it!!! So what I did was get a plastic bath support for him to put in the main bath that would completely support him while I bathed him - he still wasn't keen on the bath, but at least I wasn't worried about dropping him while he was kicking and screaming away!

shelley85 · 29/11/2005 11:18

try a bath ring you can get them in argos, my daughter hated the bath too, i bought her one and let her sit in that and bought plastic ducks to go in the bath with her, she would sit in the seat chewing on the ducks which would distract her while i could wash her

ThomCat · 29/11/2005 11:26

PMSL - yes it's pretty much just a bucket Bundle.
D's face when it arrived in the post was an absolute picture! I got mine from e-bay.

batters · 29/11/2005 11:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

mummytosteven · 29/11/2005 11:32

it's a very cute bucket bundle a big red plastic one from wilkos just wouldn't be as aesthetic

shrub · 29/11/2005 11:42

my ds3 (7months)loves his bath - i go in with him, couple of drops of lavender and chamomile, low lighting a little sing song. infact when i start singing the bath song his little legs start going as i think he associates it with the water. i give him a massage afterwards and he sleeps so much better on bath nights - have you tried going in with him?

motherinferior · 29/11/2005 11:47

DD1 hated baths at the beginning and then suddenly learned to adore them. Don't worry.

Pennies · 29/11/2005 11:51

DD1 hated them at first too until I just made them a little bit warmer and that solved the problem. Best 20 minutes of the day now!

bundle · 29/11/2005 12:08

they hate being undressed too..but doesn't mean you stop doing it. still amazed that people buy a bucket for £20

mandymac · 29/11/2005 12:14

My dd didn't like baths, she just about tolerated them about once a week. To be honest dh and I weren't all that comfortable giving them either (this was in a baby bath), so we just used to wash her all over everyday with cotton wool and warm water. Then the baby bath broke and we tried her in the big bath with one of us - she loved it and we are much more comfortable with it too, as it feels like something we are doing with her not to her, which is what it used to feel like. She now splashes away happily and we really enjoy it too. We try and do it every other day now. She's 5 months by the way and has been in the big bath for a month or so.

handlemecarefully · 29/11/2005 13:40

"they hate being undressed too..but doesn't mean you stop doing it".

Not quite the same though is it Bundle:

bath = optional
getting dressed = essential.

Original poster

moschops · 29/11/2005 14:49

Thankyou for all your advice.....

he doesn't really like laying down at all now that he's used to being upright when we hold him etc and i have thought that he'll start to enjoy bathtime more when he can sit properly and play.....

i'll just take it one bath at a time with him......and try some of your suggestions to see if any of them help

OP posts:

Twiglett · 29/11/2005 14:50

don't bath him then .. just wipe him down .. he really doens't need to be immersed in water to get clean

try again in a couple of months

Easy · 29/11/2005 14:57

have you tried varying the temp? DS hated bathing in tepid water, but was fine when I made it just a tad warmer.

MuddlingThru · 29/11/2005 16:58

My ds hated his bath and a friend suggested that the big bath might be too big and scary. He was younger than yours at the time so I started 'bathing' him in the hand basin and he was immediately much much better in that and after a few days quite calm. The hand basin holds them more snuggly so gives the parents more confidence as well. Once he outgrew that we progressed to baby bath in the big bath which we are still doing now although I am sure he would be fine in the big bath.

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