Baby hates bath

[AlfieandAnnieRose]

So since starting swimming 2 weeks ago my one year old now hates his bath. Proper screaming and sobbing and clings onto me to climb out. It's awful and means I can't bathe him often. I know it coincides with him not enjoying swimming either but that's early days so I'm still persevering.

i feel really sad that it's affected his bath time and frustrated too tbh because it's a battle every time. Any tips, words of advice? Anyone been through the same thing?!

I would try to calm them and work out what was wrong (didn't like cold? Wet wipes?) rather than just keep on doing it until they gave up protesting...

Might he be happy to go in an empty bath or washing up bowl somewhere other than the bathroom, let you lather him all over and then have some water poured to rinse him, that way, if he is scared of being put in water, he wouldn't feel as scared but the water would build up around him, so he could get used to it slowly.

We went through the same with DC2 at the same age. I put a washing up bowl full of water in the bath, let him stand outside the bath and splash. After a couple of days he got in the empty bath to play with the washing up bowl full of water. Two or three days after that we put a few inches of water in the bottom of the bath and the washing up bowl. Worked a treat, within a fortnight he was absolutely fine in the bath

We are bonded just fine, thanks 😂😂 I was hardly pinning her to the bottom of the tbe bath, just regularly exposing her so she wouldn't dislike it.

Another vote for quitting swimming here.

I took DS only a couple of times when he was a baby (mainly because I hated the faff/cold changing rooms etc). I now have a super confident 4yo swimmer - we started lessons at 3 in a learner pool he could stand in (so didn't need me in with him) and he took to it very quickly, as did all the other kids in the class. Bath times, holidays and the odd trip to leisure pools over the first yrs was enough.

Yes I think we will be giving up the swimming once the classes paid for have finished, think 4 more to go?!
It seems nowadays that taking your baby swimming is an obligatory thing, 'oh you must take your baby swimming he'll love it' I've been told multiple times by different people. Well we've tried and he hates it so will put it down to a bad experience and try again when he's older.
NorfolkEnhance I've been trying something similar, holding him outside the baby bath and splashing his toys for him, sponging him down which works for a short time. Will also try putting less water in but I think at this point he has such negative associations to the bath that might try the idea of washing up bowl in the kitchen like someone suggested. Thanks for the tips.

Yes I think we will be giving up the swimming once the classes paid for have finished, think 4 more to go?!

Why on earth would you go to the next four classes? It doesn't matter that you have paid for them, he hates it, so stop going now!

Yes, why would you keep going? He hates it and doesn't care/know that you've paid for it.

It's not obligatory. Some babies love it, some don't. He won't learn 'proper' swimming till later anyway.

Well at the moment it's his baths he hates more than swimming. Maybe because when swimming I'm holding him and he feels safe and in the bath he can't. If I get in the bath with him he will cling onto me. And this only started when he started swimming.

But I did notice in the last lesson he was less clingy, felt confident enough to reach out for toys in the water. So at the moment I'm happy to keep taking him for the time being. I also think if I suddenly stop the swimming it won't give him time to get used to it and understand it's ok. It's just bathtime at home that is currently an issue!