Bathing baby on my own

[Crumpetsforthequeen]

So I feel like a newbie even though I have a 6 year old so not my first rodeo...apart from bathing baby on my own.

When dd6 was born dh had got injured at work and was home with us for the first 2 years of her life (we feel so fortunate to have that time as a family) so we always bathed her together when she was a baby, one would hold the other wash.

Now we have DS 6 months and not gonna lie it was a shock to the system learning to do everything on my own as DH was back at work after 2 weeks paternity leave but I got there eventually and feel pretty confident with everything except bathing him on my own.

Luckily he's now old enough to sit in a bath seat but before I always waited until DH was home in the evening to bath him by which time I'm tired, ds is tired, DH is tired and DD is running around excited because daddy is home so it's a quick bath but now I can bathe him during the day because of the chair and actually make bath time a bit fun for him.

Now my issue is (and thank you if you've read this far) I can wash his body and have no problem doing his hair but how do I wash his bum and around his willy wonka? (as dd would put it). Am I missing something? I've tried doing it in the seat but because he's sat upright on his bum it's impossible and I've tried holding him whilst I do it but it feels so dangerous and moments away from him slipping out my hands.

Tell me oh wise Mumsneters how do I wash my babies tush?

I have the Schnuggle bath and turn him around so he's leaning/holding onto the back and give him a good scrub that way

It's soo tricky isn't it! My ds is 11 months and is such a wriggly fish in the bath... Washing hair is OK but the rest I kinda hope gets cleaned from sitting in the soapy water ... Seems to have survived so far with this approach and he doesn't have sensitive skin so never gets nappy rash etc. Sometimes I lie him down on his back to get in the creases 'down there' but I never really scrub his bum. I also don't use a bath seat so he splashes around a LOT, haha must help...

I lean ds forward, support his chest with one hand a wipe with the other.

Failing that could you get dd to help? You hold ds and she washes for you? She'll probably enjoy being involved.

Hold him like you would a rugby ball. Only one arm needed

Thank you all for the suggestions, I've just bathed him and tried to hold him rugby ball style but he's so heavy for his age (9lb 1 at birth and growing fast) and I've got repetitive strain injuries in both wrist atm, again because he's so heavy I just couldn't hold him in one arm so I ended up putting him on my lap soaping his bum up and then dunking it in the wanted before putting him in the seat, it worked but I got soaked so obviously want to find another way of doing it I might look into the schnuggle bath.

I’ve used cotton wool balls with my DD to get into the “crevices”! It’s easier to do this when she is sitting down and leaning forwards on my arm.

You need a baby bath seat there amazing so easy to bath baby in

Safety 1st Swivel Bath Seat, Primary www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00CMR3H0O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_oYurEb4NNQCW2?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

Oh god so sorry didn’t read thread properly 😂

We just sit DD up in the bath, no seat, just a bath mat, and then lie her down flat when needed. I keep the water shallow enough that she can lie flat on the bottom without floating away, but deep enough she can splash! I always found the bath seats more annoying than helpful.

Can you just use a clean flannel and wipe there after you have lifted him out? Just out onto the towel on floor, wet flannel in bathwater and give him an extra clean before wrapping him up to dry?

I had carpal tunnel in both sides when ds was that age so I feel your pain. Bathing is Hella awkward tbh, single mum here, but after I'd done the rest of him I'd just gingerly stand him up (luckily even at a few weeks he could stand if you supported him) with one arm wrapped round him completely in case things get slippery, then the other hand does bum etc, it only takes a few seconds to grab a handful of shower gel and rub it in then immediately plonk them back in the seat, the rinsing takes care of itself lol. It's a very wet job tbh, mines 21 months now and can still soak me in 10 seconds flat. You'll find the way that works for you

I just let the soapy water do it's thing! Bums get changed and cleaned regularly in nappies, so I figured they don't need a big scrub.

Now ds can stand up I get him to hold the bath rail while I give him a quick scrub, but i never really bothered before

@Crumpetsforthequeen
On the times I have to bathe DS on his own I give his bits a wash on his changing mat, as in lather him up first in those areas then put him in the bath. That way they rinse when he gets in. Wipe down his mat, sorted.
I also have a bath mat down in the bath so if I forget / in a rush it’s easy enough to hold his head with my left hand and sponge away with my right hand. More faffy that way though.

I wouldn't really worry tbh, he's sitting in a bath so presumably his bum and penis are submerged for the duration and you will be wiping throughout the day anyway so its all clean.

If you want to make sure it's wiped thoroughly at bathtime just take him out of his seat when the plug is out, as the water is draining let him crawl around and give him a quick once over.

We use a schnuggle but when lifting her out give her another wipe over with the cloth when she’s lying on her towel just to ensure she’s properly clean.