Bath with baby

[Foxmother29]

Hello - first time mum, first time poster.

I'm thinking about bringing my 4 month old into my bath with me. I've read it's good for skin to skin, can help build his confidence before he starts baby swim lessons... and he's massive and about to outgrow his baby bath.

My brother in law and his partner do this with their 8 month old but have told me they keep their underwear/swimwear on.

What do you think? It seems a bit much to me - and like it would need me or DH to bathe twice whenever we go in with DS. But at the same time, DS is an absolute fiend for drinking bath water - he's frantically licking bubbles off his hands from the minute we put him in like it's a sherbert dip dab. Trying to stop him is futile and loud. So maybe it would be more hygienic to keep our pants on? It's all looking like the kitchen sink would be easier...

Grateful for your experiences/methods here! X

Underwear isn't going to make the water any more hygienic. It's for modesty. I doubt that most people feel the need to cover up in front of their own baby.

Advice to you, babies get slippery when wet, and it's easier to have a second person around to lift the baby out, when you're finished. Babies don't need long in the bath.

Please don't overthink this, have a bath with your baby if you want to. Beware of surprises though, and consider a "blobby spoon" just in case....

My baby is nearly 5 months old and I just bring her in the bath with me, I have since she was tiny. I don’t put my swimming costume on or leave underwear on, it’s never even occurred to me to do that. Enjoy your bath! X

I bath with DS without underwear. But DP isn't his bio dad and he wears underwear. Always been the case and DS is 3 now. I don't know why you'd have to wash again afterwards unless he poos in it. I don't think I started so young though, he had a seat that suctioned too the bath floor once he outgrew his baby bath.

It wasn't something I was ever tempted by. Too slippery and precarious climbing in and out. But nothing wrong with it. Thinking you need to put underwear on to bathe with your own baby is plain weird though.

You need to make sure the bath water is cool enough too

It wouldn't even occur to me to put swimwear on to bathe with my baby. I used to bathe with him quite a few times when he was a baby. You're his mum don't worry. He still gets in my bath now at 2 years old.

I love bathing with my baby and toddler and have a little seat to put youngest in so that I'm hands free getting out. We make a big splashy mess! I also sometimes just have a bath with the baby and breastfeed in the bath. When really tiny they have both fallen asleep on me in the bath because it was a sensory overload!

I've never put any clothes of any kind on when bathing with my 7mo or 2yo. Neither does DH. That's just weird and putting odd connotations on it. Do your relatives not realise they'll very soon be potty training and modelling using a toilet to their offspring? Or unable to wee in peace because the toddler is banging on the door?
Go for it naked OP and enjoy. I love bathing with the children, 1 or both of them. Sometimes deep water bathing is the only thing that calms the baby when crying and the toddler adores splashing and pouring water on me. Every time I think, we won't be doing this forever. Obviously there's an age where it does become inappropriate but that's not as a 4 month old baby!

I did it with all of my babies from birth and so did DH. No underwear/swimwear, tbh I never even thought about it and all 3 survived despite plenty of bath water tasting! Just have a second person to hand and make sure it is warm in the room as of course the water needs to be cooler than you would be used too.
As far as modesty is concerned

I would say wearing underwear in the bath with your baby is totally mad. My four year old daughter often gets in the bath with me and it's not weird at all! It's weird to even think it's weird tbh. But bathing with a baby is chilly so I don't really do it if I can avoid it.

We would get in the bath, both fairly lazy, but it also meant our clothes didn’t get soaked, the only downside is the water isn’t as warm as you would usually have. Swimwear seems a bit weird, especially for hygiene reasons, swimwear doesn’t stop water getting to your bum etc and then back in the bath.

I mean, the baby grew inside you and came out of you. Seems a bit weird to wear swimwear on at this point!

We bathed with all ours, no swimming costumes. I would lie babies drying towel etc down on the floor so I could put them down out of the bath while I got out. One of my fondest memories is of breastfeeding my eldest in the bath while his dad poured warm water over him/us

No need for underwear but second previous posters who suggested help from DH to get slippery baby out of the bath. I tried it once on a day when DP wasn't home and nearly dropped the baby so never had the guts to try it again.

I didn’t wear underwear when I bathed mine! I’ve now moved her bath time to the evening, but she sits in a bouncer in the bathroom every morning while I shower and I don’t think it’s odd - how else am I meant to shower?

When we shared a bath, I didn’t have a partner to help me get the baby out, but I had the baby bath to hand. When bath time was over, I put the baby bath in the tub, transferred baby to that, got myself out and then got baby out and dried her.

Swimwear with babies just sounds odd. Make sure the bath foam isn't chemically crap and have someone ready to take the slippery little one out for you!

Can’t think of anything worse. They need the water to not be too hot, they’re slippery, splash and are guaranteed to piss in the water and if you’re really unlucky poo. But if it’s something you think sounds pleasant then IDK why you’d need underwear, unless it’s a swim nappy for the baby?!

This is what I thought! My only consideration is using baby friendly bath products

Lol at blobby spoon!
I second the posters who said that it's OK bathing with bubba but they need the water not too hot and I prefer a hot bath

I like a HOT bath so I don’t think I’d fancy bathing with my soon to be baby, freezing cold, hoping I don’t drop them and also on the lookout for little turds floating around 😂 think I’ll just take them swimming instead!

I used to put the (empty) baby bath next to the bath with a couple of towels in it. When the baby was done I would put him/her in the baby bath and wrap them in the towels, then get myself washed and dried before sorting them out

I took DD into the bath with me a couple of times. It didn't occur to me to wear underwear/swimming costume.

I don't think there was any particular benefit to it tbh. We just did skin to skin out of the bath. Maybe if a baby/toddler was getting distressed or upset at the bath it might help reassure them, but I don't think it's necessary. Ended up just a bit of a faff.

When our now 2 yr old was tiny I would get in the bath with him with a swimming costume on, just because it helped with grip when he was wet and wriggly and my boobs were so huge and painful from breastfeeding so it was more for comfort really.

He's now 2 and was going through a bath refusal phase so either myself or my husband (his dad) will get in with him naked as it kills 2 birds with one stone, he's happy and we all get a wash at the end of the day 🤣

I bathed with my DD from weeks old and still do now she's 8. Always both in the buff.

Both me and DH shared baths with DS once he was toilet trained until recently, he's nearly 6. We've only really stopped because it's uncomfortable now and not enjoyable. He's too long and there's not enough room. I didn't ever want to risk it when he wasn't toilet trained, no thank you🤣