Baby extra fussy on bath nights - am I doing something wrong?

[user1490285009]

I’ve been reading and hear from family and friends how baths help baby relax and usually sleep better. But it seems to have the opposite effect on my baby. She get more fussy and irritable and harder to put to sleep on bath nights.

So when I’m giving her a bath -I don’t put the heating on or anything because even though we haven’t had a nice summer the weather is mild IMO. I check the warmth of the water via my elbow ( neutral temperature relative to my body temp), and I always have a big towel on standby to wrap baby in so she can be cosy while I dress her.

Is it just the way some babies are or is it something I’m doing wrong?

It's tricky because she may shoot the messenger. You'd have to word it rwally really carefully and focu on what you've observed.

Baths wind my DC up! They're 7 and 3 now but when they were babies they used to get really excited when it was supposed to calm them down...

We switched to morning baths for DD (oldest) for awhile but then when she started preschool we didn't have time so moved to early evening before dinner. Then DS came along and now it's just normal routine. We don't do it every day, either.

Does she stay up later on bath nights? Do you do her bath at her normal bedtime?

Bath before bed is great if it helps relax them. In your case it clearly doesn’t so I’d stop doing it. I’m presuming yours is quite a young baby so if they’re not at nursery yet then I’d do it during the day instead, doesn’t even have to be every day, ever other is fine.

I have done my LO bath in day before. Just before dinner.... So she can chill after 🤷🏼‍♀️ May help and not disturb bed x

The assumption that these things are the same for every child is the problem,

If it doesn't work for you, then do whatever does!

Bath's every night wasn't helpful for my children either.

How old is she? My son hated baths as a newborn, I think it was his reflux as he was lying down - he just screamed. Not relaxing at all! He grew to like them as he got older, probably from about 4 months +. We just used to dunk him in and out again quickly when he really needed cleaning.

How old? Mine never liked baths till they were over a year old. Also I’d get a proper bath thermometer, keep the water at 37-38 degrees. What’s warm to us and them can be quite different

Baby is almost 2 month. Her older sister was the same when she was a baby.

Her bedtime seems to be about 8pm, so I was giving her a bath around 6-6:30, nursing her till 8pm+. Baths always make her want to cluster feed ( or it appears that way to me, what she’s doing could be seeking comfort).
That’s why she doesn’t go down to sleep at her regular time. She’ll stay awake till like 11pm on bath nights. Or she will sleep but take cat naps and wake up each time very annoyed and fussy.

I have switched to morning/early afternoon bath times, but I just wondered why it was happening.

A bath doesnt relax my baby at all and i dont think its anything im doing it just doesnt do it for her. She fusses getting out and HATES getting dressed after. I think after a long day a bath and all the faffing is just to much for her. Ive made the bath a more day time activity now making it a bit more fun and involving her big brother! Instead of a bath to relax her at night i dim the room feed her and then I read a short book or tell her some random story and settle her down and it seems to work! What works for one baby doesnt work for them all!

My little girl is 3 now and baths have always been a source of great excitement and very stimulating. She has always had daytime rather than night baths and as a baby only had one about once a week. Her face and bum would get a proper wash daily with (different) wet cloths. Babies really don't get dirty enough to need regular baths.

Nope I never understood that advice. Baths didn’t relax my babies at all. We had them in the day as part of fun play.

Try warming up the bath. It sounds like she's getting stressed from being cold.

I never think baths are relaxing for babies and children like they are for (some) adults! She’s probably just finding it over stimulating.

I think baths can often be too cold for babies and that's the problem.

Defo get a proper thermometer. Lukewarm baths are just unpleasant.

Your skin isn't lukewarm when you snuggle with a baby, it's nicely warm.

@NatashaRf and @SloopB

Last night I gave baby a hot bath. So instead of it being neutral to my elbow temp, it felt slightly warm; she slept like a champ. She was so clam and relaxed even through to this morning.

Thanks for the tip!