My 3mos hates the bath. Any ideas?

[Sicilian Mom]

My DD is 3mos and hates the bath.  I give her a bath 2-3 a week.  I have been bathing her in the bathtub. She lays on mesh sling that sits in the tub.  She cries the entire time.  I make sure the water isn't too warm and I talk and/or sing to her but it doesn't matter.  Maybe it's my singing voice?!?!

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[maggieruth]

when our ds first started to bath we took him in with us (the midwives were keen on me having lots of baths to heal after he was born)  he was pretty serene in there (probably a lot like what he remembered in the womb!)  i guess we bathed him fairly often after that and never had any problems unless the temp is too cold or he is seriously tired.
maybe if you are bathing him before bed, try bathing her a bit earlier, when our ds is tired, he doesn't like getting into the bath as it wakes him up more! 
here's hoping for other ideas too!  HTH!

[colenliam]

I agree,
Try to bath with your lo.
Also have you tried the sink or a smaller tub, the big one might feel to big for him?
But then again some babies just don't like baths, sponge baths are fine, for a while until your los older and can try again.  Friend of mine, bought a big fuzzy blanket she sponge bathed her dd on for a while.
Good Luck

[Marisa's Mom]

Our DD hated the bath in the early months too, regardless of whether it was a sponge bath or water immersed bath. We didn't get it cuz everyone was telling us how babies LOVE taking baths. But it WILL get better. DD eventually associated bathtime with relaxing, and she eventually enjoyed it.

Do you bathe her in the big "adult" size bathtub? She might feel more secure in a smaller baby bathtub. That's what we used, and still use.

We also bathed her in the evening. It helped her relax and wind down before bedtime. There have been times when she is clearly fussy/cranky at the end of the day, but when she sees we're going to give her a bath, her demeanor changes, and she is a totally different baby after the bath, a complete angel.

We also gave her a bath toy (like this http://www.safeandsecurebaby.com/files/cache/62359904a44cdbe3fe27cc1e34430215.jpg). Her face lights up when we give it to her. She doesn't care about the noises it makes when you squeeze it (and it eventually stopped making noises), but she liked playing with it. Kept her occupied while we bathed her.

Make sure the water isn't too hot or too cold. Something a little cooler than what we'd like is perfect for babies. In the early days, I think DH made her bath a little too hot which might have contributed to DD screaming during her baths. I suggested he make the water cooler, and ever since then she enjoyed her baths more.

[Kimberly®]

I also suggest bathing with your LO, also try warmer water. Yes Warmer once we made the water warmer, almost as warm as ours was, she LOVED it. Also you could try Johnson and Johnson soothing bath. Its a lavender bath that is very calming for you and your LO. And it makes your LO smell really nice

[Gage and Sophie's Mom]

Oh yes Gage hated baths too. We started giving them to him after his first nap as they were too "tramatic" for him and I before bed. I did however figure out that Gage hated being cold so I put a warm wet hand towel over his whole body and kept getting it wet. He looooved it. It kept him warm and he sucked on it (not the best I know considering there is always a little peepee in the water)

[jules_is_cute]

The same thing was happening with our little sweetie (also a 3 mo old girl)...so I moved bath time up a few hours, thinking she might be too tired right before bed.

We changed a few other things too...I breastfeed right before so she's in that "I'm chillin'" mood.  I also fill the tub up high and get in the bath with her and hold her close the entire time, never breaking eye contact and always smiling and talking in a quiet, soothing voice.  I must admit, once inside the tub with her I realized how loud it was in there, I only take showers, so I never knew how much all those hard surfaces echo, maybe it's a little scary in many ways. 

I also made the water much warmer (our little ducky says it's too hot, but she thinks it's fine-- I know it's too hot if it feels hot to my feet, I can't tell by touching with my hand).

I don't get her head wet until right before we get out.  Now she loves bath time, so much that we do it every night.   I also skip the lotion until morning, because she still cries within a few minutes of getting out, so we rush to get dressed ASAP.

Hope this helps.

[laurima]

hi - we've been bathing and showering with little one since day 3.  This is dad time and she often showers with Dad and he lets the tub fill up and then they bath together (which works fine unless she poos/wees, then you have to forget that part).  The part she hates is getting out... lots of drama so I usually feed on one side, then she baths and then I can comfort feed the other side when she gets out.  The temperature change is NOT something they like at all so it's nice if you have a heated bathroom or just keep the door closed and heat in.  The bub will be more relaxed if you are relaxed and talking to them in calm voice.  I think she really likes the skin to skin contact.

Good luck!

[Missy Lou]

I started taking a bath with my lo when she was about 3 weeks old.  She would cry and throw her arms around when I used her baby bathtub.  Plus our house is old so there is no counter space in the bathroom so I had to use the kitchen sink and the house is drafty. 
So I fill the bathtub up with several inches of warm water, turn on an electric heater (placed in the corner away from the tub) and get in with her.  Even though it's hot here (in the mid to upper '80's), she was always so cold coming out of the bathtub so I make it like a spa in the bathroom.  I put her propped up on my knees with her legs around me so she can't kick me in the stomach or roll off.  I use one hand to wash her and the other to hold her.  I think she feels more secure and just looks around the entire time.  She kicks and moves her arms but she's always moving.  Plus this lets me hold her under her arms and let her little butt sit in the water so she'll get used to the feeling of water.
After we're done, I'll put her in her bouncing seat that I've placed on the floor with a towel in it.  Then I wrap the towel around her while I dry off - but you have to be fast drying off and getting her to her room to put on the diaper.  I've had to wash the bouncing seat many times when I was too slow.

[Marisa's Mom]

After we're done, I'll put her in her bouncing seat that I've placed on the floor with a towel in it.  Then I wrap the towel around her while I dry off - but you have to be fast drying off and getting her to her room to put on the diaper.  I've had to wash the bouncing seat many times when I was too slow.

LOL. I've never had her pee immediately after a bath, but she has peed on DH twice(!) while he was holding her just moments before he was about to put her in the tub. Since then, we've learned to undress her but leave the diaper on until the last moment. 

[yaya]

Hi sicialian mum!
MY DS was the same...he HATED his bath...I worked out that he was overtired so we started giving him his bath in the morning for a few weeks, then he got used to having his bath (and loved it) And we switched back to PM!
Also we used a TUMMY TUB when he was very little...its lovely they sit in it snug as a bug and makes them feel as tho they r in the womb!

We also put classical music on during bathtime to relax him
HTH

[Baby Nanny]

I know all the books say use tepid/body temp water, but I've always found that water that feels slightly warm to your hands is always MUcH nicer for the baba's (and you!), not too hot mind you, but just slightly warmer than body temp or else they don't feel the water and probably feel very strange and lost with no clothes on.  Also make the bath really deep so baba is immersed in water up to his neck and try putting a face cloth over his tummy to help him feel secure and not aimlessly floating about.

[Shdef]

I would get a bath thermometer, because it tells you exactly if it's right for lo. Also try to use a smaller bathtub (,ight be scared in the big one) and don't put him in immediately with the whole body. Start with the left foot, then the right, then slowly the legs and so on

HTH

Steffi

[Kimberly®]

I would get a bath thermometer, because it tells you exactly if it's right for lo. Also try to use a smaller bathtub (,ight be scared in the big one) and don't put him in immediately with the whole body. Start with the left foot, then the right, then slowly the legs and so on

HTH

Steffi

Those bath thermometer are a waist of money. The make the water way to cold. Though I agree about the smaller tub. To a baby I imagine the big tub is really scary

[Shdef]

I like the thermometers. My LO likes the temp one degree warmer than body temp. (38). It does say on it that that is too warm for the baby but DS has always had high body temperature and he loves it a bit warmer. I only use it to always get the temp that HE likes right.