Baths

My cousin showers with her daughter every evening. The baby LOVES it! They sing songs and dance around, it's actually pretty cute.

p.s. my youngest son was miserable until around 2 or even 3. I had to put him in a sling like one other mom said. I swear I wore that kid on my body until he could walk! And no, it did not spoil him, he just had different needs than my first son. He wouldn't even take a pacifier or his thumb. He only sucked MY pinky finger!! After a while I would find any person...even my two year old to stick a finger in his mouth to quiet him down. Now he is the most pleasant 5 year old!

Hi tami-
About the bath, do you keep any toys with you her in the tub? she may just need some distractions. Also i always found that if you got into the bath with them it is very comforting. About only being happy when being held, it's a big world and they often just need the touch of someone they know cares for them. Have you tried using a sling or other baby carrier. They are really wonderful you can hold your baby close and have both hands free to do other things. I would look at ergo carriers or kangaroo corner pouches. Good luck.

Hi Tammi

Maybe the mirror is disturbing her? Like Tara said, I get in the tub with my baby and she loves bath time. She likes to lay out and float in the water as I hold her there, she is also starting to learn how to splash and have fun. Maybe it's time to give her some toys in the tub to play with. Maybe she isn't comfortable with the water temp? My little one likes it pretty warm. Just some ideas, hope that they help!

S.

Have you changed your bathing routine or location? When my kids were first born I would give them sponge baths on my bed. They loved it. When I moved them to the a baby bathtub in the bathroom, they fussed at first. I felt it was because they weren't laying on the comfy bed in the room with the soft lighting. Instead they were in a plastic tub in our stark white bathroom with bright lights. I switched light sources and tried various games and songs and they finally adjusted. Bath time was fun again.

That being said, they are now 2 and 3 and have both started to dislike bath time again. They like to play, not bathe. They don't like to get their faces wet. They don't like to have their hair dried. I wish you luck in finding what works for your daughter but be prepared that there may be other bathtime battles down the road.

Hi i also went through this with my daughter. she was a pleasant baby though ( until it was bath time.) this hating the bath starting with her right at infancy. i found out what i was doing wrong. i would bath her in the kitchen and it was cold in there so i then figured out the solution to help her love her baths. i would pre-heat the bathroom by turning on the shower (hot) and let that heat up the bathroom then i would place her baby tub into the big tub and fill the big tub up until it was running into her baby tub ( it sounds like a huge process but it really wasn't the priceless thing of it all was she loved her bath time!!!! i did this for a while and then when she grew out of the baby tub and could sit independently i bought a mat of Nemo and she would sit on that and take every blessed little people figure into the tub with her. it is frustrating though because at that time of the day one would love to sit in a tub of warm water to relax. babies are little individuals of their own. it is amazing at such a young age one can know what they like and dislike.. patient and creative thinkng are the keys to motherhood but with this being your third i am sure you already know that... good luck and i hope this helps you ..happy holidays

Both my kids craved physical contact. Try bathing with her, if you can. And try carrying her in a sling. Check out hotslings.com and kankarookorner.com

My son hated his baths right from the beginning. I read all the posts everywhere and sought advice from everyone. Finally after 2 months we figured out that it was the overhead lights in the bathroom that were bothering him - especially when we turned on the (very bright) heat lamps to warm up the room. I discovered this because when I would put him in the bath front-side down and wash his back first, he was OK, but would start to fuss when I turned him over. Then one morning when I didn't have the patience for a full bath, I just washed his hair over the sink. When I had my husband turn off the lights, he immediately stopped crying.

Just thought I'd offer this since it's different than your other responses.

Maybe she is cold. our house is very cold so we use a space heater to keep the bathroom warm.

also, my son loves bathtub crayons. they really keep him occupied for bath time. babies/toys r us has them.

as far as her being unhappy, there might be something in her diet that is hurting her stomach. my son, literally screamed from the first 3 months until we found that he had some food interlences. once we removed them he was a completely different baby.

t.

I agree with the other ladies...try bathing with her. Get your husband involved, so he is ready to go to wrap her in a cozy warm towel. I used to run the towels in the dryer right before wrapping my son up, and it was something I think he looked forward to.

I always used those bathing gels that were for sleepy time, I think they had lavendar or something to calm and soothe the baby. Also, try her bath time right after she is done eating, so she is nice and fulfilled with a full belly.

Good luck!!