Baby Not Liking Bath Time

My daughter hated her baths when she was little, so I ended up getting in the tub with her and holding her in my lap to wash her. No more tears. She eventually outgrew that need and now loves bathtime and plays by herself for too long!

I have a 6-mo-old daughter and I still have her sit in her baby tub in the "seat". That helps keep her up so she doesn't fall down. She sits up on her own pretty well too. I give her little rubber duckies and stuff she can play with. She usually just chews on them, but it keeps her occupied while I wash her. She doesn't love the bath either, but she doesn't hate it or cry. I think it's too early to LIKE the bathtub. When she gets a little older and can really play with bathtoys, it will be more fun for her. I don't know why she might cry for you. Good luck!

It's probably a phase; I seem to recall some of my boys going through that. You have no choice--you have to bathe them. Just be as gentle as you can, and in time she'll learn to love it. K., mother of 4 boys

do you sit in the tub WITH her? this was the only way i could bathe my son for those months between baby bathtub and now. and hes fine, happy, and loves water LOL. its a good and bad thing. he has no fear of it either.. LOL. but as long as we are just sure we are near him near water at all times, hes fine :P
anyway,

maybe it looks like such a large tub to her and it scares her when she's getting wet all over. I bathed my kids in a well cleaned kitchen sick. It was so much fun.....no bending over, right in front of you....just clean it out well...

Both my kids have had phases where they hated their baths - it always passed after a while. Just try to be reassuring and distract her with toys or splashing. Sometimes bathtime was very quick! Let her play for a bit at first and then again after - maybe she thinks that you washing her means the fun is over?

Good Luck! And it will pass. :)

Neither of my girls liked bath time from the very beginning so I showered them. If you are worried about not being able to hang on to them, wrap a hand towel around their middles. Get in the shower with them, do the back side while he is on your shoulder, rinse; then turn him facing outward, rinse. To shampoo, hold him like you would nurse him. When you are done hand him off to Dad and enjoy shower time for yourself. It takes such a short time and gets them very clean. My girls loved to shower and felt secure since they were skin to skin with me. Also, when baby skin gets wet, it can actually be easier to grip. Only suds a section at a time, that is when the skin is slippery.
Good luck and enjoy this fleeting time in baby's life!
J.

My daughter didn't like baths at first but I found she was just chilly. I alway placed a warm wash cloth against her body and kept getting the washcloth warm throughout the bath. It helped a lot. Make sure the bathroom doesn't have drafts or cool spots. A little wet body gets cold quickly even in a pretty warm room. Keep her warm and she will grow to love baths like my daughter. Good luck!

My daughter went through a period where she wouldn't take a bath or shower - unfotunately we took a trip to Chicago with her during this time and she would just scream when I'd take her into the motel bathroom. Anyway, most of her life we've done a shower anyway. I'm not comfortable holding slippery bodies in the shower so she did it with my husband when she was smaller (he said that chest hair helped her stick to him). And the when she could stand, I'd have her hold my leg. This does mean that I rarely get to shower by myself but it gets us clean without fuss and it counts as bonding time. At some point I'm going to have to make her bathe by herself as we have another baby now. But there's my suggestion for you.

the bath water might be too hard for her.. or she is just feeling uneasy about being in the tub... try to sing or talk in a soft voice and tell her that mamma and or dadda has her and she is safe.. but you might want to look into the water being to hard for her skin.. does she cry when she is done having a bottle?? if she drinks regular formula?? do you notice she is gasy or is fussy after eating??

Hi A.:

It's a phase, and my son has gone through it off and on. (He's 10 months now.)

I don't worry about scrubbing him down so much; they get clean just by splashing around in the water! When I do need to actually "wash" him--ears for example--I act quickly.

Also, you can sing songs while you are washing her, or give her a toy to distract her.

Good luck!

My granddaughter did the same thing at about that age. She outgrew it and by the time she was 8 months she loved her bath again. I would say just get it over as quick as possible-make sure she gets warmed up quickly afterwards and stay cheerful while you are bathing her!!!She may be overwhelmed by the big tub. Perhaps her old tub could be put inside the big tub for more of a comfort level.

I have a daughter who was just 5 months and I bought a inflatable duck (at Wal-mart) that you fill and they sit in. She loves it! It quacks when you squeeze the bill and if your daughter can sit up this will help. I originally purchased it because I didn't want her right in the tub until she was better at sitting up but I will continue to use this until she grows out of it. It was inexpensive, I think about $10.

I totally agree with the other mamas, take a bath with her!! It can be very enjoyable and fun for the both of you. My daughter went through the same thing, she would scream and cry...needless to say she grew out of it and will play in the tub for a VERY long time now. She may just have to adjust to the idea of sitting in a BIG tub by herself..it may take a little while but I am sure she will end of loving baths(as most of us do!)

Both of my kids went through this phase. We tried adding toys and bubbles to the bath to get them excited. Also, when we first transitioned to the big bath tub, I would sit in there with them for the first few times until they got used to the big tub. Good Luck.

My oldest was the same way. I would do the "washing" part as quickly as possible and then let her play the rest of the time. You won't be able to "make" her enjoy bath time(if she's anything like my daughter). Just do the unhappy part quickly, right away, and then let her play.

Congratulations on your little girl!

At about that age, we had better luck bathing my son in the kitchen sink. (yes, I cleaned it out first, lol). It ended up being easier and less stressful for my husband and I... which translated into less stress for our son. It also allowed him to be more upright and able to look around.
If you're uncomfortable with this (some people think it's weird, but my mom did it with us, too, lol) then I'd suggest getting some fun bath-time-only toys. Just watching things float can be very entertaining.
Good luck!

Our son, who is now 2, went through that around that time. It was just a phase and she will get through it. The best thing I can suggest is continue trying to make it a fun experience, get some bath toys and show her how to splash with her hands and she will get through it.

Distraction is key for a child at this age. Maybe get her a special toy she can have only during bath time, that way she will look forward to it a bit more, like a plastic water toy that she can bite on, since she is probably teething, or just small toys that float. Otherwise, just sing your heart out, "this is the way we wash our arms, toes, knees, etc." or "the wheels on the bus". You'd be amazed at how much quickly the bath will go by for you, too! :) Plus I used the baby bath seat we had up until my daughters were about 9 months old just to make sure they could sit back when they wanted, it was a more secure feeling for them/me, and I made sure I was done running the bath before I put them in (the noise from the running water was too scary for them).

Good luck and like some other moms said: You are doing a great job! She won't remember this phase and you might even forget it too! :) It's amazing how time whips by!

Our son went through stages where he didn't like his baths. Maybe try letting her play more with some toys... the distraction may let you wash her without so much of a fuss.

My baby hated all parts of a bath until well after 6 months....I would just do them as seldom and as quickly as possible.

She got more interested in the playing after that and enjoyed them till she grew out of the kitchen sink/baby tub....now at nearly 2 she hates them again, crys most of the time. We usually only give her one a week, even way back then. For lost of people they use it as part of bedtime routine, to relax the baby, but it didn't relax her, just got her mad/worked up. Babies don't get that dirty especially this time of year being inside most of the time, and with winter drying our skin out and the fact that babies don't have body odor like adults, that is all she needs on bath a week. Remember, the important parts (diaper area, hands and face) all get washed regularly with diaper changes, getting ready to eat, and after meals.

She will grow out of it, and even if she doesn't, we all have to learn that some things we have to do to take care of ourselves ( Dr. Appointments, Dentist visits, Baths) are not always our favorite thing to do!

Keep up the good work and don't second guess everything you do....just because your baby cries for a few minute during bath time, doesn't mean you are a bad mom or doing something wrong.

Good Luck!

Jessie

We just did bath time quickly when our daughter didn't/doesn't like it. It helps if she has something to hold. Our daughter likes to chew on the frog bath thermometer.

I echo the advice - get in the tub with her! The baby feels much more secure, it's very fun cozy time, and there were times in my son's first year when that was the closest I got to a shower all day! You husband can also get in with her - if he's working and you're at home, it can be really wonderful bonding time for dads and kids. We were in the tub with my first son until he was over a year, and to this day he loves, loves, loves his bath. Good luck!

Try taking a bath WITH her... my daughter also hated being in the big scary tub all by herself, but once one of us climbed in with her, she was happy. She could lean on us, hug us, be warm up against us. Now that she's 15 months, she loves baths on her own since she's strong enough to stay upright, move around and play with toys.

Perhaps she feels overwelmed by the tub? When my son outgrew his first baby tub I found a bigger one that sits right inside the tub and fits him perfectly. There is a side that lets him lay at a slant (we have never used that side since we bought it after he was sitting up well) and the other side allows him to sit up comfortably but not accidently slip and fall over. It works really well and I can fill it with enough water so he can play with his bath toys and I can wash him at the same time.

I also used the inflatable rubber duck with my son. We started using it around the time he could start sitting all the way until just recently when he turned 2 and wanted more room to play. It is just the right size and not overwhelming for little ones. I got mine for a gift but they have them at Target.

HI there, I have been taking a bath with my baby boy since he was born, ten months now. It is a very special, relaxing bonding time and I highly recommend it! He did the same thing with the little plastic tub and I am happy we found something that works SO well. My friends who have done the same said it has been easy to transition them into taking bath on there on when they are bigger...with close supervision of course. Good luck!