Possible bathtime problems - birth to 1 year
© DK
For a number of mums and babies alike, bathtime can pose problems. Some babies can dislike being undressed, can be afraid of water, or hate having their hair washed. Read on for advice on how to get around such bathtime dramas.
Fear of undressing
Many young babies become extremely distressed when they are undressed. They hate the feeling of air on their bodies, preferring instead the security of being fully clothed or wrapped tightly. When your baby's very small you can get around this by topping and tailing or giving sponge baths (see Bathing a young baby).
Fear of bathing
If your baby is absolutely terrified of having a bath, skip it for a couple of days and then try again, very gently, using only a little water in the bath. Until your baby is ready to go back into the bath give sponge baths or top and tail.
If, after some time, she still doesn't like being bathed and remains frightened of water, try to overcome it by introducing bathtime in a play context. In a warm room (but not the bathroom), lay out a towel with a large plastic bowl full of water next to it. Put some floatable toys and plastic beakers into the bowl, undress your baby and encourage her to play with the toys. She'll gradually get used to the idea of being near the water.
When she seems happy and confident help your baby to paddle in the water: if your kitchen is warm put a towel on the draining board, fill the sink with warm water and let your baby dangle her feet while sitting on the towel. Make sure that you keep a firm grip on your baby with one hand while you play with toys and beakers with the other, and that all the taps are bound up with a cloth.
Do this a couple of times then swap the bowl or kitchen sink for a baby bath and let your baby play in the same way as before. You'll know she's overcome any fear when she struggles to get into the water with the toys. Let your baby do this a couple of times before you turn it into an occasion for washing as well.
Fear of the big bath
Once your baby is splashing about and making a mess in the small baby bath, she is ready to go into a big bath. However, if your child is frightened of getting into a big bath, you'll have to build up to it gradually. Place the baby bath inside the big bath and put a towel or a rubber mat next to it so that she can't slip. Sit her in the big bath along with some toys and fill up the baby bath with warm water as usual. Then let her climb into the baby bath. Once she is happy doing this, you can introduce a few centimetres/inches of water into the big bath, with the towel or rubber mat in the bottom and all the toys, as before, and the baby bath full of warm water. She will then probably climb in and out of the baby bath and quickly get used to sitting in the big bath in just a few centimetres of water. You can then increase the amount of water in the big bath, leaving the baby bath there until she is no longer interested in it. This makes the transition fairly painless, and at the same time does quite a lot to increase your child's confidence.
The problem of disliking hair wash
Even a baby who thoroughly enjoys having a bath may hate hair washing and she'll probably develop this dislike when she's around eight or nine months old. Even though you may be very gentle and take every precaution to make sure that your child isn't frightened or upset by hair washing, you may find that it remains a problem until your child is of school age, so it is worth getting the technique right from the start.
Young children hate to get water in their eyes, let alone soap or shampoo. So do everything you can to keep your baby's face and eyes dry throughout the whole operation of hair washing. Never pour water over your child's head just to prove that it won't hurt. Few children under the age of six can stand this, and if it is done to them suddenly they find it extremely unpleasant. Don't continue the washing operation if she screams or struggles and never forcibly hold your child so that you can get her hair washed. You may have an accident, like getting some shampoo into her eyes, or her slipping over in the bath and getting ducked under the water, which will make the whole incident much worse. It will also make all future attempts to wash your child's hair very difficult and fraught experiences for both of you.
Once your child strenuously objects to hair washing, give up and don't try again for a few weeks to give your child a chance to recover. Bathtimes are generally happy for most children, so it is better to dissociate hair washing from bathtimes so your child doesn't start to dislike taking baths as well. Keep her hair reasonably clean by sponging it to remove any dirt or bits of food, or brushing it out with a soft, damp brush. It really doesn't matter if your child's hair is greasy for a week or two; it will come to no harm.
Another way of keeping the water from your baby's face is to use a specially designed shield. This fits like a halo around the hairline and allows you to rinse off any shampoo without getting soapy water all over your baby's face. You may find that your baby is less distressed if you wash her hair while she sits on your lap. Have a basin of warm water near you, and use a flannel to wet her head before you use a non-sting shampoo. So that no water gets onto her face, rinse the water off with a damp facecloth, not by pouring water over her head. She won't be disturbed by this because she won't feel any water trickling over her head or her body.
New Babycare
Copyright © 2009 Dorling Kindersley
Text copyright © 2009 Miriam Stoppard
Posted 30.06.2010
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