Baby bath time
Before I had children, bath time meant a long soak in an aromatic bath with gentle music and a glass of wine. Now bath time means crouching in an unnatural position beside the bath holding a squirmy, giggly 4-month old and fending off the splashes from the 2 1/2 year old. As painful as this experience is for me, both my boys love bath time!
And if I manage it right, it sometimes means a good night’s sleep for me.
We do a few simple things to make bath-time both fun (for the kids) and conducive to the ultimate goal – sleepy babies!
Well its all about routine, isn't it? After I have fed the kids and the toddler seems to have most of his dinner on his face and clothing than in his mouth. Then its off to the bathroom. I play some orchestral lullaby music. Fairly loudly too - well, louder than just background music (see Music for Dreaming CDs). I wash them from head to toe, brush their teeth in the bath and then I let them play for as long as they like. As the 2 1/2 year old entertains himself I take out the baby and dry him with a toasty towel (see Babu Towel Wrap).
I then use my newly acquired skills in Infant Massage (I went to a Plunket course just the other week). I massage yummy oil (see Mother-Well or Johnson's Baby) Both my boys absolutely love it. Baby Roman loves the sensation as he is still discovering what he is attached to (are those my toes?) and Toddler Leo loves my attention although he can be impossibly wriggly and we only get one leg done - but it is the thought that counts!
For all the New Mummies out there, I have written an easy step by step guide below on how to bathe an infant.
- Plan for your baby's bath. Get everything ready before you start the bath. This makes bathing easy and safe.
- You will need a mild baby soap (see Mother-Well or Johnson's Baby), cotton balls, clean wash cloth (see Babu), a new nappy (see Huggies) and a towel laying flat so you can lay baby straight into it when you are finished.
- Most babies are a little bit frightend by the experience of having their clothes taken off and being exposed to the air. But most babies love the bath!
- You can use your bathtub, kitchen sink or a plastic baby tub (see Baby Bath)
- Use something to line the tub to keep your baby from slippling, like a flannel.
- Fill the tub with warm water - always test the water with your wrist or elbow. The water should be comfortably warm, not hot.
- Never leave your baby alone in water. Don't bother with the phone if it rings. If you've forgotten something, bring baby with you to get it.
- Put baby into tub. Support baby's head. I try to put my arm around bubs back and my fingers under his armpit. This way I support his whole upper body, as well as his head.
- Use a clean damp wash cloth and without soap, wash baby's face. Use cotton buds to wipe goop from baby's eyes. Gently wash the outside and back of each ear.
- Put a little bit of soap on your fingers and wash under baby's chin(s). Heaps of fluff gets caught under there!
- Wash baby's body starting with chest and leaving the 'dirtier' areas like the nappy area until the end.
- Wash baby's hair last, so they don't get too cold. Wash hair and scalp very gently using baby shampoo. (see Mother-Well or Johnson's Baby). You only need to do this once or twice a week.
- Now take baby out and pat dry with towel. This a great time to give bubs a little infant massage if they are still happy, otherwise a nurse and a cuddle will send baby off to sleep.