Can someone give me bathing advice? My daughter is ten months old, today! Two days ago she started sitting up in the plastic baby bath tub. I worry about her stability and can't keep her seated. She wants to flip over, get on all fours, and stand up holding the faucet. So I took out the plastic baby bath and put her in the regular bath tub with little water. She likes this but still wants to move, play on all fours, and stand. Her twin brother wants to do the same, but is not sitting up enough,; he'll soon follow I'm sure! I am not sure how to proceed safely or what to expect in terms of normal baby behavior.
We had an inflatable bath we received as a gift, so I pulled it out. She loves it, but still wanted to roll to the side and stand. Her brother is too big for it. Should have got that out earlier! I got a bath mat for the tub so she won't slip and added toys. This is working out great. She responds well to "no" (so far) and isn't standing up anymore. I do not bathe more than one of the twins at a time. In fact I only have one in the bathroom at a time. Never, never take my eyes off of a child near water of course. Thank you for all the help and advice. It is more a transition for me than the babies!
So there are these bath seats that suction cups on the bottom of them. They just sit in these and there is a bar that goes in front of them to keep them seated. The only complaint i have on these seats is that it is kinda hard to get a good wash of the privates. Which i do when i stand him up, or have dad help out with. I got mine online. just google baby bath seat. i think they should come up...
good luck
I would just get in the bath with my baby. That way if anything happens you can cushion and cradle her.
Get one of those rubber mats that you can put at the bottom of the tub, it will help with "slippage". You are going to just have to be vigilant. From the time they really start walking and crawling you will have your hands full! Make things as safe as possible, NEVER leave them alone, even for a second in the bathtub. My babies loved to lie on their bellies in the shallow water, slapping with their hands. Just encourage her to not stand in the tub because that is when she will really hurt herself. Give them plenty of toys to pour water, squirt with. =)
I started having the same "problem" with my daughter at about 9 months... our solution was to start taking a bath with her. And it has worked wonders because I am right there when she starts doing her thing. Its a great time for "mommy and me". Although I'll admit there are nights when I dread it because I hate taking baths --hahaha.
Get yourself a tub mat so they don't slip, and find one of those little safety animals that go over the water faucet. I didn't have one of those while my kids were little, and they were always bonking against the faucet. (And, of course, don't ever leave the bathroom while they're in the tub.) You might want to get them some fun bath stuff, like tub paints, or wind-up toys.
Hi M.,
I have never been able to keep my daughter from standing up, walking around, etc. in the tub. The thing that makes me feel more comfortable about this is that we have been taking her in the swimming pool from a very early age, and she is crazy about water. Her dad or I are always in the bathroom with her, watching her like a hawk, and sometimes she does lose her footing, but she has never injured herself, and as I've grown used to her manner of exploration and play in the bath, I've grown more comfortable with letting her do her thing. Get those soft covers for the knobs and faucets, and it's actually quite a safe place for play, as far as a contained environment.
Everybody's comfort level for safety is different; I just wanted to chime in with a different perspective. Good luck!
Hi M.,
I purchased an inflatable tub (Babies R Us, about $15 or less) that fits inside the larger bathtub. Since it's soft and padded, my boy (now almost 2 and about to transition into the big bathtub) moved around a lot and even stood up safely. The regular tub is so hard and you would have to get a lot of mats just to keep your daughter from slipping. What's great about the smaller inflatable tub is using less water, extra padding, just rinse it and let dry, and you could put some other fun bath toys all around, which might keep your girl from getting up too much. Hope this helps!
M.,
In addition to the advice about the rubber mat for the bottom of a bath tub & rubber spout cover, I wanted to share that trying to bathe twins (mine are 3)has its own set of challenges. Therefore, until they were both super stable in the 'big bath', my husband and I would bathe them together...with me in the tub with them. That discouraged them from wanting to stand/move around, and I was there to reinforce that we don't get up in the bath tub. However, there were several times when my husband was not able to help with the bathing, and I quickly devised a system that worked for me. I would still bathe with them in the tub (one directly next to me and the other between my shins/feet). When we were finished, I would wrap one up in a towel and place them in a Bumbo seat until I was able to get the other one out of the tub.
Best of luck to you!!
I'm sure another mom has suggested this already but inflatable bath tub is the best solution for babies starting from when they can sit on their own to when they outgrow it. I used mine until it broke and bought another one, I loved it!
Hi,
I got my daughter a small vinyl bathtub that inflates. It fits (tightly) inside the regular bathtub, probably about 3/4 of the length of ours, but the full width and there's plenty of room to move in but the sides are padded and they're contained. Highly recommend it. I got mine at a local baby store in Santa Rosa, but they may have them at Babys R Us or someplace like that.
Good luck,
C.
Hi M.!
After you get a rubber mat, you need to begin to tell her "NO, sit down".....you can say this in a loving way, yet firm enough so she knows you are serious.....
My 2nd son used to try to "escape for the stairs" about 8-9 months old, and that little stinker did it to get my reaction! I learned then, that they DO understand your "serious voice"............well, I had a "gentle" serious voice for 8-16 months old....
~N. :O)
In addition to the rubber mat you can also buy a bath pillow or covered foam cushion (I'm not sure of the technical name) to set them on in the bath. I rinse it and hang it up to dry until next bath. I find this best when I have to lie them down to rinse their hair and also reach to wash their bottom. They hate water running down their face. I find it best to have some bath toys that they only see at bath time that they can play with while you wash them and hopefully they won't crawl around. Remember to use very little water in the bath, far less than we'd like as adults. Spout covers can be helpful although I found that my children just took them off. Play in the bath is normal and changes over the years. My son used to be fascinated with the drain. Now, at three, the loves cups and funnels (although getting him INTO the bath to begin with is now a challenge). Another thing, although they grow to often dislike the bath, when they are young they usually like it and are sad to see the water go. I used to tell my son to say bye bye to the water until next bath time and that made sense to him and usually seemed to help.
i use a little suction seat that someone gave me. the baby has a hard time getting up on his own -- not worth the effort. works great for my spazzy boy!
I remember my son standing in the tub at that age, or at least pulling himself up. I just took him out of the tub as a consequence of standing. I would give him the warning and tell him to sit (over and over). He eventually stopped standing. It was a short lived phase, and he did learn that bath time was over when he stood up. (I think sometimes he used that to his advantage).
As a former swim instructor it sounds good that your daughter is not fearful of water. Keep the water level low and just NEVER NEVER walk away. Even if you forget the towel, drain the tub first and take the wet babe with you (they can always turn the hot water on). I tried to teach my son to only stand when the tub was empty, but now tha he is almost 2 he doesn't want to get out...
oh, and we bought a mat for the bottom of the tub so he wouldn't slip.
I also bought a toy cover thing for the faucet and that took his interest away from the knobs.
Have you tried a bath seat? I used on for both of my boys. However since you have two and if your bathtub doesn't allow for the suction cups to stick to the bottom of the tub this might not be safe. You might also want to try one of those bumbo seats. I used mine in the tub with very little water and it worked. Just enough water to let a little splashing to go on and not floating! Or you just might have to allow her to be in the tub with very little water! Since colder days and nights are upon us I would recomend getting a portable heater to keep the bathroom warm while the bathing is going on. Good luck and have fun! This is just a great time and game for her now that she is on the move!
The main consideration at this point is that you be with your children every moment they are in the tub. I would put a good full sized rubber mat in the bottom of the tub to help prevent slipping and sliding (which could cause the child to hit the hard side or bottom of the tub). There are also soft rubber protectors that can be put over the faucet to prevent the child from falling and hurting themselves that way. I have a duck that fits over our faucet, and the water flows under the duck's bill. The children love it.
But, after you've done all the protection you can of the tub, remember you are the #1 protection for your children. This can't be emphasized too much. It takes just a second for a child to get their face in the water and be confused enough to not be able to get up. And many children drown in an inch of water. So having said all of that, do be sure that before you start bathing your children you have all the necessary items near the tub, so you don't have to leave them to go get anything. This will include the soap, shampoo, washcloths, towels, their clean clothing... and any other items you deem necessary... as well as you either need to have a portable phone or your cell phone in the bathroom (or simply make up your mind that no phone call is important enough to require answering during bathtime). And if the doorbell rings, whoever is outside can wait or go away. If you find you MUST attend to anything else during the children's bathtime. wrap them in towels and take them with you.
Okay... now that I've said all those things about safety ... let me go on and say enjoy the bathtime with your kids. This can be one of the most rewarding times you can have with them. They learn a lot while playing in the water. Oh! And don't forget to put in some good toys.. boats, some cups for them to fill and pour, some 'floaty' toys, etc. Don't overwhelm them with too many toys at once. Two or three items for each child should be good with two children in the tub. Do expect to have to do a major wipe up of the bathroom floor after bathtime too. While you'll want to encourage the children to keep the water in the tub, you are going to have water on the floor and you may as well expect it.
Reading your request made me think of the Primo Euro bathtub. It's a large tub with two sections. One side is molded in such a way that a baby can sit there securely and the other side is flat for older baby who can sit up. I don't have twins, but was wondering if both babies can fit in it. There is a customer image on Amazon that shows twins using the bath tub. (see http://www.amazon.com/Primo-PRIMO-EuroBath/dp/B00186YSU8/.... Check it out and see if this tub can help somewhat with your situation.
try putting a towel at the bottom of a regular tub- much easier to clean and use than an inflatable tub.
then try to let her explore with your hands as close by to catch her before she hits her head too hard. But remember little bumps are the way they learn- if you protect them too much they won't learn natural consequences and will not learn to be careful. Do you have plenty of toys for her. I try not to let my daughter stand, but she definitely crawls around and "swims". Its a fun time for her so I try to let her have freedom. Of course, if she is standing I try to sit her back down but not make a big deal about it or else then she will want to do it more! :)
There used to be a little bathtub seat that you could get that suctioned to the bottom of the tub. The front folded down to put the baby in and then you locked the front in place so they are sitting upright but cannot get out to stand up or crawl around. I'm not sure if they still make the seats or not, but that is what I would do until they are bigger.
If they don't make those seats, you may need to lock both babies in the bathroom with you with some toys and bathe them one at a time so you can give your full attention so neither of them gets hurt. Good luck!!
Hello M.: As the mother of 5 let me break it to you that your child is way past needing a baby bathub! If you don't have a regular bath tub then use the kitchen sink.
Because my husband is an amputee and other health issues, we took out all the bath tubs in the house, and when we could we had a sink put in the kitchen that is literally big enough for a 4 year old to splash in. My little grandaughter will tell you its a great Mermaid sink. My 2 1/2 year old loves it just as much as the 9 month old.
Those tubs are only ment to be used for a short while or within the bathtub itself for saftey reasons.
Good Luck, Nana G
Hi M.
At our house, we have a zero tolerance policy for standing in the tub. If our son stands, we immediately tell him to sit and take him firmly by the arm to get him down. If he refuses or repeats this behavior, bath time is over. He loves his baths so much that he got the picture pretty quickly and stopped standing in the tub.
As for getting on all fours, I wouldn't worry about it as long as you're right there every second watching (which, of course you are!). My son loved to splash around on his belly and he had the head and arm strength to keep his face above water at ten months. The second his face dipped into the water, however, I have always been right there to scoop him back up. I think it's good for the kids to get used to getting their faces wet so they aren't scared of the water.
Good luck!
I bought a Safety First tub seat on Craigslist. Here's a link to one on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Safety-1st-Tubside-Bath-Seat/dp/B00...
It's definitely not something you can leave them unattended in, since the baby has a fair amount of squirming room and could get up and out of it if they tried, but it sure is great to make sure they stay mostly put and you have time to stop them from standing up. I'd think that with two in the tub these would be a huge help!
