INFANT AND TODDLER–WHY WE DON’T HAVE BATH-TIME STRUGGLES

In short, we make bathtime a safe and enjoyable occasion.

That being said, one could assume we had toys aplenty and just a grand ole time, but that is far from the case. Actually, at three years old, we just bought them their first activity bath toy.

Prior, they had cups (similar to these), one boat, their washcloths, and a rain cloud–but that was it. 

Bathtime has never been something that caused upset for either E or V and I’m convinced this is all due to how we bathed them early on.

I wanted to bathe E and V nightly. They were super colicky and I was convinced a bath would be the magic ticket. Okay, truth be told, colicky twins with me having low-blood pressure, at the time, and not able to jump to them as quickly, I was really hoping it was the magic trick as another mama suggested it. It wasn’t. I’m glad it wasn’t as nightly bathing isn’t necessarily the best for their skin and it can be quite the ordeal bathing infant twins. 

In the process of discovering that nightly baths weren’t what was needed, we tried a few infant bath tubs, between the two of them, but they just didn’t seem right for us. A towel in lieu of an actual infant tub was my favourite as it was most gentle and I could use it to keep them warm. 

One evening I was taking a shower and one needed a rinse. I told hubby to go ahead and bring her to me as I wasn’t using anything that would be harmful to her. He did and it was wonderful. It was super stressful, holding a slippery baby, but she seemed so comfortable and at peace. That’s how I knew that this was how we would continue washing, but even safer in a bath. So that’s what we did until they were one. I would bathe with them, one at a time. When one was finished hubby would take her and get her ready for bed while I bathed her sister.

It’s due to this calm and supportive environment that has always surrounded bathtime, that I believe they never came to have a problem with bathing. 

I always hear stories of babies having poo in the tub, but there was never an accident in the bath when we bathed together. Never. I credit this to the fact that we practiced elimination communication.

We had one instance where there was fear surrounding water, due to a traumatic event involving a duck pond when one of them was two years old. How did we help her feel safe again? By bathing with her and in time returning to the swimming pool–the only difference is it was my husband and his swim trunks. Why was this so important? Because what causes a traumatic event to be so impactful is the way it is dealt with. Children, especially, need assistance as they aren’t capable of navigating these types of situations on their own as the prefrontal cortex isn’t developed yet. Traumatic events can also negatively alter brain development–this is why we see the effects lasting well into adulthood. So we made sure to address the situation immediately and make sure that she felt safe and supported.

Did you bathe with your baby or prefer to use a baby tub? 

Disclosure: French Family Montessori uses affiliated links through Amazon. There is no additional cost to you, but provides a small compensation that helps support this site.  I only share products that we use, have used, or are on our wish list. There is no obligation to purchase an item through an affiliated link.  

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