For grownups having a bath generally equals relaxing and enjoying a warm soak. There’s nothing like it, most of us absolutely love to do it. Unfortunately, that’s not the case for some of those little one’s running around your household that do need to get washed every now and then. So, what do you do when your baby always screams his/her lungs out when you put him/her in a baby bath? Here are some tips you might like to try!
1. “Dry” practice
Put your baby in the bathtub without water to make him/her get used to the feeling.
When your little one is no fan of the water, try putting him/her in the bathtub a few times without filling it up. If they’re comfortable with the tub itself, they might feel safe in that environment when water is added later on. Of course, your own reaction is important as well, if you are relaxed and happy, it will show baby that there’s nothing to be afraid of.
2. Check the temperature
The water must feel warm but can’t be hot. +- 37°C is ideal to prevent your baby from cooling off or getting burned.
This should be kind of logical, since you don’t like to take cold or scorching hot baths either, right? So, always make sure to check the water temperature before putting your baby in. To smooth out the transition to the warm water, you could also try pouring the water in little by little when your baby is already in the tub. In addition to the bath water temperature, the temperature of the room could also be important. Make sure the room is nice and warm, so it’s not too different from the water.
3. Distract with toys
When your baby is crying in the tub, try to distract him/her to make bath time more fun. Turn bath time into a play time.
Distraction is key. When your little one only sees toys and fun times, he/she is likely to forget why they were crying in the first place. When you make it about fun and giggles instead of something practical that needs to be done, they might start seeing bath time more as play time. Or you could try taking a bath together, so you can enjoy bonding with your little one some more. Try to turn that frown upside down!
Do you know of any other tips and tricks that could help with fear of the baby bathtub? We’re open to suggestions, so don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts in the comments.
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