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951477 tn?1293068687

How do you bathe a 6month old? (Not a joke!!)

My son turned 6months and you'd think I should get this by now. No.. not quite.
Until last week I would first wash his hair while I hold him, dry the hair then put him in the baby tub and wash his body. But he moves so much turning head I am super scared I'll pour water in his ear.
So for the 1st time last week I tried pouring water on his head while he sat in the baby tub.
But poor thing inhaled the water and now has a cold :(

Oh ..and to this date I have only been able to bathe him with the support of DH and I am so nervous it'll end up being a hige disaster cos my little fellow is a mover.

How do you bathe your child and not make it a HUGE deal like I do..Pls give me the insider scoop!!

Thank you!!!
12 Responses
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906115 tn?1344200509
I guess I will post on here:)

I still use a baby bath tub but it does not have any contured shapes in it and it goes to toddler age. I put it in the big tub and face him away from me against the side which is all the way against the tub and hold on to the front of him aorund the front onto one of his legs, he can kick and play and splash while I have one hand free to wash. When I am not washing I hold onto him under his arms, he loves to be held out of the water and I tell him to kick and he kicks likes crazy splashing all the water everywhere:)

You do nto have to worry about bath water in theri ears unless they have PETubes in their ears and then you just use wax to block the water.
Helpful - 0
1194973 tn?1385503904
I made it so that I just bathe with Kylie now. To save a lot of hassle, me her and my husband all shower at the same time. This way he can hold her, I wash her body and then we use the shower head (or normally just a cup of water) and rinse her off. It makes it a lot easier than bathing her alone. Before she was too wiggly and it made it too much of a headache.
Helpful - 0
202436 tn?1326474333
I've always just put my kids in the little tub and poured water on their heads using on hand to deflect water away from there face.  I've never worried about getting water in their ears and out of 5 kids so far we've only faced MAYBE 3 ear infections total.  

I use a mixing bowl to fill with clean water for rinsing and I have a small cup that I use for wetting and rinsing them.

I just use my finger tips to gently massage the hair and let the shampoo sit while I wash the rest of them then I rinse from top to bottom while I let the water drain out of the tub (I use mine in the sink or bathtub).

Once they can sit unsupported I just put them in the big tub and wash them.  Until then I continue to use the baby tub.  

There are also those bath rings/seats that you can use for babies that can sit well supported.  I used one with my middle two.  
Helpful - 0
1123420 tn?1350561158
No I use a washcloth to wash his hair, I we it with the cloth and put alil soap on it and rinse it out with the washcloth!!! he loves it!! Sometimes I walk out of the bathroom more wet then he is.. lol
Helpful - 0
800427 tn?1324945719
when i was looking at bath grips i also found this stuff...looks really cool. go to nonslipgatorgrip   .com .....i think i might order this stuff...looks even better than the ducks!! lol Good invention!
Helpful - 0
800427 tn?1324945719
Matthew is 6 and a half months and LOVES...i mean LOVES his bath time...he kicks and splashes like you would not believe....water EVERYWHERE! Our baby bath is in the shape of a whale...pretty sure its fisher price...and it has a seat kinda built into it so he stays put pretty well. I honestly just sit him up a little and use a washcloth to wash his hair...like squeeze it out repeatedly over and over again on his hair...u can kind of use it to wipe too until the soap is gone...that way there isnt any drenching like with a cup...it barely ever gets in his eyes. ..but my little guy loves water so if it gets in his eyes a little bit i just wipe them and he's fine. But honestly you guys....a little water in their ears wont kill them...just breathe! bath time is supposed to be fun!! I also take baths with him when im feeling up to it...he loves to "swim" on his belly (i hold him obviously) I enjoy taking a bath with him because we get that skin to skin contact that we dont get from breastfeeding anymore (since we bottle feed now). But try the washcloth on his hair....WAY easier.

Adgal- tip for out of the baby bath : buy some of those little sticky guys to stick on the bottom of the tub. They come in all different shapes but i like the rubber ducky shaped ones because they are bigger and tend to grip better. buy like two packs so you can stick them ALL over the bottom of the tub. this way....he can crawl around but the ducks will grip him. Works much better than a bath mat trust me (i learned this from nannying older ones...obviously Matthew isnt big enough for the big boy tub yet) If you cant find them in a store in canada i can prolly find you a link. or u can google it...let me know!
Helpful - 0
377493 tn?1356502149
He has hit his head a couple of times.  No matter how I hold onto him, he is so mobile now and flips around and squirms.  He never hits it hard though and never had so much as a bump or bruise from that (those come from him trying to walk...or when he first started standing up in his crib and falling...yikes!)  You will get it...this stuff is hard.  I have a few months on you time wise and just when I think I have figured something out, he changes.  
Helpful - 0
951477 tn?1293068687
Sorry for my late response ladies.. my lil man is sick so he's been really cranky and clingy last couple of days.
Thanks for the idea to bathe with him bluegenie..I am not a big bath person. I place his tub in the big tub and I sit next to him on a step stool. So I am soaked by the time we are done any way.. so I might as well bathe with him.

Adgal: I wish I would just get this already.. but I am terrified he'll end up hitting his head on the tub as he moves SO much!!

Ammanda: How do you wash his hair? Do you pour water on his head? Thank you for your response.
Helpful - 0
1123420 tn?1350561158
i just put alil water in the tub and lay him on his back in it!!! he loves it, he splashes and laughs the whole time... I NEVER leave his side though!!!!  and i dont ever take more then 3 minutes to wash him up and get him out so he dont get sick
Helpful - 0
621803 tn?1302888341
Its fun actually. I thought it would be a hassle,  but I've really enjoyed it :-) Braeden also gets to play in more water than he would if he were in the tub by himself, since I can keep him from trying to drink the water (most of the time at least!)  I started with him facing away from me, kind of leaning against my stomach, but now that he can sit up better, I sit him facing me, with my feet behind him, supporting him, and my hands on his thighs, so he can't flip backwards. That way he can see me, and it keeps his toys contained in between us as well.
Helpful - 0
377493 tn?1356502149
I still struggle with this one...it's hard!!  I wound up getting one of those baby bathes with the attachable shower.  It also is contoured so he has to sit in it, can't move around.  I loved the whole set up, it worked great!

Now of course he's too big for it, so into the big bath we go...a whole new challenge when they crawl.  But I loved my baby bath...it was fabulous!

I like the idea of bathing together..maybe I will give that a try.  
Helpful - 0
621803 tn?1302888341
Since Braeden turned about 5 1/2 months I've been taking a bath with him.  I stopped bathing him in the infant tub when he almost rolled out of it one day!  I then tried one of the bath rings, with me RIGHT there. And he almost flipped that as well. He just can't sit still lol! So he gets a bath every other night, and mommy gets in the tub with him.  Its worked out SOOO much better that way.  I can do the whole bath myself, and then DH just comes and gets him out for me (since I don't want to try to stand up in a slippery tub with a slippery baby!)
Helpful - 0
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