Make bath time fun!

We all know how nice it is to get our hair washed and our back massaged, so why do babies sometimes cry when getting bathed. You would think they would love it! Many parents are confused and lost when it comes to making bath time less stressful. Here are some tips to help make your bath time more fun with less crying….from both baby and parents!

Babies hate the cold so you really need to limit how long they are feeling that cold. Make sure you have all your items close by. You should have a couple of warm towels (one parent can toss them in the dryer for a few minutes while the other parent is finishing the bath). Make sure to have your body wash, 2-3 wash clothes, a new diaper, change of clothes and a baby hat.

The best way to check the temperature of the water is to put your elbow in the water and you should not feel hot or cold. It should just feel nice. If you are not sure about the temperature you can always purchase a water  thermometer from your local safety store. The water level should be just high enough to cover your baby’s bottom and legs. Take one cloth and wash your baby’s face, start with the cleanest area (the eyes) and moving to the mouth, face years and neck. Then take a new clean cloth and wash your baby’s arms, tummy, legs and feet and then turn your baby over and wash her back and bottom. Don’t forget the love creases!

Once you have rinsed offer your baby, quickly place her in the warm towel, dry her off and put a clean diaper on her. Wrap her back up in the towel and with a clean cloth you can wash her hair using warm tap water (be sure to check the temperature of the water before using it on baby). Using the cloth to wash her hair will help  remove any dry skin and rinsing by squeezing warm water from the cloth over baby’s head will help keep water out of her eyes. Now quickly dry her head, put your favorite baby hat on her head to help keep her warm and get her dressed!

The trick is doing her head last so it is not cold throughout the entire bath and also trying to be fairly quick. Your baby is being cleaned at every diaper change and doesn’t need a scrub down so a bath should really only  be about 20 minutes or so.

Follow these tips and bath time will be filled with smiles and laughter…and your baby will love it to!