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As a really new dad, and just started havng over night contacts with my daughter I am extremly worried about bathtime.
She screams the street down, first noticed this when I and a good friend and mother of a 2.5 yrold girl, we bathed my daughter together, she was gvivng me tips and advice on how to do it, so naturually I thought her distress was because it was all strange to her, strange room, strange person, and her dad a new comer in her life.
I did it myself last sunday and it took three goes to get the job done properly, I was lifting her out holding her, telling her I loved her, it was safe and gave her big hugs and kisses, all the reasurring stuff any one would do. before putting her back in the bath was she had calmed down, then the screaming started again, until I had finished and wrapped her up in a towel and went and dressed her.
Told this to my friend who suggested some toys, we have a few, and tried to make it a game by playing wiht the toys without water.
I noticed last night, we put her in the bathroom, just standing with my mam present, and she starts panicking and wants to be held, so i hold her, and we put all the toys in the bath as she watches, I lift her in, she freaks out and grabs hold of me screaming. lift her out, get the toys and show her, she sits on my mums knee (she is sat on the loo) and we slide the toys down the bath, and get her to join in, she does by knocking htem of the edge, do this for a good 10 minutes and mum puts her (tries to) on the edge of the bath, she digs her heels in and starts freaking out again. so we dont do that. we then go and get her ready for bed. I heard this morning that even having a wash in the bathroom by my mother she was completely freaking out screaming blue murder. So much that when she had been washed mum gave her a bottle of juice and she drank it all down in one go.
This is begining to worry us, in why she would freak out by the bathroom, and especially the bath.
Will play with toys tonight, but she needs a bath tomorow morning and will get one too.
Any suggestions would be great,
Thanks
Pete
by the way she is only 16 months old.
Could you try sponging her down next to the batch (dipping the sponge in the bath to get it wet) - at the moment, it's more a matter of getting her used to being cleaned. Also, could you offer her a treat for being brave and getting in the bath?
Have you also tried lots of bubble bath and playing with that?
I went through similar with our 2 girls, they screamed and screamed.
We tried using one of those bath caps which is in effect just a brim to stop the water going in theyre eyes which worked quite well.
Regards,
Dave
Hi There,
I would maybe try to either use a baby bath on a big towel in the living room, or even maybe use the kitchen sink to bath her.
It could be that being in the bath with you leaning over her is un nerving her, try the sink/baby bath for a while and then maybe try sharing the bath with her or try the shower, she would be close to you the whole time. I used to shower my son he was quite happy being showered.
GTTS
Thanks everyone,
We will look at getting a bath and trying her in the front room, all your seuggestions are somethng that we have been discussing, she is such a good girl and so happy too that it is heart breaking hearing to hear her like that.
I donned my shorts and a tee shirt and played in the bath yesterday morning, while my mum held her, played with the ducks and wetted her tum, she was not happy for one moment, so after a few minuts we said lets just get this over and and mam passed her to me where she screamed he heart out, but it was over soon enough and soon she was on my bed in a big towel and we had lots og hugs before getting dressed, we did have a treat bag of buttons too and told her she was brave. Soon enough she was giggling and laughing and fully dressed for the day.
Pete
I think with patience and perseverance she will come round. You could try taking her swimming to get her used to water, maybe check to see when there is a toddlers session at the swimming baths when there will be other children of her age there so she can see its ok.
There are things like bath crayons and bah toys that make bubbles, anything to keep her occupied!
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