Seeking Advice for Bath Time for 10 Month Old.

Hi S.,

She probably misses being up high on the counter and doesn't like the new perspective. I would say at 10 months, she can just go in the regular bathtub, if you have one. Just fill it a few inches and kneel on the floor so you are eye level with her and wash her.

My son has never played in the bathtub or been in there for any length of time. I can have him in and out of the tub in literally 4-5 minutes. Why prolong it if you don't have to. They just need to get clean. They have all day to play. ;-)

My son did the same thing at 10 months :). The only thing we can do is have either me or my husband take a bath with him so we can wash him without a big struggle. Good luck!

Hi S.!
I responded to your question here-
http://mamasmiracles.com/?p=446

I did the same thing for my son and daughter, fortunately there were no such problems. The first thing that comes to mind though is that the much bigger, but enclosed space might be scaring her. When my son was a baby, but too big for the infant tub, I just put a towel on the bottom of the tub.
Is your sink in the kitchen big enough for her to just sit in it without the tub? Maybe she might be okay with that. Or do you have a smaller tub than the jacuzzi tub? Good Luck! I hope you find something that works.

I used the infant tub for only a few months with all mine; then they got squirmy enough that it wasn't practical anymore. And then with all three, I moved next to the kitchen sink. It was nice and easy to bathe them there, they had water to sit and splash and play in but not enough to get into trouble, and my back was saved from lifting them in and out of that low tub (I finally figured out to use the baby tub on the counter with #3 but had it on the floor with the first two). If she's trying to get out of the baby tub now, it may be that she's just ready to move into more of a "big kid" tub. If the whirlpool tub isn't safe for her yet, the kitchen sink may be a good choice. Give her some things to play with, like maybe measuring cups, a sieve, or a rubber ducky, and see if you can get her to enjoy it again!

Have you tried just using the regular tub and getting in with her? That's how we transitioned from the infant tub to the regular tub.

For that reason, I bathed with my son until he was almost three. We're obviously not a particularly modest family, and it was fun. He just jumped in with me in the morning (I take baths before work) and I could wash him up as I washed myself up. We had a big tub, and he wouldn't slide around as much with an adult with him. It was very easy to stop bathing with him; when he started wanting to touch me in places I wasn't comfortable with, he was redirected and we stopped shortly thereafter.

Hi S.! We use a bath chair type thing...it's super handy, and safe, it kind of hugs the top of the bathtub and then suctions also to the tub, and it's almost like a highchair type feel, so he's safe, and he can still kick and splash and play w/toys in the water. It's the Safety 1st brand.

What about cleaning out your kitchen sink and bathing her in there? That was, it should be big enough for her, and she's close enough to you. Or, my almost 8 mth old is sitting up, so unless her big brother is in the tub too, my husband or I get in the tub with her. Have you tried that? If you're afraid of the slipperyness of the tub and don't have an anti-slip mat, try placing a towel in the tub, it's not perfect, but it reduces the slipperyness of the tub bottom.

Change the venue: let her take a bath in the kitchen sink. Provide for her toys like measuring cups, a smallish plastic funnel, a few small sponges, and a cup with a spout. Do not put soap in until she is about done bathing, at which time you can wash her hair and body just before lifting her out to dry her off etc. Of course, constant supervision needs to be provided for her safety just like it would be needed in a regular bathtub.

Eventually, she will be fine bathing in the bathtub without any accessories other than some bath toys and of course, your lifeguarding skills.

My son was always in the regular tub with a little mesh bed like thing from 3 months on and LOVED it, but around 7 months he started hating the tub he screamed and cried and we switched him over to showering with us and tried the tub now and then but he still wanted nothing to do with it until he was 14 months old. Now if he gets into the bathroom he climbs right into the tub with or without water. We tried toys too, but with no improvement. We were fine switching tot he shower, you could try getting a nice tub mat if you just have tub treads and put her in the tub with out the baby tub. If you have a shower it worked great for us. Maybe she will go back to baths at a later time!

I have put my son in the regular tub since he was 4 or 5 months old. I would just fill the tub up a little bit and put him tub on his tummy.He loves it. He now love to play in the shower when I get out.

Join her in the tub! Make it a fun, close time for both of you. No need for a special tub for her when you are there to hold her. I, or her big sister (17 years older!) took baths with my daughter all the time, until we were almost too big to fit in the tub together (never had a big tub).

Get in the bath with her - Make it a play/cuddle time for both of you.
Good luck.

My daughter HATED the infant bath so we switched pretty early on to the regular bath tub with one of those plastic bath tub rings you can sit them in. I'm not sure if they make them anymore I got ours from a garage sale. My daughter is 8mos.old and sits in her ring and splashes and plays and loves it. You could also try a laundry basket in the shower while you shower she can sit in the basket with toys or in the tub too. Try and make bathtime fun. We use alot of water so it's almost like my baby is swimming.

the only thing that worked for my son during the transition was to be in the bath with him. he LOVED it and to this day he loves being in the bath.

it can be scary to be in the water alone. and especially with girls, sometimes soap can irritate their bottoms, so try doing a shower instead (though they usually dont like water running over their face)
anyway, try that. this isnt the time to be all shy that your baby sees you naked, my 2 1/2 year old son still does and its not like its wierd or something (yet) - so just relax and help your baby enjoy the bath by being with her! :D good luck!