A two-month-old child does not like swimming at all. Each bathing is accompanied by hysteria and sobs. Moms often think about taking a bath with their baby. Is it possible to swim with a baby.
Hello Svetlana!
I am writing to you with my problem. My two month old son does not like to swim at all. Every bath is accompanied by hysterics and sobs, and I unsuccessfully try to calm the child.
I began to think about taking a bath with my baby. But I would like to ask you first: is it possible to swim with a baby?
Best regards, Olya.
Bathing for a baby can be either a pleasant, relaxing and restorative procedure, or an unpleasant, stressful moment, after which the baby is capricious for a long time. How to make sure that the bathing process brings only pleasant impressions to the child and does not instill fear in water for many years.
Pros and cons of bathing with your baby
Bathing in the bathroom with mom brings a lot of useful emotions for the child. If there is a close person next to the baby, he:
- less afraid of water (we also read: What to do if a child is afraid to swim in the bathroom);
- feels safe;
- happy with water treatments;
- calm, because next to my mother.
Bathing with one of the parents will bring the child pleasure and help him fall in love with water procedures.
There are practically no downsides to swimming together. The only thing is that parents need to thoroughly wash the bath every day before bathing the baby. But if everyone in the family is accustomed to maintaining hygiene, then such processing will not lead to additional difficulties.
Bathing rules
There is nothing wrong with swimming together, but hygiene and special rules must be observed:
- Before taking a bath with the baby, the parent must wash.
- If mom or dad suffers from a fungal or skin disease, joint water procedures with a small child are prohibited.
- You cannot swim with your baby if the adult is not feeling well. He may lose consciousness and drop the child.
- The optimum temperature for bathing a baby is 37 degrees (we also read: Optimum water temperature for bathing a newborn baby).
- You need to dip the baby into the water slowly so as not to frighten him.
- Do not leave the bath with a baby in your arms, as you risk dropping it. It is best, while in the water, to give the baby to another adult, and then go out yourself.
- Doctors do not recommend bathing a child with an unhealed umbilical wound.
The child is not attuned to bathing in large quantities of water without support. This creates fear in him and leads to a violation of contact between mother and child:
- anxiety, restlessness;
- poor sleep;
- rejection of the breast;
- frequent unreasonable crying.
These are all consequences of the stress of bathing in a large bathtub, diving, or using early swimming techniques. Some parents let their child go to a large bathtub with a circle around their neck. But the circle will not relieve the kid from the fear that he is alone in an unfamiliar frightening space. In addition, this support leads to clamps in the cervical spine, which causes pain in the baby.
Important! It should be remembered that you can bathe a baby only in a baby bath, or bathing with a mother in the same bathroom, when the baby feels support and can touch the mother's breast at any time.
Preparation for water procedures
The preparation for bathing the baby should be approached with all seriousness so as not to harm the little man with inept actions. Before water procedures, you should:
- wash the bath well;
- put a special non-slip mat on the bottom;
- check the water - it should be about 37 degrees;
- so that the water temperature does not change, it can be left to flow from the tap;
- the bath should be taken no more than half;
- add herbal infusions if desired;
- prepare diapers, towels and clean clothes for the baby;
- comfortable air temperature for the bathroom - 22-25 degrees.
Bathing process
It is very important to do everything right when bathing with your baby in a large bathtub so that the child does not have a fear of water. Children under three months of age are intimidated by a large volume of water, so the baby should be dipped very carefully, keeping it upright.
- first, the child's legs are immersed in water, then the baby is placed on the back;
- Mom should stay calm while bathing, as her mood is largely transmitted to the baby. Feeling the anxiety of a loved one, the child will start to get nervous and cry. At first, it is advisable to bathe the baby together;
- if the baby is capricious in the water, you can give him a breast. Talk to him in a calm and gentle voice. He must feel the motherly presence all the time;
- you need to remove any negative factors that can upset or scare the baby. Make sure that the water does not get into the baby's nose and mouth and that it is at the recommended temperature, that is, 37 degrees;
- to be located in the bathtub should be comfortable for both: mother and baby. It is best to place the baby in the corner between the mother's belly and legs. The baby's tummy and legs are covered with water;
- bathing time should not exceed 15-20 minutes.
Important! You cannot leave the bath with the baby, there is a danger of falling, therefore, first you give it to the assistant, or put it in a carrier, wrapped in a towel and only then leave the bath.
When your child learns to sit, he will happily splash around with you.
The benefits of bathing together for mom
Bathing together benefits not only the child, but also the mother, helping her to relax and get positive emotions.
- Additional time for communication with the child helps the woman to get positive emotions, to express her love for the baby. This is especially important for those women who are forced to go to work early and do not see their son or daughter all day.
- For a nursing mother, taking a bath together helps in milk production, as close body contact contributes to this.
- Bathing together is fun for both the baby and the parents.
Subject to all safety and hygiene rules, bathing will turn into a pleasant procedure for both parents and baby.
- Is it possible to swim in the same bath with a newborn? The opinion of doctors and mothers
- How to bathe a newborn baby - rules, recommendations and videos
