How on EARTH do you clean the backside of a baby in the bath?

[RoooneyMara]

Please don't laugh at me. This is my THIRD but I can't remember how I ever did it.

When ds has a big poo (he is 6 months, ebf) and it goes everywhere, I just tend to think, that's at least ten wipes' worth of poo, I'll just put him in the bath/shower.

Ha.
How do you clean their bottom? It's underneath! I tried the mesh bath support thing and it didn't work, tried holding him with one hand, showering with the other - the poo just sticks and you need to wipe it off while showering with a flannel or something.

Tried standing him up, while holding him of course and he slithers everywhere.

I am stumped. I always end up wetter than he is as well.

HELP

[Tee2072]

Use wipes. However many you need. It's actually easier.

[RoooneyMara]

I'm beginning to think that might be the answer. I'm strangely disappointed that poo doesn't just, yunno, wash off!

[PseudoBadger]

I use wipes as best I can outside the bath, then a final dip in a bath if needed. Hate the idea of actual poo in the bath.

[PseudoBadger]

You should call him Slither btw

[SarahNoDuck]

Dunno about poo, but I put my six month old in a very shallow bath, lying on her tummy. Easy access to butt cheeks with a soft sponge. But I would remove the worst with wipes first.

[rrreow]

Get reusable wipes! Or if you don't want to do that, just get some big flannels for the occasion he does one of those poos. Wet it, wipe & fold, wipe & fold etc. Could probably clean up a massive poo with only one or two big flannels.

[RoooneyMara]

hmmmm very shallow bath, I never thought lying on his front would be safe but actually it probably is as safe as my cack handed attempts today

I don't do an actual bath, for the reasons already hinted at I suppose - he would be in a sea of floating bits of poo

Reuseable wipes yes, I already use my fleece liners for this BUT it would make such a watery mess on the changing mat iyswim.

I don't know. The jury is out.

[tapdancingelephant]

pooey baby in bath has to be the worst scenario, surely?

Reusable wipes are deffo the way forward - they clear up way more than disposable baby wipes.

I find it hard enough to wash ds' bottom in the bath when he isn't covered in poo - too slippy and slidey!

[tapdancingelephant]

not fleece wipe, but terry cloth or similar - no watery mess, as the cloths actually absorb stuff, and the poo clings on to them not the baby!

[RoooneyMara]

I will try again with proper wipes as you suggest

Thankyou

I am so rubbish at this stuff it is a wonder he ever gets cleaned at all tbh.

[lurcherlover]

I always soap babies up on the change mat, then they gp into the bath to rinse off. Never understood why people attempt to soap them in the bath tbh!

[Pascha]

Yep DS2 who is also 6 months old hates baths with a passion so I agree wet wipes or cheapo flannels specifically for the purpose are the way forward, with possibly a final hosedown at the end.

[RoooneyMara]

Well we have a teeny bathroom with no floor space so the mat is on the carpet - that's why I was worried about getting pooey water all over the place iyswim.

[RoooneyMara]

LOL at final hosedown

Thanks all

[tapdancingelephant]

ds is my third too.

I am hopeless, as still can't wash a baby in a normal bath, let alone when pooey.

[RoooneyMara]

Isn't it odd - I don't remember ever finding it this hard before!

Am considering a plastic swivelly seat for normal baths.

Can anyone recommend anything? The sponge pad you put in the bath is a bit of a mystery to me, though we have got one. The deckchair style blue mesh thing has been useful as a chair on the floor while I have a wee, till now, (he can sit up/fall off it now)

but I don't know what to get next.

[tapdancingelephant]

ooh, the other thing I use is pre-made wipe solution (yes, I know it kind of defeats most of the object of using reusable wipes - ie cost, but it makes it all easier)

so I use CJ's cleaner, or Sheepish grins or similar. They are oil-based cleansers, so squirt that onto cloth, then wipe. No water sloshing everywhere, and good containment.

ds' mat is on the bed in his room, and other than the one time he wee'd everywhere when I was changing him, there has been no mess (oh, and when dd knocked the pooey nappy onto the floor. new carpet. I was mucho impressed, NOT)

[tapdancingelephant]

I have a swivelly seat for the bath. I do use it, but it seems to hamper me when I try to wash anything other than his arms and feet, tbh.

I have a Baby Bjorn seat - ds is 11 months and still ok to sit in it (just). Expensive, but has been a godsend.

Highchairs are a mystery to me. Ds climbed out of his the other day.

[tapdancingelephant]

this is the bouncy chair I have. ds is fine in it (and he does try to lean over alarmingly), and apparently will be for quite some time (not so sure myself )

[MissStrawberry]

For mine I bought a life size sponge and the baby laid on that in the bath. Secure, hands free, bottom soaked in the water so it cleaned itself.

[RoooneyMara]

thankyou

I like the BB seat, it looks like fun - I got the mothercare version which is £7.49 in the sale, probably NOT as much fun though but it's useful to let him sleep on sometimes as it's not flat and he hates being flat.

Bathwise I shall probably invest in a seat, he can sit up but I want him not to slip and it does my back in if I'm constantly holding him upright.

But points taken about the wipes and those cleaning products look really useful. Thankyou for all the ideas.

[tapdancingelephant]

the chair is an extravagance, I admit. I had a mothercare one for my first two, and never seemed to use it that much (and didn't get it out for ds when he was little).

Then he started moving, and there are times I need him to be kept in one place while I see to his sisters, but he was already able to fall out of the mothercare one, so we got the BB one. he still loves it (apart from the fact he is trapped ), and loves bouncing away while I cook tea etc.

I would be lost without wipes solution - I take it everywhere for general wipe ups/sticky fingers etc.

[frissonpink]

I always soap babies up on the change mat, then they gp into the bath to rinse off. Never understood why people attempt to soap them in the bath tbh!

Why oh why have I never thought of doing this??!!

I"ve been trying to soap DD in the bath and thinking I'm not even doing anything ha.

[RoooneyMara]

I actually stalked a LOTof the Babybjorn seats on ebay for a while after reading a fantastic review of them - I even bought the wooden toy thing, hoping it would fit on mine, but it is a bit of a squeeze!

So I don't think it's extravagant if it works. I still have to hand ds3 to ds1 while I do cooking or anything else basically

[tapdancingelephant]

sadly my eldest has ASD, so that's a non-starter (and mostly the reason why ds has to be incarcerated bunged in a chair!)