Bathtime for almost 3 mo: what do/did you do?

[Lutrine]

Hi, for the last 3 weeks or so we've tried to start a routine of sorts for bedtime with 11wk old DD, giving her a bath, lots of cuddles, a story and milk while she's in her grobag. No particular set time,just trying to get her used to things happening in this order in the evening. The problem is she loves the bath! It seems to get her really excited, getting upset when she has to get out, and taking ages to settle down again.
I think we'll need to bath her at a different time of day, but not sure when? My DH suggested the morning when she gets up but I don't want her starting to learn bathtime is getting up time, there's no way we'll have time to keep that up once I'm back at work!
What did you do if you had/have a baby who became more lively after their bath?

[Loupee]

In the early days we bathed DS in the morning, as it did seem to stimulate him rather relax him. Has has never really had more than 2 baths a week, so hasn't been a key part in out routine.
He has just turned one and now has baths in the evening, usually at least an hour before last bottle and bedtime.
Is she getting bathed every day?
Is she generally good at going to sleep, or is this something you are trying to remedy?

[Lutrine]

Thanks Loupee, that's really helpful. When did you begin evening baths? Yes, we're bathing her each evening, and is not very good at going to sleep afterwards, she becomes clearly tired but fights going to sleep and gets upset, I end up rocking her for ages until she's almost asleep/asleep before putting her down in her cot. The routine isn't really to try to remedy anything, it was more to try to set up an association that bath means bedtime (and I read I ought to be doing so, and probably listened to mums at groups doing a routine much much earlier and got worried I wasn't, she's my first DC and I feel like I don't have a clue half the time).
She was better at going to sleep last night after we skipped the bath and went for an evening stroll with her in a sling instead actually, I think I'll continue going with the flow this week and see how we get on!

[Loupee]

We pretty much just went with the flow, starting to recognise cues in DS that he was tired etc.
I think he was around 4 months when we moved bath times to evening, more because I have a bad back and it's easier for DH to do them. DS has been a great sleeper so I preferred to keep things like bath time in reserve so we had things to try if his sleep ever became worse, if that makes sense.
To be honest I would ditch a bath every night. Bed time cues we used were getting changed into sleep suit, last bottle in rocking chair in dim room, music on the monitor once he was in the cot. Also always in a sleeping bag with the same soft toy he has had very bedtime.
It worked for us, we didn't set a routine as such, but soon noticed that DS was setting his own, wanting the same things at the same time.
If you find something that works for you, stick with it, rather than doing what others expect you to do! Every parent and baby is different, they are never going to respond in the same way at the same time.
Glad last night was better for you, long may it continue.

[Loupee]

Also DS is my first DC, and I still feel like I don't know what I'm doing, just make it up as we go along!

[filee777]

Bathing too much can cause eczema and a range of skin complaints

We must bath ours when they smell or when they are filthy.

[noblegiraffe]

Mine gets bathed in the daytime, or when she has done a particularly bad nappy or is sick in her hair. At three months this was probably twice a week - we learned from bathing DC1 every day that it's not good for their skin, his went really dry and sore.

If bathing her winds her up, then really don't worry about making this part of a bedtime routine. Babies don't need washing that often, until they start getting food everywhere. Routines can change later down the line to suit you. Our now three year old has a bath or shower every other night, it's the stories in bed that are his daily routine.

[Lutrine]

I had noticed some dry patches on her shins but put it down to her baby swimming lessons, I didn't realise I was bathing her too often. I feel terrible that I've made her poorly in my efforts to foist a routine on the poor thing :(
Thanks so much for your replies everyone, its really helped make things clearer. It seems so obvious now I shouldn't have been sticking to the routine if it unsettled her but I thought it was down to being on holiday during most of the first week doing it, then the heat last week, how daft of me not to realise sooner.
I'm going to go back to top and tailing with water and cotton wool unless she's actually dirty from now on and go with the flow more on an evening, hopefully if will help. Thanks again, I don't have many people I can ask in RL, I mentioned that she cluster feeds in an evening to a health visitor about 6 weeks ago (that's stopped for now thankfully!) and she just said that we needed to adjust our evening routine...we didn't have one at that point so that might have put the idea in my head!

[KatyN]

You can still have a bedtime routine, but maybe without the bath. It was probably about now that we introduced our son to in the night garden. he would sit in his bouncey chair in his jim jams and watch it (while my husband and I sat on the sofa and tried to muster some energy to make dinner). then milk and bed.

I love the idea that children all over are watching ceebeebies and going to bed at the same time!!

k

[filee777]

Your daughter cluster feeding is nothing to with a routine or lack of it, it absolutely isn't.

They all do that and it just gets so tiresome and then thankfully they stop and move on :)

[Lutrine]

I will, KatyN, I think we'll have a story (well, me reading the story while she looks at the curtains as she's more interested in those!) and lullabies with her in her nightclothes once she's looking tired. I'm going to look up when In The Night Garden is on, I've managed

[Lutrine]

....to never see it before!oops! Sorry,pressed post too soon. Thanks for your help everyone, I really do appreciate it :)

[oscarwilde]

Assuming you are in the UK, don't forget it's boiling hot at the moment. My two are totally pepped up after their evening baths in tepid water. It's actually a bonus as DD2 is awake enough to feed properly and then crash at a reasonable hour. DD1 not so much but it is helping to wake her up so she eats dinner properly (we've brought the bath forward as she's been dozing off before dinner)
I wouldn't stress about routine but 11 weeks is a good time to start. My DD2 has mild baby eczema - keep an eye out for Oliatum or Aveeno in the supermarket/pharmacy. You can do daily baths if you want to especially as it's so sticky at the moment and as you say, she enjoys it.
Keep some of her milk for post bath and she'll wind down again soon enough.

[ricecakesrule]

We started the bath time / bedtime routine at 3 months with our ds who is now 2. We don't use the bath to wind down, more to wash off all the accumulated muck from the day! He's allowed to play around, splash etc and then we gradually wind him down whilst getting him changed into pj's. He has a story in his cot and that's when we keep it very calm, low lights etc. We've had this routine with him since 3 months although it's probably only in the last 6 months that he's had any understanding of the routine himself!

My ds has pretty bad eczema and docs said daily bath is fine as long as plenty of moisturiser used afterwards and no soap in bath other than Oilatum.

[Lutrine]

She's been asleep since 7.15! Skipped the bath, put In The Night Garden on (so I could eat my dinner!), quietly changed nappy, played lullaby music whilst feeding her in a dark quiet room and she fell asleep. Might be a fluke, fingers crossed it isn't! I'll try bathing her at a different time of day (and less frequently to see if her dry skin improves) for a week and see if it does help. I have been putting e45 emollient oil in her bath, and previously nothing at all, would you say the Oilatum is better? Thanks again everyone, you're great!

[Bumpincharge]

Mention the dry skin to your HV, mine gave me a prescription for bath and shower creams, as well as some heavy duty cream to help get rid of DS dry skin

[ricecakesrule]

Where I live they don't do prescription for the bath stuff as the emollients they prescribe can also be used in the bath. Doctor apologetically said that he would still recommend Oilatum in the bath if I was prepared to pay for it! Can get it far more cheaply online in big bottles than at boots. I don't find e45 works for my ds but it's all about finding a combination that works for you - agree talk to hv or gp (my hv was useless!).

Happy to hear of your success tonight, long may it last!

[Lutrine]

Ok I'll mention it next week when I take her to get her weighed at a drop in session (I'm not due to see the HV again til her year check but was told to make sure I get her weighed every month). Very impressed with how she's done tonight, she's just woken up now at about 2.30am for a feed! Sleeping this long is a first, I just hope it does continue!

[RoadToTuapeka]

I tried bathtime/bed routine far to early for DS1, was a learning curve! He was, before about 6 months, far too tired/hungry/whatever for an evening routine.

With DS2, now 6 months old, he is sometimes ok to have a little shared bath with DS1 at about 6pm. Even now tho it's a case of see how mucky he is after any solids he's had & is he awake enough. Sometimes he needs a split bf, a bit first to keep him going over bath time and then afterwards as the nice sleepy feed.

At 3 months and until recently I only bathed him every few days (or on explosive poo days) and usually in the morning when he was bright & chirpy.

[Lutrine]

Yes, I'm thinking I have done the same RoadToTuapeka, if last night was anything to go on! I'm going to get my DH to bath her in a morning as needed before he goes to work, which will give me a bit more time in bed/time to shower without worrying about her! She'll have one after her swimming lesson this weekend too to get rid of the chlorine, the showers there run way too hot plus I doubt she'd enjoy being popped under a shower!