Crying after a bath

[RiverandJulie]

My 4mo was a preemie and for the first month hated taking a bath. Now he loves it!
Unfortunately, the last couple of times I gave him a bath he SCREAMS (and I mean scream!) when I take him out of the tub! This screaming goes on for at least 10 minutes. I wrap him in a warm fuzzy towel and keep him in the warm bathroom, so I know he is not cold. I try to feed him, try all of his comforts. Finally I give up and dry him off and dress him through the screams, swaddle and eventually he relaxes.

I honestly think he is really mad because I took him out of the bath. ANyone else have this issue. Have you found anything to help? I cant keep him in the bathtub forever. More baths to get him used to it.....less baths for less screaming? Any ideas?

[feministmom]

It could be that he's mad to be getting out of the bath...in which case you could try more or less, which ever i easier for you.

fwiw, my older dd went through that and i finally realized that i was giving her a bath before bed and that by the time it was over, she was just dead tired and melting down. like the bath was a distraction and once it was over, she just fell apart. i started doing the whole nighttime routine earlier and it went much smoother.

gl!!

[tracysroberts]

Originally Posted by feministmom

It could be that he's mad to be getting out of the bath...in which case you could try more or less, which ever i easier for you.

fwiw, my older dd went through that and i finally realized that i was giving her a bath before bed and that by the time it was over, she was just dead tired and melting down. like the bath was a distraction and once it was over, she just fell apart. i started doing the whole nighttime routine earlier and it went much smoother.

gl!!

Same exact thing for my DS. He is just sooo tired after his bath all he wants is mama and to nurse.

[mommy212]

My suggestion is dry him off and dress him as quickly as you can, then try feeding him and cuddling. That's what I have to do with my LO, it usually limits the screaming.

[beebalmmama]

Originally Posted by tracysroberts

Same exact thing for my DS. He is just sooo tired after his bath all he wants is mama and to nurse.

I think the same thing for my ds too. I've tried baths during the day and the same thing...but then soon after he's down for a nap. I happened to give him a bath earlier the other evening (actually had dinner on by 4:30!!). He was fine afterward. He hung out in the bouncer seat in the bathroom wrapped in a towel and I had time to bath myself! Hopefully we can do this more often, it's just that his bedtime and downtime is so early.

[dislocator3972]

My DD HATED getting out of the bath around that age too. I started letting the tub drain before I picked her up and she was fine with that. She'd play until the water was gone, then I'd pick her up and she wouldn't feel like I was taking away her new 'toy'.

[stealthmode]

We had the same issue. Tried all the same things that PPs suggested. Really the only thing that helped was time--she had to get a little older. Now that she's more alert and active and stays awake for longer periods of time, I'm finding that if I bathe her not long after she wakes up from night time sleeping or a nap, she does much better. If I wait too long, she gets tired, and then she gets cranky. When she was really little, it helped if we stayed as calm as humanly possible when we took her out. Quick movements but quiet, slow voices and dim lights. Maybe it helped to lessen the shock of the cold air or something.

I've also noticed that if I take a bath with her, for some reason she doesn't mind it nearly as much when I set her in her towel on the floor while I'm still in the bath. I can't figure that one out.

[Pookietooth]

Does hit happen when he's tired? It might just be a relase of tension. Or he could just have a hard time with transitions. Or maybe he's mad because he wants to stay in. DD does this sometimes, but less now than when she was four months or so.

[RiverandJulie]

Thanks everyone, I do tend to put him in at night, maybe he is tired. Although, he is still only 2 months adjusted, so we are just getting to the point that he is not always heading toward his next nap.
I had another screaming after the bath tonite, but I think he was tired. I finally put him in the stroller and took him outside, that calmed him right down. Outdoors is a pretty reliable calmer.
It has happened after baths with me and by himself. I really think he is just mad and wants to stay in. Next bath will be earlier and longer =)