Co-bathing...

I was just looking at pics of Moire's first bath, and her screaming red face. And thought of how much easier it was to co-bathe so that she's not upset, I'm not upset and we have one less bulky baby item.

How many other mommies co-bathe? Why or why not?

 

Co-bathing is all i really do. I have 5 kids. My oldest, she 13 now did the same thing, fussing and crying. So after about 2 mo. i took her in the tub with me. She was so much calmer just knowing she was next to me. So it just seemed natural to so with all of her siblings. My youngest now 9 mo. usually baths with myself or dad. Whomever is the dry one will hand baby into the tub and catch him when he done. The older ones will often hop in with another. well except the 13 year old.

 

As far back as I can remember, I was bathing with my little brother. He's two years younger than me. So I'm probably just remembering back to being 4, with him 2, because I can't imagine doing that with him much younger! It does seem like the normal, natural kind of thing to do, bathing with your infant instead of just bathing you infant by him/her self. What good mommies we have here on the forums!

 

i wasn't co-bathed. My mom wouldn't do that, and I have no siblings close to my age. I would occasionally be put in the tub with cousins, but we didn't live by them, so not too often.

I don't cobathe my son because he prefers to be in the tub alone. I sit beside him, and he kicks and splashes and laughs and farts...lol.. he loves bathing. When I get in with him I just cramp his style. lol

 

I started co-bathing my son when he was about 3 months old after about 6 failed attempts at a bath in the little kiddie tub. It was SO relaxing & we both just loved it. My husband would take him into the shower, which he loved too. We quit just before his 4th birthday, when he was obviously aware and CURIOUS about our anatomical differences.

We did the same with my daughter, from birth. But she stopped showering with Daddy at about 2, when she told him his penis was "UGGGGLY!!!" and I quit bathing with her at about 3, when she had already weaned but constantly wanted to poke at my breasts. Playing with your "food" is one thing, but that made me slightly uncomfortable so we quit.
love,
mom

 

for the first few months, we would usually bath Leane in the kiddie tub inside the big tub, but would generally sit outside the tub with her. Some days we would get in. But now that she's older and can sit, we have this ring thingy that suctions to the bottom of the tub with a sponge for her to sit on. I'll put that in the tub and fill it with some warm water, then turn on the shower with her in there with me. It's fun cuz I get to shower, too, she gets lots of time to play, she gets cleaned and we can actually have some fun play time with out worrying about getting the floor and my clothes all wet.

 

I just recenlty found a picture, where our daddy, and the three oldest of us (the little one wasn't born yet) were in the tub. And I remember many occasions where we, or one of us were in the tub/shower with parents. It just seemed like the most natural thing. And of course I will do it with my future kids too.

 

This is slightly OT, but it's a good example of prude-ish American culture being freaked out by things they find unusual - I'm really into Anime, and specifically into Studio Ghibli, an Japanese studio that releases absolutely amazing full-length movies. One of these is called My Neighbor Totoro (many of you have probably seen it with your kids. If not I recommend it!) this movie stars two little girls and their father, their mother was ill and away from them when the story took place. In one scene, the three of them are all taking a bath together, talking about their day, havng fun, squirting each other with water, that kind of thing. In addition to being another CULTURE, where such a thing is more widely acceptable, this also takes place in post WWII, in the Japanese countryside. It's not the running hot water heater we have now - they have a big wooden tub and have to heat water manually to put it in there. Anyway, the point of all this is that when this movie was release in Japan it was regarded as a masterpiece, a work of art. When it was released in the US there was a huge controversy over the bath scene being "inappropriate" and a lot of people actually wanted it cut from the film! That just blows me away! Anyway, reading this thread again just made me think of that...

 

I used to break Sunshine's nursing strikes (kid was the Nipple Confusion Poster Child) by cobathing with her. It was often the only thing which would relax her enough to not be afraid or too angry to nurse. And, we were already naked, so she would just float around the tub, in my arms, until she found my breast, and latch on.

Bear, who is a bit uncomfortable with nude little girls over the age of 3 or so, used to bathe them while he was wearing a swim suit. LOL!

 

Can't remember bathing with my parents, but clearly recall bathing with my brother. We had a great time and it must have been easier for our parents. So yes shall carry that on. See no call to be prudish about it, just a simple valuable lesson in anatomy and such.

 

I ocasionally climb in the tub with them. I used to all the time with the boys but they became very curious about the fact that mommies have different parts. After explaining it all I stopped taking them in the shower with me unless we are super late and need to all bathe quickly. The boys always share a bath and sometimes Riley goes in with them. Riley on the other hand is just learning to use the big tub so I'll prob be hopping it there. I don't see whats wrong with it. Why does our culture always have to see naked-ness as something dirty and sexual? I'm def. getting tired the mast majority of opinions effecting everyones lifestyles rather than just their own.

 

I used to co-bathe every so often with Zach, he developed a fear of the bath at one point..had to cut it out when he kept pointing and asking where my penis was..Dave quit bathing with him when he was commenting about his being fuzzy. Now he's a big boy and bathes all by himself..won't even let me help him wash his hair anymore.

 

I used to bathe with all my babies and nurse them in the tub ..... it was really a great way to bond.

 

well when aiden was a baby baby i would co bathe with him but as he got older and able to sit up i would co bathe. now he would rather take showers than baths and sometimes he will come in the shower with me. i think it's easier and less stressful for a newborn. i really dont take showers with aiden as much because he will scream the whole time for a boob and try to climb up me to get booby.

 

there's that little cutie pie again! ^

 

Definitely bathed with all my babies, just as my own mother did with me as a baby.

 

I always took baths with my mom. In fact. I take about `10 showers a year. Something about actually being "in" the water makes me so calm.

 

Um, I answered that survey in the present tense, but I definitely don't bathe with them anymore. I did when they were babies, though.

 

Me neither, well my 8 year old daughter will hop in sometimes still..... I just quit bathing with them last year.... they washed my back.

It was a great chance to laugh and sing....