Aquatots Baby Bath Tips
For 9 months babies are surrounded by amniotic fluid in the womb where they float around all day. Your babies aquatic journey commences as soon as they are conceived. Once your bundle of joy is born their aquatic journey will continue with every bath and water experience, they have. The earlier you can re-introduce your baby to a warm watery environment the more of an affinity to that environment they will have from their experience in the womb. For the most part your baby will find a warm watery environment extremely calming, the hydrostatic pressure, weightlessness, and the muffled sounds underwater will take them back and tends to relax their mind and body.
A baby's bath time can be a great place to expose your little one to more water time each week and to practice what we have been learning in class.
When bathing your baby
Be prepared, collect everything you will need for before, during and after bath time so it is in the room with you before you start
Turn off your phone or put it on silent, enjoy this special time with your baby
Use a big bath when possible
Always keep an eye on your baby when they are in or around the water
Test the water temp before you place your baby in the water
Take your time, allow your baby to enjoy the experience from start to finish
We recommend you mix is up with different depths when bathing your baby
A shallow bath will allow you to place your baby on their back on the bottom of the bathtub. Watch their little arms and legs go crazy as they enjoy the splashing and freedom to wiggle. Place them at the end of the bath with their little feet against the side of the bath and watch them push and slide, this is a great way to encourage leg strength and is great exercise for your baby.
With mid filled or deep bath will allow you to gently support your baby on their front or their back from the side so that they can be suspended in the water. This method will make it a little harder to wash them as you will only have one hand free.
There is also the option to get in the deep bath with your baby and practice the holds we teach in class. Being in the water with them will make it easier to hold them and wash them as you will be able to cradle them a little easier than from the side.
Less is more-No need for fancy bath toys, your baby will enjoy the water and your company more than anything you can buy.
Having a bath is an anytime thing, no need to only bath your baby when they need a wash, do it for fun, do it to calm them down, do it to cool down on a hot day or warm up on a cold one. The more exposure your baby has to water the better.
Always practice conditioning for breath holding
1,2,3 under is the cue we use in class. Once your baby hears these words and closes their eyes on the cue, they will be ready for submerging. During bath time cup a bit of water in your hand, squeeze a washcloth over their forehead or tip a bit of water from a cup after saying the cue words, eventually your baby will start to predict what is coming after the cue words.
To find out more on submerging check out our submerging the safe way article
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