My Three Month Old Son Screams When Its Bath Time

Have you asked the pediatrician what may be causing the problem? If it were me, I would just give a sponge bath for now in hopes that the problem corrects itself.

That's funny, I thought i was the only one who went through this. I think its just a phase they might go through. My son around 11 months was so scared of the bath. I mean he used to love it before hand but it was strange why he hated it so much. I just couldn't put two and two together. Everything seemed fine and the water was warm not to hot not to cold you know. Just he did not want to get in there at all. Now he's 19 1/2 months and RUNS to the bathtub he LOVEs his baths.

My daughter did the same thing at 3 months. Luckily, she outgrew it, and now bathtime is one of her favorite things. Hang in there!

Congratulations on your new son. I have two sons ages 10 and 7 and our 7 year-old did this when we went on vacation and he was the same age. He loved baths and then all of a sudden he would not get in the water and cried every time he got near it. Try putting some toys in that he would like or let him put his hands in the water while you say words like water, or play in the water until he adjusts. This worked for us. They are more aware of their surroundings at this age and you will see they change by leaps and bounds from month to month. What worked last month may not work this month and so forth. Being a mother IS wonderful and crazy at the same time but you will always love being a mother---even during the hard times. Hope this is helpful. Waiting on results!! Keep taking deep breaths and try not to let hectic life get to you. God bless you.

S.,

OK, try taking a bath with him a few times and play and show him that it is fun and he's ok. After a few times, he should adjust well. He's only 3 months so it definately will not traumatize him or anything. He just needs to feel safe and who is safer than mommy. If mommy does it with him, it will be a great experience from now on because he knows that he is safe. You just have to help him through the transition phase. Try a week or two and see how that works. I have three beautiful children who LOVE bathtime and one grown son who now LOVES to shower.
My 11 month old went through 2 times of crying when it was bathtime when he was younger. I took a bath with him for a couple of weeks and then stopped. He now loves taking baths. It was so easy and simple. They just need that extra security and then it's fine.
Take Care.

Congratulations on being a new mom and welcome to the world of "what do I do?" for the next few years! Relax!!! Many children, for whatever reason, are afraid of water. (When your son was a month old, he probably didn't realize what you were doing, but at three months he can!) Again, relax!!! If the temp of the water is fine, etc., don't worry about it because your child will eventually get use to the feeling of his body being in water. In the meantime, just make bath times fairly quick (yet long enough for your son to get use to the water). And, as you are already doing, NEVER leave him unattended---even for a quick moment!

Oh I KNOW! My son did this, although a lot later than yours (around 12-14 months). Either my husband or I had to get in the bath with him to stop the insanity!! He just decided he was scared of it, I guess. At the time, it freaked me out too, so I went to parent center and found a ton of posts about this. This leads me to believe that it's pretty common. He is now over it and even loves his new swim class. So, I have no insight into what this was all about, but it seems like they get over it quickly!

My first child did this, but as you're figuring out a bath is still necessary! A three month old does not necessarily need a bath every day, so just bathe him every other day unless he is really dirty so you avoid this little episode at least every other day. Just wet a cloth and make sure his little hands and face are clean and call it a day. My daughter outgrew this fairly quickly, so if you know he's not in any pain he probably will be over it before you know it. My daughter is almost 4 now and I practically have to drag her out of the bath tub every night!

Hi S., Congratulations on your new baby! May God Bless you both!
I had a similar problem with my 4th child at around 9 months.(He'll be 1 in May) For some odd reason he developed this incredible fear when I bathed him and his eyes would get big, and he'd arch his back, and scream in panic. I couldn't figure out what was wrong, as I thought I tried everything, then one day I got the idea to just take a bath with him. I filled the tub to my level and got in and held him very gently and very close to me with his whole body touching me singing soft songs to him the whole time, like Jesus loves me, Jesus wants me for a sunbeam, You are my sunshine, things like that. He did WONDERFULLY! Didn't even act like it phased him. It took about 3 or 4 times getting in the tub with him and he was back taking a bath by himself with no problem. Now he splashes and laughs and has a good time in the water.
Good luck to you! Maybe this will work for you. Children are such a wonderful blessing! Take care,
V.

Try making sure you close the bathroom door before he goes into the water, that way the room stays warmer. Also, I don't know your routine for washing him, but I have a 5 month old and I start with his eyes (without soap) and then wash his head and legs and belly (w/soap of course), in an attempt to keep him warm or I have kept another washcloth and continued to re-warm it in the water and put it on his chest/belly. Also, the whole time, I am talking to him and soothing him and keeping him engaged.
If that doesn't help, you could also bring a fav. musical animal or muscial toy to play in the bathroom that will distract him and entertain him.
Good luck mama!

Try gigving him sponge baths for a while, and then go back to the tub after a couple weeks and see iof things have changed. At that age, little ones don't get very dirty, so sponge baths without being submerged in water will do just fine, but make sure to keep his little bum really clean.

Sometimes if things change, like going from the kitchen sink to the bathtub or what not can bring on episodes like this too. When I moved my daughter over to the big tub I actually started climbing in with her. That way we were at the same level and she absolutely loved it. Now, she requests that I get in too.

Also, changing the toys has helped increase the interest in the past when it has wained. You don't have to go out and purchase some (though the dolor store is a great place to find some this time of year) instead just raid your kitchen cabinets and get out plastic cups, bowls, spoons, cups, whatever and they will love it. Or hit the garage sales.

Hey, S.~ Have you tried taking a shower with him? Sometimes I hold my daughter in the shower and let the water run over my face and then laugh. At first when the water splashed on her face, she had a weird look in her eye, but when I acted like it was a funny game, she thought so to. She's only 5 months now, but so far so good during bath time. Hope this helps!

My son didn't like it but my daughter always loved it. The best guess I have is that maybe he is cold. I know you have been careful with the water temperature, but remember that once he is wet, that part of his body loses body heat faster. I didn't do this with my son (he's the one who hated baths) but I did with my daughter (she loved them), and it may not be the reason they reacted differently, but try keeping an extra washcloth on his belly (and keep changing it out with a warm one throughout bathtime). I saw someone mentioned bathing his face first, but I always did their face and hair last, so that part stayed dry (and warmer) until we were almost ready to be done. Then I could take her right out of the bath and bundle her up in a warm towel...

Also, depending on whether or not you leave the water running, it could be related to that..
I had the baby bath set into the kitchen sink (it was one of those big plastic ones with a drain plug) and left the water running (so I could keep it at the right temperature) and just turned it into the other side of the sink and let it run down the drain until I needed it again... and I would refill the babytub halfway through (kept it warmer that way)... also, I used the running water from the faucet to keep the washclothes warm (the water in the tub cools pretty quickly). The "white noise" sound of the water might have been soothing as well (or not ?)... so if you are doing something similar to this, maybe the noise of the water is the problem?
Eventually he'll love it... I have never encountered a child, who by age 5, didn't beg to stay in the tub just a few more minutes....

Your concern is the same as mine. My son is 3mons and during Spring Break he started crying during a bath.. I don't know why except I think he is going through a stage where he gets scared. He loved his bath before and like you I always make sure everything is perfect. He doesn't cry so bad now but is fussy all the way through it. I talk to him the whole time but I have to rush through it 'cause he's always on the verge of crying. I have a feeling when he is able to sit up bath time may not be so scary.

Hi S.;

I'm sorry things are uncomfortable for the two of you at bath time. I'm no expert, but he is very afraid from what you are saying. I used to run a daycare for 6 years and my favorite class was always the infants. I often gave them baths,during the day to calm them. I found that when they were not comfortable it was from fear. You never really know where the fear comes from, but they are not born with fear. I suggest you try to have a bath with him until he feels safe, since he is so young and you will be able to show him it's ok. Later you can get him to bathe on his own you will have plenty of time. Holding him close while you bathe him will give him a feeling of security and the sturdyness of his mommie's hold will give him confidence too. I hope this helps cause bath can be so much fun. Take good care.......A.

Did anythng ever scare him in the bathroom
bathe withhim
give him a bed bath

He may just not like the water now. I used to hear about all these babies loving bath time while I had one that after 1 month, hated it for awhile. And now at three it still takes him time to warm up to splash parks and anything else like that, but now he loves his bath.
Try finding a time where he may be more receptive to getting a bath. We eventually moved my sons bath to right before bed, bu when he was younger I would do i right after a meal when I knew he wasn't tired or hungry. Also the lavendar bath products really do help with soothing and calming.
Finally, don't freak out too much about the screaming/crying. Even the most even-tempered kids do it and it does not necessarily mean they are hurt or hungry. It may just mean they are mad, tired, or uncomfortable or just want to scream.

My guess is that it is just a phase. My son who is 21 months old actually just got out of a "i hate bath time phase". Now he cries when we try to take him out. You could try to distract him with a bath toys or experiment with pouring a cup of water on different parts of him (toes, belly, etc.). If that doesn't work, you may just have to wait it out, try to make bath time as quick as possible, and try not to worry about it. I know when my son didn't like baths there was no amount of toys that would make him quite crying but it may be easier to distract a younger baby. I don't know when you do baths but you should also try to do it at the same time everyday so that he gets into a routine and knows to expect it. That way it won't be a surprise to him and may not be such a shock when the water hits him. My biggest advice though, is not to worry and believe in yourself as a mom. All new mother's feel inept sometimes but in the end only you know what's best for your baby. Good luck

When my daughter was that age she did the same thing and I found that if I took a face cloth and put it in the water wrung it out and put it on her tummy she was fine. The best I could see was she was cold. How ever this was the same child that later when she was older she would not put her face in the water and hated showers. I also got a sponge that you put in the sink and it socked up water and lay her on that with the face cloth I could give her a semi water less bath. Hope this helps. M.

I have a three month old also (and a 4 year old and a 21 month old!) My three month old doesn't love his baths either. He did fine til a short time ago when it almost seems like too many sensations for him to handle. The only thing that helped even a little bit was to keep a washcloth on top of his tummy and keep pouring warm water on it so he stays warm in the bath. Then hurry as fast as you can. Don't worry! He'll start to love bathtime soon enough. Then he won't ever want to get out of the tub!
Jen

My little man hated getting a bath when we were using one of those plastic tubs. I got one of these:

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2574102 and then he loved getting a bath. It's soft, gets warm with the water, and made him feel secure in the big bathtub. I would make sure it was warmed by the water before I layed him down on it and he was good to go!