My infant screams bloody murder when it comes time to change her nappy and at bathing time. When do they usually stop this and actually enjoy bathing? I try to make the bathing experience as calm as possible but it does not help. My baby is just over 3 weeks old.

thx

Some babies/children never like to bathe. I would make sure the temp. is not to hot/cold. Infants are extra sensitive to temperatures. Then I would just get it done as quick as possible to lessen the stress on you both. Maybe at this age you can just do simple sponge baths for now and not submerge her in water.

Hi,

That is very true about babies being sensitive to water temperature.
My son however liked his bath water very warm. I still remember one evening when my husband gave him a bath and he did not make the water hot enough, my son screamed and screamed........we had no idea what the problem was. I felt the water and it was tepid.....right away I knew that was the problem, and as soon as we put some really warm water in the bathtub he was fine.
Also, with diaper changes like another poster said, some babies just hate them and she will probably always be this way. My son started acting up with diaper changes at about 4-5 months and he never outgrew it.
I just tried and still try to distract him with a toy or something he doesn't normally get to play with.

_________________

Unfortunately it's probably just a peculiarity of your child. Both of my kids (two years old and four weeks old) hate being changed and diapered. My two-year-old screams like a banshee when we put any kind of lotion (suntan, etc.) on her.

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*Formerly Dad2Hannah

My kids:
Hannah - Born 5/18/02
Jackson - Born 6/17/04

Oh Lord! Does this mean I will have to endure bath time trauma for many months/years to come?

I tried bathing with my baby and she was alot calmer...until it was time to take her out and dry her off.

Could be. Both of my kids like their baths but hate getting dressed. The older of the two hates being washed but loves playing in the water.

I always laughed when I read something that said, "To calm your child down and get him ready for bed, consider giving him a warm bath." Sure, that'd be a great idea. Of course I'd have to LEAVE him in there because getting him dressed will lead to screaming!

_________________
*Formerly Dad2Hannah

My kids:
Hannah - Born 5/18/02
Jackson - Born 6/17/04

Hi again

I read some of your other posts and you mentioned that your first was rather cranky - I'm having the same problem with mine - some days I feel like giving her away(I know that sounds really bad but she drives me mad sometimes) - what did you and your wife do to survive this period?and how long does it usually last?

Today she's been awake from 1am - 4:30pm, then napped for half an hour and has started up again.I just know its not normal for a 1 month baby to not sleep and all the "experts" advice just doesn't help.

Help

Mom to Kaitlyn

Yeah, my little girl was cranky/colicky/whatever you want to call it. I remember reading that true colic is defined as three or more hours of crying for three days straight. Unfortunately what colic IS presents a bit more of a problem. It's kind of a generic term for a variety of problems that can make an otherwise healthy-seeming child turn into a screaming monster.

That aside, if it is colic it should subside around the third or fourth month. Hannah became a much happier child at about three-and-a-half months. She didn't sleep much either, and I always figured that was about half of what made her so testy. The thing is that there wasn't much of a solution .. she simply didn't sleep as much as she should and nothing we did seemed to help. We didn't find a solution until she was old enough for CIO. When we finally put our collective foot down and let her cry, she straightened out and became a good sleeper. Unfortunately you shouldn't do that with a one month old. Believe me, I have a one month old too and I sometimes wish a simple battle of CIO would take care of his crankiness.

The only suggestion I have is to make sure your daughter doesn't have gas issues or reflux issues. Both of those are curable. If it's not one of those two, it could be one of those random colic issues that can't be diagnosed. Do the best you can with her and get her to sleep whatever way you can. Worry about sleep issues after she's three or four months old.

Hang in there. It DOES get easier. Believe me. I'm trying to remind myself of that with my son

_________________
*Formerly Dad2Hannah

My kids:
Hannah - Born 5/18/02
Jackson - Born 6/17/04