11/13/12

Splish splash screw your big boy bath!

8 1/2 months ago when Ollie's umbilical cord fell off, we blew up his Munchkin bath duck for his very first proper bath. My sister used it for my nephews and insisted we had to use it too for Ollie. It has a slip proof bottom  with a hot/cold temperature gauge.  It is the perfect first time bath for first time parents.

Munchkin Inflatable Baby Bath Duck


Now, he gets excited when he sees FTD pull out Mr. Duck for bath time.  It's turned into this big thing where FTD pulls it out of the bathroom closet, and then brings it over to Ollie for kisses.  Ollie laughs, gives Mr. Duck kisses, then I do, then FTD, and then finally FTD fills up the duck and in Ollie goes.




Ollie's first bath.


Lately he has been trying to crawl out of it, so we thought maybe it was time to just put him directly in the tub. FTD filled up the bath tub, well not drown the baby filled, but about 4-6 inches of water, with bubbles and a bunch of his bath toys. I carried Ollie into the bathroom, handed him over to FTD and stood ready with the camera for shots of Ollie's first big boy bath...



FTD set him down in the tub and Ollie lost his shit.  He lost his shit so bad I thought he was going to shit. The poor guy looked so distressed by the wide open space of the bath. He was flailing his arms and screaming.  It honestly reminded me of the first few seconds after he was born. Except then he was screaming to be put back in, this time he was screaming to be taken back out. It was clear that the big boy bath project was a fail... an EPIC FAIL!



Ollie's first picture...
He really did look this mad when we put him in the bath without his duck


Poor guy, we are not going to try to give him a big boy bath again until he full on says, "Mommy, Daddy, I would like to take a bath in the bath tub without my duck."  

Seriously, the poor dude was so freaked out, I don't care if his knees touch his nose in that duck, he is going to use it as long as he wants. I personally think it is easier for me to hold and wash him in the small space anyway.  As long as Ollie fits in the duck, he can bathe in the duck. Plus, I looked online and cannot find any information about pros or cons of using an infant bath until the child is 18-years-old. It's settled, the duck stays.



TIP:  I was talking to a girlfriend about Ollie's big boy bath and his love for his duck. She told me a friend of hers told her a great way to transition a from a baby bath duck, or whatever contraption you may use, is to put a laundry basket in the tub. This way the water can flow freely through the holes and create a larger space to start the transition. I love this idea, and have a feeling once Ollie's knees touch his nose we will give it a try.







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Two confused parents=One amused baby Hopelessly we are trying raise a baby who is clearly smarter than both of us. April is an award-winning writer and blogger. Her work has been published in over ten countries and four languages. From books to newspapers, to print/online magazines and everything in between, you can find her work. For more on April, Visit AprilMcCormick.com

12 comments:

Claire said...

Have you thought of getting in the bath with him, I did with both mine on a regular basis so when it came to them going in by themselves it wasn't a problem. And amber has only really been in her baby bath a handful of times as it easier to do them together. Over here we also have something called a bath dam it goes across the bath making it smaller but also using less water.

Unknown said...

Lol, aww poor Ollie (and you two)!
That's such a cool little bath, the inflatable ones down here are boring. We used a baby bath that was part of the change table, but at about 2/3 months we swapped to our big bath 'cause Isaiah was too long and likes to kick and splash. He luuurrrvvves the big bath so it was an easy transition for us thank goodness :-)

foodpixie said...

The laundry basket is the best idea. Clover has been out of her duck (we had the same one) for awhile now. She was so unstable in it once she was sitting I was afraid she would hit her head on the side of the tub. Now that she's so active we can't keep her from sitting, rolling over, and attempting to pull up. We've got this little foam pad with a heat sensor that at first she laid on and now sits on. It keeps her from slipping and gives her some cushion from the hard tub. But I am totally getting some stick-em Daisies for our tub and getting rid of the foam soon.

Do you have bath toys?

Jen Provenzano said...

Freak outs during tub transitions are actually pretty common. Poor Ollie! At least take comfort in knowing that he's not alone. My little guy is 18 mo/old and still favors baths in the kitchen sink. My best friend has a guy the same age who still uses an infant tub too. DWYGD..."Do what you gotta do"...it's the ultimate parenting slogan and it will never steer you wrong ;)

Unknown said...

That's awful! (but funny, sorry) Yeah, just recently abandoned the infant tub too- took a couple tries before Chase stopped throwing himself backwards and actually sits without terrifying me... now to find a home for the other tub :/ all this baby gear has such a short life span!

FirstTimeMomandDad.com said...

Yes... well I got in with him once and it scared me. He was so slippery, and I felt... I don;t know, I just didn't like it. I'm such a first time mom I know. ;/

FirstTimeMomandDad.com said...

I think most babies are out of the baby tub by now. Not my kid! Glad you had a much better experience.

FirstTimeMomandDad.com said...

Oh, yes, we have lots of bath toys. We even have a Scuba Steve! Since FTD does bathtime he plays as much as Ollie, so nearly weekly he picks up a new toy or two.

FirstTimeMomandDad.com said...

DWYGD! I love it. That has been the mantra since Ollie was born. I'm not even a little fussed about the baby bath. If he likes it, so be it.

FirstTimeMomandDad.com said...

I was just saying that about the baby gear last night. We need to have a massive yard sale already! I think we will try once a month to see what ollie thinks. Eventually he will get over the duck...

Katie said...

Ha ha, Thats funny! William has been sitting up in the real bathtub for a long while now. Once he outgrew the little baby tubs we made the switch. He didn't care at all. He loves it! Everyone in a while he gets excited and falls forward or backwards so we just have to be very vigilant. (who isn't anyway)

Christine said...

We have a bath seat for Katie by Summer. It looks like a bouncy seat but the fabric is mesh. Daddy puts it in the tub and takes a bath with her sometimes. LOL!