First Tub Bath

Today our family friend, Ginny Maikler, came over to help me give AJ his first full tub bath. Ginny is the former head of pediatric nursing at a local hospital, so this was just the expert I needed to help me gain some confidence on combining a squirming newborn with soap and water.

It was amazing to watch Ginny with the little guy. From her experience working with babies over the years, she has developed a way of talking to them that really seems to connect--he was watching her so intently and seemed to be listening to what she had to say. It was also incredibly helpful for me to watch the way she introduced him slowly to the new concept of a bath and to the sensation of having water on his skin. She started by cuddling him in a towel and rocking him until he was in a mellow mood and then introduced the water by rubbing a little onto his head while he was still wrapped in the snuggly towel. When he accepted the water on his head without completely freaking out, she eased him into the tub by first dipping his bottom into the water and then scooping warm water onto his chest. She also had good tips for other ways to make him more comfortable in the tub, like placing a warm, wet washcloth on the backrest and another on his chest so that his torso would be warm and feel the same warm water sensation that the rest of his body was getting.

I think the most helpful part of the bath tutorial was seeing how her calm demeanor put the baby at ease. Ginny was constantly watching his reaction to the changes she was introducing, and if his body stiffened or he showed other early signs of a negative reaction, she would either slow down to give him time to adjust to the new sensation or try something different to avoid the total meltdown. The experience made me realize that while a good part of mothering is trusting your own instincts like everyone advises, there is also an important element of skill in reading a baby that develops over time.