Bath-time Tips www.icantoo.com.au Having a bath or shower can be one of life's little joys. However, some children need encouragement to develop bath and shower skills. Here are some suggestions to promote bathing fun and independence. Safety first... It goes without saying that an adult must supervise children at all times. Young children simply do not have the skills to be completely safe from accidents. Never leave a child unsupervised, even if baby is using a bath support chair. Use a non slip mat in the bath or on the shower floor. Ensure the bathroom floor is dry and use a bathmat for standing on. Check the water temperature is not too hot. Make a habit of turning the cold tap off last. Do not go and answer the door or the phone unless you take your child with you. If necessary, take a cordless phone into the bathroom with you. Do not store medications within reach in a bathroom and use a locked medication cupboard. Do not use electrical appliances near water. Bathing for babies… A bath is often cited as a good way to relax the fussy baby. However, many newborns find being undressed, bathed and then dressed again overwhelming. Try not to feel too discouraged if bath-time is stressful at this stage. Newborns do well with a regular "top and tail" sponge bath and a proper bath once or twice a week. After six weeks of age, you may find that baby is more relaxed with bathing. When bathing babies, remember; have everything you need within arms reach, always keep a hand on your baby and never leave the room (even if you use a baby support chair), keep the room warm and avoid harsh soaps and fragrances- they simply are not necessary on baby skin. Bath time fun for younger children… Toddlers and pre-schoolers will enjoy having a few bath toys. They do not have to be expensive- some plastic jugs, funnels or a toy watering can will be fun. Bath toys help children learn other concepts such as full/empty and skills such as drinking from a cup. Playing with bath toys can also help children gain confidence with bath tasks. E.g. pretending to wash dolly's hair or cleaning the toy's face. Bath time fears… At some stage many children go through phases of being frightened of bathing, showering or having hair washed. Often this occurs suddenly, without any apparent reason. However, sometimes there are obvious causes such as the child having slipped and hurt herself previously, getting shampoo in eyes or a fall. Some strategies to help cope with bath time fears are; -Leave bathing/showering/ hair-washing for a while and try something different like a sponge bath. Take things up again when your child has calmed down a bit. This may take days or even a week or so. -Try to maintain a calm appearance about bath time fears. You do not want your child to see it as a bigger issue than it really is. -Do lots of positive pretend play with dolls (washing, shampooing hair of doll). -For children who show signs of sensory defensiveness a firm massage before the bath may help to calm them down enough to cope with a bath. Allow these children to wash themselves with supervision if age appropriate. -Write a short story together about bath time fun. Include positive messages about bath time as well as some positive messages about your child's bath time skills. -If age appropriate, let your child watch you have a bath or shower. -Keep hair washing frequency to a minimum to decrease stress on everyone. Once a week is plenty for most young children. Use a gentle shampoo that does not sting the eyes. -Encourage your child to tip her head backwards and keep eyes closed to prevent hair washing water from getting in eyes. -For children frightened of the bath plughole, it may be helpful to wait until they are out of the bath before pulling the plug. Do lots of positive talking about how the water goes down the drain when the plug is pulled Encouraging your child to wash themselves… Even babies enjoy imitating use of a washcloth on their bodies. Encourage young children to do what they can by themselves. You do the final touches only. Wash mitts might be fun for some children. If you need further ideas about bathing, contact an occupational therapist or an early childhood nurse in your area. |
