8 Thoughts Every Mom Has When She's Co-Bathing With Her Kid
byKristi Pahr
One of my favorite things about having young kids is co-bathing. I know some people think it's weird or even taboo, but in my house — and in plenty of other people's houses — it's common practice. In fact, I feel pretty confident in saying that there are thoughts every mom has when she's co-bathing with her kid because, while it isn't everyone's choice during bath time, it's a pretty normal choice to make.
For the first few weeks of his life, I tried bathing my son in a small plastic thing stuck inside a large plastic mini-tub that was placed in my actual tub. I even gave the same plastic thing a try in my kitchen sink. In the end I found it weird and, to be honest, I didn't particularly like it. I felt like I couldn't get close enough to my newborn and that he was going to slip out. And rinsing his back off? Yeah, very few things made me more nervous. I could almost envision him, slippery and wet, sliding from my grip and falling to the floor or hitting his head on the side of the tub (I tend towards worst-case-scenario thinking).
It made bath time super unpleasant and not the warm, loving, bonding time I'd always heard it was supposed to be. Needless to say, I was discouraged. As a new mom I, of course, assumed I was doing something wrong and bath time became a huge source of stress and anxiety. Luckily, I stumbled on an article that suggested bathing with your baby was not only normal but healthy for all involved. Bath time was saved! After more than four years and two babies, I've realized that not only are a lot more co-bathing families out there than I previously thought, but we all think basically the same things: