I thought of this after writing my last blog on baby gear. Lots of things come to me after a blog that I could have added in. I was always a little stumped as to what other moms did with some of the stuff that one can buy. The whole “bath” aisle was one of those aisles. The most useful item I found near that aisle or “section” , were nail clippers. Those are a must (although one of my friends found it better to bite off the nails).
My biggest question was with the plastic “tub” you can buy, fill with water, and put the baby in. I guess I never really got that. Mackenzie got her first bath by the grandmas and I decided to take over from there. The next bath, I filled up our apartment tub, got her naked, wrapped her in a towel, got naked, and hopped in the tub. Then, I nursed her while I bathed her. We use pretty organic shampoos and soaps, so I just used what we use. She never cried over bathtime again.
I think the bottom line with a lot of baby stuff is there is a whole mess of money that parents and friends of parents will spend when a new baby comes on the scene....so they like to have an item for every “occasion”. But, I found the baby was happier and we had less clutter when I just followed gut instinct.
A BIG one can be washing the baby’s hair and I just do what my mom did. I line the kids up once a week and wash their hair in the laundry room sink. I lay out a towel, lay them on the towel, turn the water to warm, and use the laundry sprayer to wash their hair. I have not once gotten soap in their eyes this way and it’s completely pain and stress free. If they try to get up, just grab a wad of hair and don’t let go. They only try once. From then on, you can peacefully wash four kids’ hair in about the span of 15 minutes. I have done it 20 minutes or so before leaving for church and then slicked the girls’ hair in a ponytail. When we are at a hotel, I will lay them on the bath counter and use a cup of water to rinse or just fill up the sink with water a couple of times.
When the kids shower with Mark and he gets the notion to wash their hair, bar none, soap’s getting in their eyes....and we can hear them from the kitchen.
So, that’s Rachel’s “bath aisle” in a nutshell. I keep shampoo under the sink in the laundry room for kids and dogs and I keep towels above the sink. If they need a haircut, I do that too. It’s fun. God has blessed me with four beautiful heads of full hair and the know how to keep it clean....can it get any better than that? No stress....simply enjoying those moments with the kids. You too.
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