Nailing Bath Time with Twins
How to nail bath time with twins
When imagining (read:stressing out) about the logistics of twin babies, fewer things were more frightening than the thought of bath time.
There must be so many steps to doing it properly. What if I missed one? Or what if they slipped and slid and sudsed right out of my hands or whatever contraption I had decided to put them in.
So I read articles. Lots of them. And looked at bath products. In the end, bathtime is way less complicated than I imagined and we make it work with the help of a few key products and a (relatively) straightforward process. Here are the essential elements to staging a proper bath:
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A Staging Area
We use the Table for Two, which I highlighted in how to tandem feed twins. Bouncy seats will also do, or maybe a Pack in Play. The most important feature of the staging area is that it keeps the babies secure, and is okay to get a bit wet. It also needs to be close to the water vessel. We go ahead and strip the two babies down to diapers and place them in the staging area. Bonus points for stating that the babies have entered the staging area in a radio announcer voice.
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A Water Vessel
Size is important here. A friend gave us one like this, and it hooks on our sink perfectly. While one baby waits in the staging area, the other is bathed in the tub. The actual bathing works best with two people. One person scrubs and rinses while the other holds baby in place. But as they get bigger, it gets a bit easier to do it solo. After baby is clean transport back to staging area and switch.
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A Towel
Any towel will do but a cute one is always a bonus. Personally, I favor owls. We try to have their towels waiting in the seat so we can just plop them back down and wrap them up. Then just put on the new diaper and some comfy pjs and you’re done.
Typically bathtime should only take about 15 – 20′ from setup to cleanup. Our twins may not always love bathtime but they are usually happy and wide awake afterward and ready for dinner time. Frequent bathtimes seem to set the stage for a good night’s sleep, and I’ve come to enjoy them instead of dread them.
Now onto the tips to make bathtime fun!
There are a few ingredients to enjoying bathtime. First off, we make it a family event. Hubs heats up the water and I pick out towels and jammies. Music is a must to get everyone in the right state of my mind. Even my dog is usually trying to get in on the action. At least one quarter of the time, the boys are all smiles.
Oh. Did you think I was talking about making bathtime fun for them?
In all seriousness, besides music and family involvement, bath time is a great bonding time with baby(ies).
What other tips for bathtime do you have?
