If your family is anything like mine, bath duty is one of the jobs that neither parent wants.
First you haul all three kids upstairs, protesting loudly (sometimes they only get up there after being threatened). The toddler refuses to use the toilet; after fifteen minutes you think, oh, well, she just doesn’t have to go—and then, the instant her chubby little feet hit the bath water, she lets loose. And that’s the good scenario. Let’s not think about the other bodily function.
The kids spend bath time jostling for position, communicating by shouts, shrieks and sometimes screams. The toddler throws wet sponges on the floor. The baby kicks half his bathwater onto the tile. The preschooler “plays” the water flutes, sometimes singing Superman through them, and refuses to wash himself until the water is stone cold. The toddler screams about having her hair washed.
And that’s only Phase One of the operation. Once they’re out of the tub, you still have to get them all ready for bed! The baby is mad about being pulled from the water, and screams bloody murder until you get him on the breast, which of course you can’t do until the other two are done. The toddler hates having her teeth brushed, and the preschooler will NOT come quietly out of the tub. Chores are accomplished by shouting, bullying, and sometimes by loss of bedtime stories. By the time the operation is all over, it’s 8:30 p.m. and Parent is shivering with exhaustion and useless for anything but bed herself.
So last night, I tried something new. Tuesdays are always my night for baths, because Christian teaches piano. I took the kids upstairs directly after dessert and took baths early, with the expectation that we’d be done in plenty of time to play for a while before bedtime. And miracle of miracles—it worked!
I put Nicholas in his little tub and went to brush my teeth and pull out diapers and night clothes. By then, he’d had time to play for a while. I washed him up and got him out of the tub, then took him to be nursed and put in bed. Of course by then the other kids’ water was cold, so I ran some more hot water in it and washed Julianna’s hair. The trick with Julianna is to sing while you do whatever she finds unpleasant (teeth brushing, hair brushing, hair washing…). It works about 85% of the time. At the moment, to Christian’s chagrin, her favorite song is “It’s a Small World.”
They were all ready for bed at 7:35. (!!!) We brought bedtime books into my bedroom and burrowed down under the comforter to read. Then we horseplayed for a while, snuggled and giggled, and said our prayers. I put them in bed at 7:55. At 8:05, Christian came up from lessons and looked around, confused, no doubt, by the lack of shouting and chaos. “Um…are you already done with baths?” he asked.
Ah-ha! I triumph!
That sounds exactly like bath at our house, too. Glad to hear we’re not the only ones!
Ah yes…bath time. I have found sometimes it works well to do baths before dinner (except the baby…because well, he’s a very messy eater!)
I must say I love it now that my oldest two take a shower (together) and I don’t have to do anything. Although, I did hear Craig yelling at them last night so maybe they were messing around in there…but either way, I love that I am back to only having to bathe two kids (for now)!
That’s a great solution you have there….you’ll have to let us know if it works again in the future.
Thank you so much for stopping by my blog! I have been checking yours out and really like it. I can’t wait to get more in depth in reading it. Hope you have a wonderful day!
Triumph indeed! Isn’t it wonderful when you stumble on the thing that works?
Ha! Congrats on your solution. Hope it continues to work for a good while. What I find confusing is why they shout before the bath about getting in…then they should after the bath because they are not ready to get out! Grr!
My kids always loved to take their baths. I just remember water being EVERYWHERE!!
But, wow…bed by 7:30? Awesome!
This sounds very similar to my own kids’ bath time. I have three, and I have begun bathing them on different nights, so I only fight one at a time. We also have developed the “mermaid swish” for those that don’t like hair rinsing. They lay on their back and swish their hair, which they think is fun, and voila, rinsed hair without them knowing it!
Ahh.. Bath Time. The universal chaos in all households. And I only have one!
I got your question about affiliates, but I don’t know how to email you… Can you contact me at Sharon_Hujik at yahoo….
Happy Wednesday
Good job. If that were my house, it would permanently be my job after a success like that.
Oh, wait. It is my job. Hmmm.