The Bath. Part 1: Screaming, Happy, Screaming

(editor's note: aka Nicole here) Gasp: Morgan blogs! (end of Nicole's contribution) 

One of the best moments I had at the hospital when Henry was born was his first bath. I remember the nurse came to get Henry for his first bath and of course I wanted to help out. Plus, I was terrified to do it myself at home, so I had to learn fast.

We did “practice” at a baby class before Henry was born, but I don’t think that prepared me at all for slippery, wet, screaming baby. Anyway, since that first bath in the hospital I’ve been the head of the bath time committee. Since Nicole was bogged down most of the day dealing with crabby, screaming baby, bath time was the few minutes Nicole would get to herself. Plus, Nicole could bond with Henry all day, so it was the one activity I could bond one-on-one with Henry.

For the first few weeks, Henry would scream during the entire bath. But, it didn’t take long before he started to like them, and bath time became a happy, relaxing event. Henry would lounge in his bath tub lounger. I would look longingly into his eyes and smile and chat.


As is well documented on this blog, Henry had major sleep problems. One of the suggestions we were given was to shorten his bed time routine. So, immediately after his bath he would get in his pajamas, nurse and go right into his crib.

It didn’t take him but three days to figure out this new charade. So instead of calming, relaxing baths, Henry would start screaming his head off the moment he was put into the bath water...