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A little freaked out.....

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Category: Have A Baby?
Forum Name: First baby? Second or more?
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URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3904
Printed Date: 10 October 2025 at 12:08pm
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Topic: A little freaked out.....
Posted By: Guests
Subject: A little freaked out.....
Date Posted: 28 September 2006 at 8:02pm
Ok so im feeling a little apprehensive tonite a little freaked out...Ella has been having some REAL issues lately with being bathed, its only been the last 3 days and its at the point where we go to move her in the bath off her hammock to clean her body she screams blue bloody murder, shes literally screaming in terror and her face is really screwed up and shes bright red.

Tonight i was on the phone with mum when she started Cory was bathing her and she was screaming so hard i have never heard anything like it in my life, i was thinking that its a phase shes going through or shes hungry and knows that after bath time follows dinner, but we always do this its a routine and its only recently that she has done this terrified screaming.

Cory took her into the room to change her she was still screaming her lungs out, she turned it up a level and was screaming so hard she couldnt breathe and "boogers" (as cory puts it) were flying in and out her nose. He sat her up and she was screaming and bright red but as soon as she was up she gasped and her face drained and she went as white as a sheet and was looking at cory as if he was a ghost, he tried to put her dummy in her mouth and she didnt react (normally she starts sucking immediately) he lay her down then lifted her up and she was still the same before eventually taking the dummy.

I have never in my life heard her soooo upset and i feel really bad im at the point at the moment where im ready to burst into tears coz i feel we have done something really mean to her for her to be so terrified.

My question is has anyone experienced this?
Is it a phase shes going through of hating bathtime?
Can we do anything to avoid it? Like have a shower with her and hope she forgets about bathtime so we can revisit it another time?

Im really confused and worried.

Any advice is appreciated.

PS i dont know if it has anything to do with it but she is a reflux and colicky baby.



Replies:
Posted By: nikkitheknitter
Date Posted: 28 September 2006 at 8:34pm
Hrmmmm... I haven't myself... but why don't you try just doing the top and bottom clean with a wet flannel and stuff... then in a couple of days (or a week) you can try the bathing thing again and see if she settles down.


Posted By: james
Date Posted: 28 September 2006 at 8:53pm
oh jess it sounds soo scary i would try the top and tail like nikki said and maybe a quick trip to the docs to rule anything out big hugs hunny

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<a href="http://lilypie.com"><img src="http://b4.lilypie.com/nLJ5p13.png" alt="Lilypie 4th Birthday Ticker" border="0" /></a>


Posted By: Two Blondinis
Date Posted: 28 September 2006 at 8:56pm
poor Ella (and Jess and Corey!) I have no idea what's making her so upset other than sometimes babies don't like to be totally naked? We put wet face cloth over Caitlin's tummy when she's in her bath.

Caitlin only screams when we take her out of the bath, so now we fool her and have put her bath seat thingy in a big plastic bin in the bath and fill that up with water - when bath time is over we gradually take the water out fo the bin until she is out of the water and we dry her in there whilst still playing with her

Good luck Chick

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http://lilypie.com">


Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 28 September 2006 at 9:07pm
def give her showers or just wash down with a flannel for a while if you want. maybe have a bath with her. both my kids went thru a screaming at the bath stage, not sure what age tho.
from what you said tho it sounds like the lying down bit is what is getting her upset...so i dont know if that could be related to her reflux.

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http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">


Posted By: nicola86
Date Posted: 28 September 2006 at 9:38pm
i hope it gets better. If it was me yea i would go to the doc. and try bathing again in a week or two.
Good luck


Posted By: MILF
Date Posted: 28 September 2006 at 9:47pm
x hated her bath for months, and would cry from the moment you took her clothes off to the moment she was fully dressed again. it took a long time for her to start to like her bath.

not sure what you could do here, but i would probably give ella a few nights off the bath routine at the moment - just to give her some peace and calm her down.


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Lyla - mum to

Xanthe - my big 4 year old
and
Jordis - 1 year old


Posted By: caraMel
Date Posted: 28 September 2006 at 10:35pm
Jess thats really horrible, poor you guys!
I agree, maybe just stick to sponge baths or showers for a little while.
Do you have a big tub at your place? If you do maybe you could ease her back into baths by one of you getting in with her and cuddling her through it.
About the screaming and passing out, my Ella does this too when she gets really worked up.
It scared the cr@p out of me until my Mum told me that my sister and cousin both did it too. Apparently they are holding their breath, a reaction to the gasping that occurs when they're crying so hard.
My Plunket nurse told me that its just a thing some children do, and not to worry as they start breathing again as soon as they pass out.
She told me when I saw it beginning to happen, when she started to go quiet and spooky looking, to blow quite strongly in her face. This usually makes the child take a breath.
And if that doesn't work to give her a firm, sudden pat on the back.
These have both worked on my Ella.
I hope it gets better at bathtime soon!

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Mel, Mummy to E: 6, B: 4 and:



Posted By: baalamb
Date Posted: 28 September 2006 at 10:46pm
Ashlee's never done this, but I have a theory... It's been a routine for a while, so I reckon she's learnt by now what comes next, so because she's happy right up til you take her off the hammock, perhaps she doesn't like being taken off it? Is there any way that you can clean her while she's still on it?

Ashy only cried after she was taken out of the bath but that was only for the first couple of baths. She soon learned that she got dried, and dressed, and then it was feed time so the period before she started crying eventually got longer and longer, and now she just starts to grizzle as we take her out of the bathroom after she's been clothed.

I know that feeling you described. I'm sure many of us have felt something similar! Don't worry Jess, it's nothing you've done to make her terrified, it will be just a phase. I reckon my theory's a possibility though.

Ooh and a wee tip for the red-faced, can't breath scream: a quick, short breath on her face will make her quit that straight away! Used that plenty of times on Ashy. She's the Queen of holding her breath!


Posted By: baalamb
Date Posted: 28 September 2006 at 10:48pm
snap caraMel


Posted By: Peace
Date Posted: 28 September 2006 at 10:58pm
Olivia went through this Jess, and I worked out that I had stopped giving her a feed before a bath and that was what was making her upset, she was waiting for her feed. I wouldn't have thought of it at all if it wasn't for the "Thriving Under Five" booklet. Have a look through your book (or I could dig up mine) and have a look, theres a list of stuff. Sorry you had such a tough time!

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DD1 May 2006
DD2 March 2011
DD3 August 2012


Posted By: Anna
Date Posted: 29 September 2006 at 7:08am
Quinn scrams til passing out too, super scary the first time it happened! He screams and screams and all of a sudden stops, his eyes roll back and he goes floppy, VERY freaky. But like mel said, sometimes babies just do that and although it is freaky, don't worry.

And re the bath thing, I don't have much advice other than to say I do remember Quinn went through a phase of screaming throughout his bath. I think we just avoided them for a while, babies don't really get too dirty so a quick wipe with a cloth is not neglect! Maybe just hold off for a few days and try again when everyone has recovered?

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Anna
http://lilypie.com">
http://lilypie.com">


Posted By: my2angels
Date Posted: 29 September 2006 at 7:43am
Yep we had the same thing with Kobe but he did get over it.....eventually.


Posted By: baalamb
Date Posted: 29 September 2006 at 7:43am
I've got 2 'Thriving under 5' books Jess, you can have one. Remind me next time I see you. They're really great for reference. Did you not get one in your Bounty pack?


Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 29 September 2006 at 7:45am
Thanks girls, im gonna hold it off and just do the top n tail thing and if she is still like that in the bath ill do the shower thing coz she absolutely loves showers.

I felt so mean but ontop of all that last night she must have worn herself out coz she slept all through the night lol


Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 29 September 2006 at 8:24am
Kirst - Cory was being really smart and "cleaning up" and musta thrown it out

Thanks chicka


Posted By: Peace
Date Posted: 29 September 2006 at 9:14am
The "Thriving Under Five" booklet can be like a Bible sometimes!

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DD1 May 2006
DD2 March 2011
DD3 August 2012


Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 29 September 2006 at 10:10am
Maya didn't do the screaming in the bath till she was much older, about 15 mths, but she did get over it eventually.

LOL at Cory "cleaning" - I wish Willie would...

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Maya Grace (28/02/03)
(02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)


Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 29 September 2006 at 12:23pm
Jezsika I would add another suggestion, to try bathing/showering (when you start up again obviously) at a different time of day for a little while to see if she is too tired at bath time. My girls had so much trouble with baths when they were tired but if I did them in the morning while they were little, things went so much better.

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Posted By: caitlynsmygirl
Date Posted: 29 September 2006 at 12:39pm
caitlyn went thru a stage like that, so i just went back to taking it really slow-i would just top to tail wash her, then the next week i got a bowl so she saw the water, then the week after THAT i bathed her in the sink and after about a week of doing that she was ready to go back into the bath, i would just make it a real calm time and if she lookd scared i would sing to her.
Long process but it did work, and dont feel guilty i am very sure its nothing u have done


Posted By: lizzle
Date Posted: 29 September 2006 at 12:44pm
I always bathed with the boys when they were really little. They loved "swimming" in the big bath, even if it was lukewarm. I gave them half a feed before and then half after as I found they were starving in the bath and kept trying to grab onto a boob. Most off-putting.


Posted By: Karysta
Date Posted: 29 September 2006 at 3:48pm
if you google thriving under five you can dl it .pdf ;)

On the bath thing Laur went through that phase but as soon as we put her in big bath instead of baby bath she was fine


Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 29 September 2006 at 9:07pm
Well she had a shower tonite with me and was absolutely fine (its a shower over the tub so even seeing the tub didnt scare her) i think shes probably going through an i hate baths phase lol


Posted By: My3Sons
Date Posted: 30 September 2006 at 7:45am

Jess I have yet to get a baby seat for my little wriggler and he is so hard to hold on to in the bath lol so I have started having a bath with him which has worked really well, he is nice and relaxed and has a good play and its a really neat bonding time too! Might be another idea to try!

Glad the shower seems to be ok though!



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Mum to Mr 10, Mr 6 and Mr 4



Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 30 September 2006 at 10:09am
Thanks Char i was actually looking at getting one eventually when maybe shes a little older shes strong and leans forward etc but would i be able to use one now? Also where did u get urs from?


Posted By: james
Date Posted: 30 September 2006 at 3:55pm
hay jess babycity and babyfactroy both have them was just going to ask how miss ella was going but you seemed to have got it sussed

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<a href="http://lilypie.com"><img src="http://b4.lilypie.com/nLJ5p13.png" alt="Lilypie 4th Birthday Ticker" border="0" /></a>


Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 30 September 2006 at 9:39pm
Well my little monkey seemed to be fine again in the shower. How long do u ladies reckon i should leave it before attempting the bath again? its just im going to auckland for 2 weeks and cory wont be there to help me with the shower...


Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 01 October 2006 at 7:44pm
k so i bathed ella tonight and she was fine demanded to sit up so i did had her bum on her non slippery mat.

Is it possible shes going through a phase of not liking daddy bathing her?


Posted By: nikkitheknitter
Date Posted: 01 October 2006 at 10:45pm
Mmmm don't know... but if it is that he might just have to persevere... getting you to do everything would just make it worse!! Could just be a little clingy stage tho... they go through those periods.
Kids are complicated. Just do what ya can to get through the day... guaranteed they'll have changed their mind as to what they do/don't like the next day!!!


Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 02 October 2006 at 9:16am
Yer thats troo!

Ill just have to wait and see i guess at least i feel comfortable knowing that shes ok when i bath her coz i have to go to auckland and it will just be me bathing her lol

Will try again with daddy when we get back home i think



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