Bath Time

How to handle your baby correctly during bath time to avoid an injury

Misaki is a water baby. From her first bath in the hospital to the swimming she gets to do in the pool, she loves it. It was so sad when she was not able to have a bath for about 3 months of her new born life when we first had the hip splint on for her hip dysplasia and then the foot casts for her metatarsus adductus (bung feet).

Now that she has free reign of the bath it is a wonderful time for baby and parent. There is so much opportunity for bonding, baby massage, play, discovery and general good times. 

“not able to have a bath for 3 months...”

Firstly, I would just like to have a quick word about manual handling for the carer when bathing your bub. Of course you are not leaving them unattended so you need your body in a good posture to make sure you don’t get a sore back. Also if your bub splashes as much as Misaki does, make sure that you don’t slip and fall on the wet floor (perhaps a bath mat is advisable).

We always had the baby bath on top of our kitchen bench. It is a perfect height and it had plenty of room for bath, change mat and gear. Now that she is older and capable of sitting (and most recently standing) many people choose to move to the adult bath if you have one.

I find adult baths are not good for manual handling at all as you are kneeling on the floor (potential knee issues on the hard tiles- use a mat) and bending over which can damage your back if done for prolonged periods. Other potential back injuries can be suffered if you are inclined to use your back to lift them back up if they slip, or quickly steady them when they want to stand and are not quite good enough to steady themselves. You are inclined to use your back and arms when kneeling or sitting by the bath. Even if you try to change from high to low kneeling to lift your child you are still vulnerable to overusing your back. 

“I tried the big bath but quickly got a sore back...”

I tried the big bath but quickly got a sore back. So we are back to the baby bath on the kitchen sink until my sexy tradie on the weekend husband does our new laundry sink which is another great bath option. The current one is covered in paint from previous reno jobs. This is my 40th birthday wish, a new laundry. How romantic but I could want for nothing more. When Misaki is old enough to sit, stand and climb reliably, with a slip mat of course, we will go back to the big bath.

For the majority of the bath time, I will not have to bend over with her being self sufficient in holding herself safely. However, I will have to still bend over to wash her which just has to be minimised. To manage washing them best, squat putting your knees out to the side to get closer to the bath, keep the core on and back straight. This decreases the time for baby massage and body awareness activities but these can be done in a better position later. 

The other manual handling risk at present, which is lessened so much by returning to the baby bath and kitchen bench, is her being the biggest wriggle pot ever. She is constantly moving herself form sitting to standing. It is her new trick of which she is ever so proud. So I am switching on my core big time to hold her safe and return her to sitting (again and again). A good core work out if you switch it on but a potential back pain causer if you are not managing the situation right. Choose option A. 

Now to the fun stuff. Like baby massage, touching all the different parts of her body when you are washing them allows for good body awareness. Take the opportunity to talk about the body parts as you wash them. Use different textures such as your soft hands and the rougher face washer and talk about these different sensations. Using the safe temperature spectrum you can educate between warm and cold temperatures too. Splashing, playing with the toys, including a sieve toy or the kitchen variety provides great learning through discovery. Enjoy this time. It is very special. 

Summary

Using the baby bath on the kitchen bench when needing to support your baby is the best way to protect your back and knees.

Avoid leaning over in to the bath and use your core and legs if you are having to support or reposition them.

Use bath time to spend time bonding with your baby, for baby massage, body awareness and learning through discovery.

Melli Tilbrook is a Physiotherapist based at Adelaide Physiotherapy and Pilates Studio, Beulah Park.