Bathing twins is a challenge. When they are infants (or “twinfants”), bathing is relatively easy — and yet, there are still tricks of the trade that moms and dads of multiples — who have “been there, done that” can pass along. Still, the logistics of bathing twins can get a little tricky. TwinParenthood.com’s tips for bathing twins should help.
First, I must say that it is not necessary to bathe your infants daily. We fell into a routine of bathing every other day (or even every 3rd day) with our infants. When you have infant twins — life is crazy enough without adding stress to your life with self-talk about how you should be bathing your twins nightly. As they grew, we retained the every other day routine. It has made our life much less stressful. Of course, we break our routine when the kids get exceptionally dirty and need an immediate bath.
Second, mostly we don’t bathe our children as part of their bedtime routine. We found it was a great activity to fit into our regular daily routine — to kill the time and just “get through the day”. Bedtime was a blur and with feeding, diapering, books, and all the “stuff” of bedtime routines — adding bath time was just too much. So we moved it to another time and are much happier for it.
One last thing before we get to the tips from parents of multiples who have “been there, done that”. Please do not ever leave your babies or small children alone in the bathtub. Adult supervision is imperative. It only takes a moment for an accident to happen. Most baby drownings occur when the baby is left alone in the bathroom or in the care of an older child. Don’t risk it. Please keep your baby within arms reach.
Tips for Bathing Twins
- Detachable Shower Head. Use a detachable shower head when bathing your twins. It makes it easier to rinse hair and is entertaining for babies/kids, too. Be sure to get one with an on/off switch so you don’t have to run the water continuously.
- Visors or Swim Goggles. Use a baby bath visor or swim goggles for your little ones when washing their hair. Many kids don’t like the water running down in their eyes and these are a fun option to prevent it.
Options for Bathing Twinfants (Twin Infants)
- Bathing in the sink. When the babies were very small, we bathed in the sink, one baby at a time. My back was already sore and I didn’t want to add pain by bending over the bathtub. We put down a foam bath cushion, filled a little water in the sink and away we go!
- Bathing next to the sink. Again, a back saver. We sometimes used the hard plastic infant bathtub that we put on the counter next to the sink. These are products that are great to purchased “gently used” rather than new. There are folding options (for saving space), molded hard plastic options, and foam lined options. There are many infant bathtub options, and really any of these products are about as good as the next.
- Plastic bath seat. After the first several weeks, we moved to the tub using a plastic bath support or seat. These are not the “sitting up” type of seats, rather, they cradle the baby in the tub and support your twinfant’s head. Most often, we opted to have one baby in a bouncer chair next to the tub while one baby got mom or dad’s full attention in the tub. But, these can also work with both babies in the tub together.
Options for Bathing Twin Babies or Toddlers
- Blow Up Bathtubs. When they are starting to sit by themselves (usually between 4 – 7 months), and are more active, nothing beats a blow up bathtub for a fun and secure bath. These little baths are the perfect size for sitting a baby at each end of the tub, facing each other. The babies are able to interact with each other and play in the water. The blow up rim helps stabilize them when sitting. As when they are younger, it is still crucial that you always keep your babies within arms reach. Also, never fill the large bath tub with water which could allow the inflatable bath tub to float up and tip out your precious cargo.
- Laundry Baskets. When they are sitting up well, a plastic laundry basket (or two) is tons of fun for babies to enjoy the bath. Since there are slots in the baskets, the water flows through the basket, while the basket offers support for the baby sitting up.
- Baby Bath Seats. Although we tried these, these were never my personal favorite. If you opt for these, please be sure to get a newer model — as the older models are not as safe.
Summer Pool Fun
Blowing up a large pool or filling a hard plastic pool with water is a big undertaking when you are caring for twins. It’s fine and great occasionally, but not something you want to undertake every day. And besides, those larger pools pretty much require that mom get in the pool with the babies. When the babies are still somewhat unstable, it is then a challenge to help keep them sitting upright.
Little blow up bath tub to the rescue! Our little blow up tub can also transition out-of-doors for the perfect outdoor pool for twin babies. These little blow up baths are so great for fun water play for twin babies in the summer. Again, place one baby at each end of the tub, and they can splash away. Best of all, mom doesn’t have to swim, too!
Hope you find these twin bath tips and summer pool tips helpful. I think the best piece of advice about bathing twins I’ve heard is to “just have fun”. Something about water seems to strip away not only the dirt, but also the stresses of the day. I hope you enjoy your little ones in the bath and pool, and I’d love to hear your twin bath time tips. Please leave a comment.
Copyright 2010 Kathryn Whiteley — TwinParenthood.com
