Yes, I'd love one thanks. But that's not what this post is about. It's actually about the kids having a bath before bed. Most parenting resources out there will tell you that giving kids a bath before bed will help them relax and sleep better. Somehow that is not the case in our house. Am I doing something wrong?
Bathing the boys is like trying to wash two wild monkeys. I feel like I Should wear a raincoat or at least arm myself with an umbrella before bathing the kids. It really does get wild in there. I feel like if I at least wash four arms, four legs, two heads and two butts I am doing good. I just hope that those numbers are evenly divided between the two boys. Then, once all the water is splashed out of the tub it's time to get them out. Is this really supposed to be part of a relaxing bedtime routine? That doesn't seem right. I haven't consulted some of those parenting websites I used to scour since Jace was tiny and I was trying to make sure I was doing everything right. So I googled it and came up with these quotes from just two sources. I probably could have posted hundreds:
"Give your child a warm bath. By raising your baby's body temperature slightly, you'll make him more prone to sleepiness. Also, playing with his bath toys allows him to relax."
If playing with bath toys means squirting your brother in the eye with squirty bath toys, or pouring water on each other, and jumping in the tub then we definitely have that part down. The kids love to play in the bath. So far, so good.
"Sitting in warm water is a soothing experience, and getting your toddler warm and clean and dry is a great way to ease him into bedtime."
Oh, there's the key, "sitting in the water." I'm really not sure how to get the kids to do that. They love to stand, jump and climb past each other in the tub, but they rarely sit. Occasionally they do sit or lay down to blow bubbles or play with a bath toy. But that usually just leads to more splashing.
Then, after the bath the kids are so wound up from all of their wild playing in the tub that I can barely manage to wrestle them into their pajamas (and dry the bathroom floor) before collapsing on the couch in sheer exhaustion. It really makes me wonder if any of those so-called experts have actually ever bathed a child. Because in our house the only one who's ready for bed after bath time is me.
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I've often wondered at those experts too. Every time they said something about "most children" Emma always did the opposite thing. I know she just comes from wierd stock, but it's nice to know that other kids don't follow suit with "expert opinion." Let's decide that it's them and not us or our children, but either way I simpathize with you. Just let them stay dirty. I'm sure you remember the old saying about dirt...aparently it doesn't hurt. :)
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