I've decided that bath time is my least favorite thing about having triplets. I don't mean to insinuate that I don't like having triplets. There are only a couple of things that are difficult. The other one is leaving the house. It's a lot of work, and I really dislike all of the attention.
Anyway - bath time is such an ordeal, and it takes so much time. Bath time was quite enjoyable when the girls were small and didn't move around a lot. Recently, it was getting really difficult in the infant tub, so I decided to start using the kitchen sink instead. My first go at that was a major FAIL! Their little butts are so slippery. Luckily, I was telling my friend about my problem, and she told me to put a washcloth down so they don't slip around. Where was this in the manual? What a great idea. I feel so silly for not thinking of it on my own. Since we've moved on to the sink (with the washcloth), it's much easier to bathe them again. However, it the post bathtime that I dread. Trying to dry them off on the kitchen counter has turned into a terrible nightmare. They squirm and wiggle and grab at EVERYTHING within their reach. Then comes my least favorite part - trying to dress Izzy. I'm starting to wonder if she has some sensory issues because she fights it (this is actually an everyday occurrence, and not necessarily related to bath time). She doesn't like to get dressed. A friend of mine used to have blog called "Don't Kick The Mommy" (she has since changed the name of her blog), and I used to think that was a funny name for a blog. Now I get it. I'm ALWAYS saying - Don't Kick the Mommy. It happens frequently when dressing them, but it also happens when I'm trying to feed them. If I stand in front of them while they're in their highchairs, they kick me!!
Back to bath time. I don't give baths every day. I think I'd go insane if I did. I'm starting to worry about the day that they'll start to need daily baths. How will I do it? Right now, I do it during the day, but I know it will be easier to make it part of their nighttime routine. Hopefully by then, they will be sitting well enough that I can put them all in the bathtub together. But that seems like it creates a whole new set of problems. For all you mothers of multiples out there - how do you do it? If they are all in the tub together, how do you get them out and dried off and diapered while still keeping an eye on the ones left in the tub?
Once my girls could sit on their own, I moved them to the bathtub. It was a little easier simply because they could be distracted by toys, etc while I bathed a sister. As for daily baths... from the time they came home from the NICU I had my girls on an every other day bath schedule. I usually bathed them in the afternoon because it fit in our schedule. I only changed that when they started preschool. Now they shower (we have a hand-held-shower head.. invest in one when yours are old enough to stand, it will make bathing go so fast) on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday to wash hair and bathe Monday and Wednesday to get clean from school. Friday and Saturdays vary... no bathing if we didn't leave the house. As for diapering, etc once they're all using the real tub, I took the diapers to the bathroom and could dry and diaper one right next to the tub... the others were in arms reach in case anyone slipped. When everyone was diapered I took them back to their room to get dressed. Good luck... there are many nights that I STILL dread bath time. It's exhausting.
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