GRAND Magazine - January 2009 - (Page 20)

toddler town Baby, bath By Jeanne Sager Bonding with play, establishing ritual, ensuring safety aBy’S Bath time, for Rhode Island grandmother Sharon Couto, is an opportunity to pass on to her daughter an experience that she held dear. “We had an old house with a big basin sink, and I used to plop the kids in that sink and just let them splash and soak,” Couto says of her mom years. “Sure, the floor got soaked and the counters needed wiping, but the joy was palpable.” The fun was reborn when Couto’s eldest grandson, 4-year-old William, came along. She found her daughter, Audrey, was timid about bathing her first child. It brought memories flooding back for Couto of her struggles in the early days of motherhood and of her mother-in-law, Flo, coming to her rescue. “What my mother-in-law taught me was that if I was organized with everything close at hand, the actual bathing was a delight for the baby and the mommy. This is the lesson that I learned so well and was able to pass along to Audrey when she had the same fear of bathing her first little guy,” says Couto (who writes at www.momsgenerations. com). “I bought a small infant tub, filled it with warm water, placed my beautiful new grandson on the mesh part, and just soothed him with the deliciously warm water. My daughter could not believe how much he loved the water! And I would sing to him.” grand Sharon Couto The before-bedtime ritual is an important step for enjoys bath time with grandchildren’s physical and emotional health. Still, tragic sons (from left): Benjamin, alex and William. mishaps can result from inattention when bathing B &beyond small children. In fact, the National Safe Kids Campaign blames scalding water for more burns on children under 4 than any other source. The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta reports drowning is the second-leading cause of death for unintentional injury-related deaths in American children, and 60 percent of drowning victims under the age of 1 die in the bathtub—leading the American Academy of Pediatrics to caution adults never to leave a child under the age of 4 alone at bath time. Scary stuff. And good reasons for an experienced grand to offer help to new parents who are just getting acclimated. “Grandparents aren’t afraid of babies,” says Atlanta pediatrician Jennifer Shu. “New parents often believe their babies are fragile, and they may be timid in holding the baby—not a good thing, especially around the bathtub!” We grands got past our fears of bathing squirmy infants years ago, and the examples we set for our own kids can make a big difference in a grandchild’s life, as illustrated by the research of psychologist Dr. Howard Steele of the University of Central London that revealed children who were bathed at least three to four days a week were three times less likely to develop emotional problems when they became teenagers. The reason? The warm water of a bath combined with loving touch produces oxytocin, the hormone linked to the development of trust and “New parents often believe their infants are fragile.” New ideas Daily baths? Nope. “Bathing a baby too often can dry out her skin,” says pediatrician Jennifer Shu. “Infants only need a bath two or three times a week. On non-bath days, it’s fine to focus on problem areas such as around the mouth and neck, the hands and the diaper area. Until the baby is crawling/walking and playing in dirt, a daily bath is not needed and not even recommended.” If it’s on the baby shelf at the store, it’s good for baby? Nope. “Some products may contain phthalates, which can interfere with normal hormone development in babies,” Shu says. “Choose phthalate-free products or just avoid fragrances, since phthalates may be found lumped into an ingredient on the label called ‘fragrance.’” 20 GRAND JANUARY 2009 http://www.momsgenerations.com http://www.momsgenerations.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - January 2009

GRAND�Magazine - January 2009 Grand View Contents Isn't it Grand? Grand Central Tips on Teens Grand Gestures Toddler Town Help! My Grandson's Being Raised Vegan! Cover Story: Casualties Leader of the Pack Reunions Together Time Resources Grand Finale

GRAND Magazine - January 2009

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