Bath Time Gone Wrong
This weekend I gave Baby MPB a bath. This is a pretty regular occurrence in our household now that we are dappling in solid foods. In fact, his attempts are so messy that every single time he eats/plays with his food we just give him a bath.
And we’ve given up the baby bath, he just goes straight to the kitchen sink. We have a routine and it seems to be working.
Until I screwed up.
You see, I had the water running while I was extracting Baby MPB from his high chair. And, I guess the water kept warming up and I didn’t think to check before I put him under the running water.
He screamed like I’ve never heard him scream before.
Thankfully we don’t plug the drain for kitchen sink baths so I didn’t put him into a pool of hot water. The hot water just hit one leg, and I quickly turned it to freezing cold water knowing that it would help cool him off.
Mr. MPB was asleep at the time. So. Clearly I ran upstairs with a dripping wet baby and woke him up in a panic as I debated taking Baby MPB to the hospital to be looked over by a medical professional (and to officially crowned the worst mother in the world).
Mr. MPB being slightly more level headed decided he’d looked over Baby MPB before I rushed him ti the hospital. He quickly confirmed that he couldn’t even tell which leg was hit with the hot water as evidently there was no mark what-so-ever. All the while Baby MPB was happily reaching for Mr. MPB’s to play and didn’t seem phased by the entire event.
So, no trip to the emergency room. Thankfully.
Instead, I am crowning myself the worst mother in the world, at least in that moment.
And, I am never giving Baby MPB a bath in warm water again. It’s cold water from this point on. Sorry kid.
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Don’t be so hard on yourself! You responded quickly, and he is fine. Just make sure you check the water before adding baby from now on. If you do start putting him into a basin of water or tub filled with water, they make little rubber duckies that have temperature sensor things on them, they turn a certain color if the water is too hot so you can adjust the temp before putting the baby in. If I think about it next time I’m in a baby store, I’ll pick one up for you!! 🙂
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We totally have one if those temperature sensors in his real bath and use it all the time (ours is a little turtle). The kitchen sink baths were just meant to be quick rinse offs so I never bothered to bring it to the kitchen. Clearly I should!
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You are NOT the world’s worst mother! Not by a long shot! I’ve made that same mistake before – we all mess up sometimes. You fixed the issue right away and he got away unscathed.
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Thanks for comiserating Lindsay. Something tells me this won’t be my last parenting mistake…but it will probably be my last hot water mistake for a long time!
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Aww. The first time I was responsible for E getting hurt (fingers shut in a door while walking into daycare for the first time, no less!) I was shocked that I didn’t feel it. Oh right, we’re not connected!
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Yes! This is exactly how I felt. That scream is still etched into my mind!
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By no means are you the worst mother!! Be gentle as we all make mistakes. So glad baby MPB is okay.
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I too am sooooo glad Baby MPB is okay! I feel horrible and he’s not even burnt, I couldn’t imagine how I’d feel if he was really hurt!
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Try not to be too hard on yourself. Baby MPB is fine and you are now going to be extra vigilant about water temp. No harm done 🙂
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Yes I will be extra vigilant with bath time! I’m going to move his bath thermometer to the kitchen now because I’m just not risking it!
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Oh, we have all been there! Moms are emotional creatures and the last thing we want to do is hurt our children, but he has already forgotten bout it and that is the main thing. Once he is older, this will be a funny mom’s a spazz story haha
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Yes, I think you are right, it will be a funny mom spazz story! I hadn’t even thought of that, but it will be funny one day. 🙂
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We’ve all done this, you’re not a bad mom. Or else we all are
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Hey, dont be so hard on yourself. Such stuff happens.
Next time just out of habit run your hand under water.
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You are not the first person to do that – in fact, I’ve done it twice to the same child! The first time I filled a jetted tub with scalding hot water and put my child in it – he didn’t make a sound. I didn’t realize how hot it was until I reached for the washcloth in the water and quickly plucked the baby out of the tub – looking him over as I’m sure you did for yours. No burns, thank God, but I felt terrible. The second time I did it to him, he was 6. He took a shower but left soap in his hair so I turned the water faucet to warm the water in the sink and evidently it wasn’t warm enough, so being scatterbrained, I turned the cold water off completely so that hot water would fill the sink. Instead of filling a cup with the warm water that was in the sink, I stuck the cup under the HOT WATER FAUCET and poured it directly onto my child’s head. He screamed a blood-curdling scream and I felt like death. That same night he trusted me enough to clip his fingernails with an adult sized fingernail clipper and I took off a section of his skin. More screaming. To this day, he won’t allow me to pour water on his head nor cut his nails. It happens. I’m glad baby was OK but don’t beat yourself up over it!! You’re not alone in this!
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Oh the things we do as mums! We do kitchen sink baths here too some days. Depends on the state of the sink 😉 Glad baby MPB is just fine.
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Don’t beat yourself up and please do not make that baby bathe in cold water lol. Just plug the sink and fill it 1/3 way up and check the temp. Babies love splashing around in water lol. I bought a baby tub and put it in the shower and have been giving my little nephew bubble baths. He loves eating the washcloth and splashing around in there. Its a walk in shower so he can splash all day without making a mess. When he is done, i lay him on a towel on the floor and flip the tub over to drain it and then I lotion him down and put powder on him.
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We make many mistakes as parents,esp new ones. And with every mistake, we are more careful and observative. He will not even remember it and you cant give the kid a cold bath! That would make you a bad mum!;)
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This makes you human, not a bad parent. Please don’t beat yourself up, these things happen to every parent, regardless of how perfect they may seem!!
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Oh do not feel bad, I know it’s hard but don’t. I could give you a loooong list of things that I’ve done that are pretty serious near misses (forgot to actually buckle in Kiera to her car seat. On more then one occasion….). Have a drink, at least you’ll feel better 😉
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I have to agree with the ladies above, definitely not the world’s worst mother! We all make mistakes, don’t be too hard on yourself!
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It’s ok. The other day I ran Amora into a door frame. As they say, shit happens.
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Friend, it happens to the best of us! One time, I took one of the twins out of the bathtub, and I had these socks slipper things that Callie’s mom had knit for me. They had to be about 10 months old. I slipped wiht the socks on, and as instinct, i literally droipped the baby in order to be able to use my hands to catch myself. Not my best parenting moment, BUT, it happens! We’re human! And you’re rocking out mamahood, so good on you!
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Aww. You’re not alone. I accidentally spilled piping hot soup on Dumplin’ today. I was sitting on the floor having my lunch while he was playing, watching him, when he swatted at my bowl. The soup spilled all over his right hand. I rushed him to the bathroom and ran cold water over it, but it’s still red and inflamed. 😦 I felt sooooo bad.
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Awe, poor little guy. But as everyone said to me, he’ll be okay. And we all make mistakes.
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Yes, exactly. It’s definitely harder on us than it is on them.
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We’ve all been there… Crap happens. You’re a good mommy, don’t forget that!
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