how do you bathe 2 LOs at the same time?

[♥ms.pacman♥]

Sorry if this is a dumb question. I'd love to be able to bathe my 2 kids (2 yo and 10 mo) at the same time, yet I am wondering how to do it safely. Giving them their baths one at a time works well so far, but can get time consuming and exhausting when i'm the only one there (DH is out of town often). The idea of bathing them both in the tub seems easy, I just don't know what I do when i need to get them out and dry them off..i don't think it would be safe to get DD out, dry her off get her dressed and leave DS in there, KWIM? Even though it's nearby and within earshot i wouldn't be comfortable with it. Also, DD cannot stand at all and I anticipate it will be several months before she can.

DH suggested i could get DS a robe and get him out first, then let him walk around, play or whatever while I get DD out, dry her off, etc. THough the only issue with that is, DS isn't PT'ed yet, so there's potential for messes there :)

[Green_Tea]

My first two were 19 months apart. I would take them both out at the same time, drain the tub, bring them to their room and diaper them both and then dress the baby while the toddler played in just a dipe. I'd close the door of the room to keep the toddler contained while I dressed the baby, and then let the baby play in the crib while I dressed the toddler.

OR, I'd give the toddler a bath while the baby napped, and then later bathe the baby while the toddler watched Cinderella in the next room :).

[BayGirl2]

I have been thinking about how to do this when my DD is big enough for the tub. DS is now tall enough to step out of the tub himself and he's PTd. So I think I could tend to DD while he just stands around in a towel. You may have a few more months to get to that point. You also could quickly put a diaper on DS in the bathroom and let himself around in that while you deal with DD.

[mezzona]

dd1 was 3.5 when we added dd2 (at around 10 mo) to the bath routine. they "swim" in the tub with shallow water. we wash dd2 first, then dry and dress her. she was crawling by that time, so we keep her in the bathroom with us. then we washed dd1 and then got her out, dried, and dressed her right in the bathroom. that was the only safe way we could think of.

or, skip it that day. :wink2:

[nfowife]

I put in older, then put in younger in bath seat (I have dream baby). Then wash, play. Then younger gets out, dry and change in bathroom. Put in safe place (exersaucer, pack n play, crib, etc). Then get older out, dry and change, voila.

[jjordan]

I'd take the baby out first and dry her off and diaper her while sitting right next to the tub. Then sit her on the floor and get the toddler out, wrap him in a towel, pick up the baby, and walk with the toddler into his room to finish drying him off and getting him dressed.

[elliput]

My DC are quite a bit further apart in age, but the most obvious thing that would make this easier is to bring all of the clothes, diapers, etc into the bathroom before hand so you would not need to leave the room until everyone is dried and dressed.

[georgiegirl]

My kids are always happy to run around naked after a bath/shower.

Definitely bring their diapers and clothing to the bathroom so you can get one all ready while the other is still bathing. Do the younger one first, becAuse the older one will try to get back in the bath so long as bath water remains (or at least that's been my experience.)

[Tondi G]

I'd take the baby out first and dry her off and diaper her while sitting right next to the tub. Then sit her on the floor and get the toddler out, wrap him in a towel, pick up the baby, and walk with the toddler into his room to finish drying him off and getting him dressed.

this is how I would do it!

[elephantmeg]

I would bring DD's clothes in with me, get her clean and then while DS played in the tub, get her dried off, diapered, dressed etc while he played. When he was done I would get him out and take them both to the bedroom. I usually stuck DD in her crib to play (or fuss if needed for a min) while I got DS dressed. Then both back to the living room for stories etc.

[klwa]

I'd take the baby out first and dry her off and diaper her while sitting right next to the tub. Then sit her on the floor and get the toddler out, wrap him in a towel, pick up the baby, and walk with the toddler into his room to finish drying him off and getting him dressed.

This is pretty much what we did when our two were little.

[maestramommy]

You could get the older out first dry off and put a diaper on right there. Then deal with the baby.

[khalloc]

Ummm, I just took them both out at the same time. Wrapped them in towels and dressed the younger one first, while the older one stayed with me still wrapped in a towel. Then dressed the older one. You could just do the diaper on the older one first if you were that worried about it.

[Simon]

I would just get your Dd out and dry/dress her in the bathroom while Ds stays in the tub and plays longer. Then let her wander off while Ds has his turn.

We usually give the kids naked time after bath, even before they are PT'd but we haven't had accident issues.

I let my Ds2 (same age as yours) play alone in the tub while I step out of the room, so if you think you could grow to be comfortable with it, then you could also work towards leaving him a short time to get her ready then come back for him.

[twowhat?]

Just wanted to add that with my girls, I moved their baths to the master bathroom. It was a lot easier maneuvering with that extra space (esp if you decide to dress DD on the floor), plus the bathtub is in view from the master bedroom so I could get one lotioned/diapered/dressed on the bed (back saver!!) while the other played in the tub where I could still see. Obviously you'd get your DD out first since she's not as stable in the tub but I would think your DS would be happy (and stable enough) to play in the tub while you dress DD and keep an eye on him. Then she can just go in a P&P or somewhere safe while you finish DS's bath.

Just wanted to throw out the "different bathroom" idea in case it helps! The bigger tub is nicer too as they get older.

[carolinamama]

My DC are quite a bit further apart in age, but the most obvious thing that would make this easier is to bring all of the clothes, diapers, etc into the bathroom before hand so you would not need to leave the room until everyone is dried and dressed.

:yeahthat:

My ages are a bit different but I bring it all in the bathroom. DD (6 months) gets out first and then I either hold her and dress DSs one-handed (hard) or stick her in a containment device - bouncer or exersaucer - sitting in the doorway or right outside the door. Yes, she is sometimes fussing, but it's the best I can do. I've even gotten to the point of storing pjs in a drawer in the bathroom. DH is usually not home in the evenings so I'm always trying to streamline things.