How Bad Could Drinking Bathwater Be For Your Baby

Bathing your baby could be quite interesting because it is both fun and challenging at the same time. Some babies dislike being in water, while some love to be there at all times. But here’s the trick, the longer they want to hang out in water, the more is the possibility of them swallowing it.

Quite a few women complain that their babies are interested in drinking bathwater. While it is not a behavior that should be encouraged, it is not a major concern too. Kids don’t get sick drinking their bathwater, even if they pee in their bathwater. But what can get them sick is the chemicals from the soap. Your child could have a minor tummy upset. If your child ingests a lot of water, he is more likely to throw it up. But again, it could be an unlikely thing because most children spit out the water due to its unpleasant taste.

If you are one of those moms who wash the baby’s bath tub frequently, then you can expect little harm. If you have washed the tub with a cleanser or bleach, bathwater cannot pose much of a threat to your child. A number of chemicals used to sanitize your baby’s bathtub is much less potent than what is used in a swimming pool. Also, you would rinse a bathtub after every use. So there is little risk involved, even if your baby has a few sips. Remember, your baby will be sipping – not drinking!

What you need to consider, however, is that if your child is guzzling water from the tap on the tub, then you could be inviting a few problems, especially if you live in an old home, and the lead from plumbing can leach into the water. There is more lead content in hot water taps when compared to cold taps. No amount of lead is safe to ingest in food or water! Also imagine a number of sediments as a result of scaling that would flow through your old taps. Not worth ingesting.

What you also shouldn’t forget is the oils that might be drifting in bathwater. If you have oil-massaged your baby before a bath, oil drops fleet here and there. So it all doesn’t make it any palatable for your child to try to ingest water.

Much of the water intake from a bath tub is more due to your child’s playfulness than anything else. However, you can digress your child’s attention before he can swallow in more water.

What you could do is put a lot of bath toys in the tub. You could also have some strainers and funnels in there that would give your baby little chance to drink it.

The other way is to keep them occupied doing something else while still in the bath tub. You could have your child make lemonades. So while your child acquires a new skill, he could as well be treating himself with a lemonade drink. Also, you might take the chance to teach your baby to give up feeding bottles or sippers and try drinking from a regular cup around the bath time. The best part is that even if your baby spills his drink, a bathtub is not a place where you should be concerned. Let him just get into the process of learning.

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