The first time it happened, I?ll admit I laughed. The tiny rumble, the flurry of bubbles and, best of all, the sheepish grin as my six-month-old let out a burst of gas during her nightly bath. But when that was quickly followed by an unmistakable brown blob floating to the surface of the water, it stopped being funny. I especially wasn?t impressed when it happened for a second, third (and fourth) night in a row.
According to Niraj Mistry, a staff paediatrician at Sickkids, pooing in the tub isn?t your baby?s ultimate ?f*ck you, mom?-move. Seriously. It?s normal for babies to let one loose after settling down into that warm, stool-softening bath water. In fact, Mistry explains that a warm bath is often recommended as a treatment for constipation in babies. ?Just how adults find a warm bath relaxing, babies also find it relaxing,? says Mistry. Mistry explains that there are a few things happening during these bath mishaps. First, warm water causes your little one?s muscles to relax?all of their muscles?which means even the intestinal muscles are taking a break. Next, babies are still trying to figure out how to control their bowel movements and bodily functions. Remember when junior peed on you out of the blue when you were in the middle of changing his diaper" He probably didn?t even realize it was happening. Lastly, these muddied waters are often the result of poor timing. ?The gastrocolic reflex [the gastrointestinal urge to have a bowel movement after eating] is quit...