To bathe or not to bathe, that is the question

Beth has been on strike the past 3 days. She absolutely refused to bathe! I tried cajoling, reasoning, threats - but she would just whine and dig her heels in. Each time, I had to settle for giving her an all-over wipe, which was the best I could do, but which made me feel like I was condemning her to a life of infections and rashes.

At church on Sunday, a sister shared a tip she'd learnt from another mother - it's ok to alternate baths with wipes in cold weather. Children, unless they've been running around, tend to perspire less and stay clean longer, particularly in cold weather. Too many baths can actually strip their tender skin of its natural barrier of protection and cause skin irritation. She has resorted to wipes with QV Bath Oil, which I've made a mental note to get on my next trip to the pharmacy.

Tonight, I was speaking with another girlfriend who moved to Melb 2 years ago and is the mother of a one y.o. boy. She totally empathised when I related my struggles getting Beth to bathe. Her strategy is to make the bedroom and bathroom as warm as possible, and to make shower time really quick. She also advocates alternating wet showers with all-over wipes. Coming from SG where we perspire all the time, we've grown used to daily showers, but these are not necessary here, she says.

After the conversation, I made another attempt to talk sense to Beth - after throwing up a quick prayer for help and secretly doubting if it would make a diff. I told her that she needed to have a bath after dinner and that I would make sure the water temp was ok and the water flow not too strong. Besides, I promised, if she bathed tonight, she wouldn't need a bath till the day after tomorrow.

To my pleasant surprise, she agreed! and we curled our little fingers to seal the deal ("gou gou shou zhi"). She was as good as her word. She didn't put up too much of a fuss when it came time to shower, and proudly declared to her Daddy that she "chong liang le". I was so relieved and thankful.

Lesson to learn?
Pray.
Talk to the experts.
Try every tactic. You'll never know what works.