Two years. Seven hundred and thirty-something days.That’s how long my son waited before his first real bath. Sure, I cleaned him as best I could with washcloths sponged in an inch or so of soapy water. He had lots of small splashings. But he never had the soak, the bubbles to your chin and rubber duckies floating by full bath experience. His tracheotomy prevented any bubbles or submerging of any kind. Baths were dangerous. Baths were my worst nightmare, an anxiety-producing exercise just to get him clean.
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When he finally got his trach out and healed, the first bath was a glorious absurdity. He just didn’t know what to do in the ocean of bathwater in which he now found himself. But he loved it and has ever since. Who knew he would turn into such a water kid? Maybe it was the long wait, the great anticipation, that sold him on it. Now, years down the line, the bath poses new challenges. A forty-pound wet five-year-old is not to be handled lightly. His safety is still, as it 
has always been, my highest priority. LatherMitts aims to make bath time “safer, faster and easier.” And for us, it is the newest improvement in our bathing evolution. The gloves act as both sponge and grip. I can wash and steady him. An unexpected bonus is the independence they bring for him. While a washcloth is awkward and unwieldy in his hands, the mitts are fascinating and after the first try, he wants them for himself. He looks like a cartoon Goofy with over-sized hands, but he is doing the cleaning. I had not yet mapped the road to independent bathing, but the mitts are bringing us one step closer and he’s happier for it.
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Right around the time our son had his trach removed and was a new man, we had twins. Two tiny slippery eels in the bath. Oh, how I wish I could have had LatherMitts back then, one for each hand to hold each babe. Just the assurance of getting a grip, literally and figuratively, on them would have helped me take a breath for the handful of minutes it took to get them clean. Now at age three they demand the mitts too and take turns scrubbing each other down. It might be a power play, but it’s working in my favor. If you’re looking for something original and practical for a new mom, check out the LatherMitts at www.latherup.co [1]. You can’t package peace of mind, but you can help it along.
