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PARIS — There's nothing sweeter than the bond between a mother and her child — until now.
A video of newborn twins squeezing in some cuddles during bathtime is likely to melt even the most frigid of hearts. Just days old, the babies seem to be completely oblivious to the new world they've recently entered — instead, holding tight to each other as they likely did in their mother's belly.
The Thalasso Baby Bath technique featured in the video — developed by French maternity nurse Sonia Rochel — is meant to mimic the environment and experience of the womb. It involves fully immersing a baby while running warm water over their eyes and foreheads — leaving only their nose and mouth above water for easy breathing.
The babies remain in the water for 10-15 minutes, all the while being massaged by the bather.
Rochel found the inspiration for the bathing method when she was in the shower several years ago, according to TODAY Moms. The grandmother of six realized how soothing it was to have warm water running over her face, and developed a way for newborns to experience that feeling.
The more she practiced the technique, the more she noticed the reaction it inspired in the babies. They began to move the way they moved in their mother's uterus. The hugs exchanged between the brother and sister in the video are not surprising — Rochel told TODAY Moms she'd witnessed similar exchanges before when bathing twins in this way.
- Never leave baby unattended
- Keep bathroom comfortably warm
- Keep baby out of tub when water is running
- Make the family bathtub safe with mats and cushioned spouts
- Don't use bubble baths – they could lead to urinary tract infections
- Set water heater to 120 degrees
Though much of the response to Rochel's unique technique has been positive, there has been some debate as to the safety of the method. Posts on the Thelasso Facebook page raise questions about potential dry drowning.
The Thalasso technique is recommended for babies younger than two months, and should only be performed by trained professionals, Rochel said.
For those of us not trained in this spa-like treatment (meaning basically everyone), Baby Center offers some tips on how to safely bath newborns and infants at home.
Among those suggestions: keep the bathroom warm, outfit your bath with a rubber mat to prevent slipping, fill the tub with no more than 4 inches of water and keep bubbles and soaps out of the water until the very end — they can dry out or irritate baby's skin.
The video of the snuggling siblings has garnered more than 4 million views since its initial posting on YouTube.
