8 Month Old All of Sudden Hates Baths!

My eldest daughter hated baths until I got her some bath toys. Which she enjoys throwing at my feet. I also play with her a little bit with a little splashing.

Ahhh---let the power struggles begin!
My son has been hit or miss with baths--for the most part he likes them but he has definitely had periods of time where you think you were torturing him. Now at 3, he gets upset when he doesn't get a bath==go figure.
First and foremost--it will pass.
As far as some tricks to try? New bath toys, a consistent bath time--maybe a little earlier when she is not prone to be as cranky? Keep them short and sweet when she is miserable, but don't stop them or she will think by acting that way, she gets what she wants....

My son went through it as well. We started taken him into the shower. He thought that was exciting and fun. We have a removable shower head (hand held). After a couple of weeks, he went back to the tub with no problem. It was new again and fun once more.

Use things to amuse her, toys, bubbles, etc. Or take her in the shower with her mom, so she gets used to the water if that's what's bothering her.

Maybe she has a diaper rash. Sometimes babies have yeast infections and you may not see the irritation. Water may be harsh on her skin. I've experienced that with my oldest daughter.

I think you've already gotten some good advice. I just wanted to add that my son did this as well but when he was a little older, maybe around 16 months. I tried everything, and nothing seemed to work. The good news is that after a couple of months, his anxiety went away.

My daughter was about 9 months when she done this. I put her in the tub with me and showed her it was okay. Dad was there to help take her out, because that can be job (scary & dangerous) if your not careful. Good luck to your friend.

C.,

Take a bath with her and play together. She will look forward to bath time. Then you can "wean" out of it. It really works! Plus you make an investment into her love tank by spending fun time with her.

Take Care,
T. (mom of 4)

I assume she is in the big bathtub now?

Does she like the water still running when she is in the tub, or would it make a difference if the water was all filled and then turned off before bringing her into the bathroom (it can be very noisy, and some kids seem sensitive to loud noises at this age).

If she is able, let her try some of those bath crayons. Show her how to draw on the walls of the bathtub with them.. or even some of the bath soaps can be used like crayons.
Get some little rubbery animal water squirter toys and let her squirt them at the faucet or the walls in the tub.
I don't suppose anything "happened" to cause her sudden behavior ... (accidently got some suds in her eye or water squirted in her face or the temp was too hot.. or any such things?)
Maybe see if she likes using an animal bath mitt (like a puppet instead of a plain washcloth)...
Could she add some bubble-bath and let her play in the bubbles?

Instead of using one of those foam mats for babies to lie down on for their bath, maybe let her sit up on one like a cushion under her bottom?

How does her mom rinse her hair? If she douses her under the faucet, have her try using a plastic cup to rinse her.

I never did it myself, but some ladies swear by getting into the tub and bathing together. (I was always afraid my baby would be too slippery to hold onto, since we'd both be all wet and soapy, lol)

Just some ideas.

Hi C.,
Have you guys tried singing songs to her? My son sometimes cries when I put him in the tub but if I sing to him and show him his toys he usually stops. Has your friend tried getting in the tub with her baby? That may work. What about using a bath sling or bathing seat for the baby. The child might be scared of something in the bath tub (size of bath,drain,spout ect.)The older they get the more aware they become of their suroundings it's our job to stay as calm as possiable and comfort them. Try bathing her in the kithchen sink(sanitize it first)it's a small area less intimidating.
C.

Something similar happened to my 13 month old daughter a couple of months back. We had just come back from a long weekend getaway where we did baths too. OF course, things were very different from home. I realized that the noise of my turning the water on is what was freaking her out, so I started preparing the bath first, then putting her in afterwards. I also made fun of playing and splashing the water when I would turn it on, so that she would see it's fun. I also sat in the tub, and looked up. Sometimes things from so low can be scary....try it, you'll see what I mean. Maybe her daughter is looking at something that is scaring her. We also got daddy to jump in with her (fully clothed) he was just there for moral support and play. It worked. Whatever had her freaked out went away after a couple of days. Just tell her to be patient and reassuring to her daughter every step of the way.

Hi, C.. Hmmm.... it sounds like the 8-month-old has become afraid of baths for some reason. Has your friend changed the way she bathes the child? Like, has she gone from using the sink to using the bathtub? Or gone from using a plastic baby bathtub to using something with a drain? Right about 1 year old -- sometimes sooner -- babies gain the consciousness that if the water goes down the drain, they can do this, too. This happenned to me when I was a very small child. In addition, some idiot tormented me about toilet monsters and drain monsters, and how I could get sucked down any drain, any time, for no reason at all. Now the 8-month-old may be a little young to understand this kind of teasing, but she might have come to understand the relationship between the water going down the drain and herself going there, too. See if your friend can use an alternate method that doesn't involve drains, like a kiddie pool. Or maybe do some non-bathtime games like using a rubber ducky to prove to the child that only the water goes down the drain, not even a small toy will...but this might take some time.

Also, depending on the season, the water temp might be all wrong. Or the baby might have a rash on her bottom or thighs which hurts like heck when the water touches it. Or a vaginal infection, which is actually very common in Florida even among little girls. In the meantime, sponge baths might be more appropriate. The baby could even stand up in the tub or sink while Mom pours water over her to rinse her off. At that age, it's not the right time to do heavy fear-confronting, you know what I mean?

Peace,
Syl

My daughter went through the same thing around 8 months. I stopped trying to get her in the tub and would either sponge her down or I even went back to giving her baths in the sink and she was okay with that. I had even asked my pediatrician and he said not to make a big deal about it and it would probably pass. This phase only lasted a couple of weeks and then she went back to liking her baths. Go figure?

I would try a bit of aromatherapy. We all know that lavendar is a very calming scent.

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Good luck and let me know what you think.