Bath Time - Perry, MI

same thing happened with us. We found it easier to have her shower with me for a while. then for Christmas she received some of those bath crayons. I prepared her bath with her in the room watching, put her in...she started to fuss and then I showed her the crayons and the distraction totally worked.

Good luck...it'll pass.

A couple of suggestions--one would be to fill the tub before you take her in the bathroom. The noise may be an issue. Also, I would try either blowing bubbles to calm her down and make it fun for her. I have also used soap fingerpaints on the tub for my little one to play with.

My daughter went thru the same exact thing, we bought those little tablets that you put in the water and it turns it red or purple or blue, whatever she chooses. They are by crayola or Target has another brand. The other thing that really helped was water crayons, she could color on the bath tub. Messy but it does come off...just a few thoughts. Good luck!

It could be the bath mat does not make her feel stable enough. We had to put a terry cloth towel down for a while for my 12 month old. The bath mat felt slippery, and as the water got deeper (2 inches), she would begin to grab for the bottom of the tub to grip herself, and scream. I have since picked up a more 'rubbery' mat. As a sidenote, remember to stay smily and calm all the while she is screaming...calmly reassuring her she's ok. sing a favorite song to her (my daughter would get distracted with old macdonald), and just continue to smile, reassure, and sing while you quickly bath her. eventually, hopefully, she should be over this temporary fear (whatever it is) so long as you continue to help her work through it. good luck.

Both my sons have done the same thing. No reason behind it. Usually lasted 3-4 months. My youngest who just turned 2 had to be washed while sitting on the edge of the kitchen sink and he was a wild animal when he knew it was bath time. Let your child go through this cycle with patience and know that she will get through it and so will you.

Hi S.,
Not to say this could be happening with your child. But, our daughter about once/twice a month would all of a sudden not care for her bath. We started watching when it was occuring and it happened to be when she started getting an ear infection. Maybe just coincidental.

I read over your responses and found them all to say the same thing, which is true. It is a phase. I have been teaching swim lessoms for 18 years and the kids do it there too. They will get over it. HOWEVER -- whatever you do, DO NOT use the washcloth over the face or resort to drying the face right after you wash it. The child may learn to depend on that and never get over getting water in their face. Most parents who do that in our pool for lessons have children who grow up NEVER wanting water in their face. And that is the hardest thing to break. Use toys or whatever she may want to play with to bring into the tub. Let her try to do more of the decisions on what she wants to bring in with her and that could help the transition as well.

S.; yeah its common for kids to not want a bath in time, maybe its time to have her take a shower with you, she might enjoy the company, and see how well you handle it, she may feel she dont want to be cold when she gets out, so just see if she will take a shower with you , or she might just have a fear of some sort, not sure which one, but you can also teach her how to wash with a warm rag and water, she might need new toys too, like the water crayons, and foam soaps, or special wash liquids, etc, just have fun with it, and dont fret it , she might grow out of it, and if she gets a bath every day , it may make her uncomfortable, try every other day or a couple days, as long as she is not dirty, she can go a day or two, without a bath, and with clean clothes, but its worth a try, any way have fun and enjoy life, D. s

My daughter does the same thing She screams in the bath I just give her a bath 2 times a week and a rub down with warm clothes the other days Maybe she needs more toys, a colorful slip mat and bubble bath like the other mums suggest or maybe she's scared of falling I know she likes the baths though Don't know why it is I just leave it in the end and take her out and just give her a quick bath It might be the big bath I was thinking she used to like her baby bath. I might get one of those blow up baths /seats you can put in the bath They look quite good. Also I saw a good bath in Mothercare It looks a bit like a large bucket with a seat bit Don't know why Don't try to force it Maybe she just doesn't like the bath

I posted a similar question a couple of weeks ago about my 15 month old.
Keep giving baths (maybe skip one once in a while).
I ran the water, let her stay on the outside of tub and began blowing bubbles (the kind you blow outside in the summer) Once she took interest I slowly and gently put her into the water and she was thrilled. It hasn't been an issue since.

Good luck - it seems to be common but only a short phase.

Try using some fun colored bubble bath or some new toys. It's probably just a phase she's going through.

Hi S.,
This could be just a phase that will pass soon enough, or there could be a reason. She could be sensitive to some bath products and it burns her private areas. I would be very cautious about what you bathe her in, as many baby products contain unsafe levels of chemicals that are absorbed through the skin, and I believe that those tablets that color the water are made in China and warnings were issued about those last year. I just had a granddaughter born in Dec. and the hospital bathed her in Johnson and Johnson Head to Toe Baby Wash, which contains 1,4 Dioxane, a cancer causing chemical. I would like to recommend a book to you, called "Green Goes with Everything" by Sloan Barnett. This is a really good handbook and gives you safer alternatives to many products that you may be using. This book can be found on Amazon or in book stores- it is a great, simple read.
Good Luck,
M.

both of myt kids did this right about this age.. it is a phase and it will pass...

MIght be a week or a month.. you never know how long these things will last..

You can either put her in the shower with mom or dad.. or put her in the bathtub with mom or dad.. or just give her the quickest bath possible and listen to the screaming.

one day it will stop and she will like baths again.

I do know what your talking about I have a 3 year old that did that up until about 4 months ago and sometimes she still does it. She screams like someone is torchering her. I know its heart braking but you need to just ignore it. Try more baths like every other day. Try seeing if your husband gives her a bath if she screams less or not at all. Sometimes that worked. She had an older sibling too that she wouldn't scream on too. But not every time either. It seemed like when she was in moods the last year but it started just like you described about around the same time too. If your real concern talk to your pediatrician. It will fade though and if you have anymore children we have 4 working on 5th. My 4th child is starting to do the same. I think each child does it but some get over it quicker than others.

My Son started that when he was about that age. To this day (he is 14) he STILL doesn't like water in his face. He would literally act as if he were drowning. I don't know what gave him the fear.

What we did is baths in the kitchen sink .. I would run the sink full and let him splash (on his own) in the sink and then sit him so his feet could go in the sink and then eventually moved his body in and washed him .. We gave him a wash cloth to cover his face and it was a GREAT help.

I don't know if it is the same with your princess, but once we figured out the problem and went to the sink, it wasn't long before we could get back to the tub .. we just needed to do it on his terms.
Hang in there .. Good luck.

About that age my grandson became very reluctant and scare to take a bath also, we finally figured out that he was scared of the running water coming out of the faucet, it was the noise and then it was the shower head. I started preparing the bath for him before he even was in the room and I also gave him a Popsicle to eat and I have not had a problem ever since. ( I only had to give him the Popsicle once.)

My son did that too... at exactly 14 months. How odd. No advice other than keep trying to make it fun. I don't know that we did anything brilliant but it passed really quickly. A week maybe?

It seems I remember going through this phase with one of my girls as well. We started getting into the bath with her, my husband would wear a bathing suit if he was going in with them, and after a while she was fine. We're going through it again with a 3.5 year old. Only she'll get in but won't want to get washed because she'll get water in her face. I just keep saying this too shal pass!!

I believe that is pretty typical. My son turned 2 the very end of May so that makes him what 2 and a half. Well anyhow he went through the same thing he still does it now, sometimes. I believe it is an age thing. She is becoming aware of her independence. And trust me it won't stop there. She is now going to test what she can get away with and what she can't. What does she HAVE to do? She will start refusing foods she once ate or stop doing something maybe she once had done with happiness. Why? because she now is realizing she has a voice and a choice. So be consistent with what is expected try to stay calm give her a time out give yourself a time out. I don't know I have two boys and I have heard that boys and girls are different when it comes to things like this as well. My boys are busy where girls are more dramatic...LOL..anyhow good luck. Stick to your guns. Remind her that bath time is not something she has a choice about. She needs to clean herself. Just do it. Maybe choose a day once a week where she can be lazy and not have a bath. I don't know about you but there are days where I don't feel like showering. Just remember that she is a person too. Not just a baby but a little person who has likes dislikes just like everyone else. I do try to keep that in mind with my kids on a daily basis. I try to respect them as little people and not be too bossy. There is a line and a balance that can only be found with each individual and then balanced with each family. Every family is different and what works for one may not work for another. I am going through my own differences between my immediate family and my siblings and mother. They have one way of doing things that works for them. But because I am doing things differently they are unsure how to react. And they are defensive even....anyhow I am rambling now about things that have nothing to do with what you asked. Just my two cents. Hope it helps. And good luck with your daughter. And just remember let her have some lazy days too.

my daughter did the same thing around 9 months then again around 16 months. she gets over it after about two weeks, there was never a reason for her to freak out either. just be patient, it won't last long

We had a similar problem around that time with our daughter. We used bubble bath to get her into the tub again. Just be arware that too much bubble bath can lead to UTIs in little girls. We never had a problem but I thought I'd mention it just in case. Shaving cream painting in the tub may work also.

Good Luck!

Scary thought but who has been giving her the baths lately??
Maybe not afraid of the baths but of what happens during the bath session. Sounds terrible I know, but we can never be too careful.

We had the same thing after putting bubbles in our daughter's bath, b/c she learned to say bubbles and so we thought one time would be fun - but, nope, she hated it and protested since. So we took her in the shower and she does really pretty good, we get a better rinse of her hair and it's quicker, which is good for her skin. Try it. :o)