How Do You Wash Baby's Hair Without Getting Water in His Eyes?

Updated on May 13, 2011
L.B. asks from New Rochelle, NY
21 answers

What am I missing? My baby is 4 months and doesn't sit on his own yet, but in his slanty little baby tub he holds his head quite straight. I have been getting water and shampoo in his eyes recently no matter how hard I try not to, and he starts to cry and I feel terrible. The tub is Fisher Price- seems pretty standard and it fits in the kitchen sink. Is there a trick? They should make some kind of visor to keep water out of babies' eyes!

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So What Happened?

Thanks, all! I am totally getting one of those visors; I didn't know they existed! Although my baby doesn't have much hair, he does get cradle cap, so I need to clean his head thoroughly.

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A.M.

answers from Dallas on

Hi - at that age I wouldn't use too much water or shampoo. I wet a washcloth and wring it out. Add a small dab of shampoo and just rub it around the hair. Even with minimal water/shampoo, there is enough lather to clean hair. I then rinse the cloth with water and wring it again, then wipe off the shampoo front to back. With this minimal water/shampoo nothing should be running into eyes or elsewhere at all. Then use a clean washrag wet with clean water to do a final wipe on hair and wash off any remaining shampoo.

Since you are using the sink, does that mean you are using the sprayer? If so I would avoid that and use method above. I think it is too much water for this age. Good luck!

3 moms found this helpful
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M.!.

answers from Phoenix on

They do (or did) make a visor to keep water out of their eyes. When mine were young l held a folded wash cloth on their forehead while I rinsed.

2 moms found this helpful

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M.A.

answers from Houston on

If he is 4 months...how long is his hair? At 4 months, saturating and scrubbing with shampoo and the sort is not necessary. I damp, warm, sudsy washcloth gently rubbed, then a warm, clean rinse cloth is all that is needed.
AND, other than a clean "wipe", washing a baby's hair isnt really all that necessary....they sleep, eat, poop, sleep, eat, poop, sleep, eat, poop....

....now, the OTHER end of the body!?! thats a whole other question!!!

3 moms found this helpful
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K.K.

answers from Iowa City on

My daughter had/s cradle cap too. For her, scrubbing the shampoo with a baby brush has worked really well. Rinsing I always came from behind with a pitcher of water. She would look up at the pitcher enough that the water would even go near her eyes - kind of like a salon sink. GL!

1 mom found this helpful

K.M.

answers from Chicago on

I got an attachment to the tub that was like the hand held shower heads for baby ... it was very gentle and much easier to control the water flow/direction.

1 mom found this helpful
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A..

answers from Kansas City on

I just use a wash cloth with a tiny amount of soap and wipe his head down with that.

1 mom found this helpful

S.R.

answers from Kansas City on

They do make visors for that.

1 mom found this helpful

D.B.

answers from Boston on

Get one of those visors with a big brim made for this purpose - it shields his eyes and lets you pour tons of water on his head while it runs off the back. Either that or play peek-a-boo with a washcloth - if he'll let you - and rinse quickly. Or just cut back the amount of shampoo and rinse with a damp cloth. His hair probably doesn't get all that dirty most of the time anyway.

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C.M.

answers from New York on

I would just hold him in the foot ball hold and wash the shampoo out of his hair that way. Now that he's older, have him lay back in the tub, while I hold his head up, and use a cup with water in it to rinse the shampoo out.

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M.G.

answers from Chicago on

We have a cup from Babies R Us that bends to keep water out of the eyes. I love it!

M.P.

answers from Provo on

To save money and only spend $1 vs $5 or more, go to your local craft store and they should have foam ones.

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E.M.

answers from Johnstown on

I never used the baby tubs. I would put a hand towel on the floor of our actual tub, run 2-3" of water in it, then bath my baby that way, staying with the child constantly. I used a cup to rinse and would pour the water slowly. Never got water in any of my 3 childrens' eyes by doing things that way. I really thought the baby tubs themselves were a waste of money.

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S.J.

answers from Saginaw on

I use a wet baby towel with soap on it to wash and then rinse the soap off the towl and wipe the shampoo off the head with the towel. No issues with water in the eyes that way!

F.A.

answers from Spartanburg on

They make a plastic rinsing cup for that. It has a rubbery, flexible rim that will fit right up against the forehead and block the water from coming down. I have seen them sold at places like Walmart, Target, and Babies R Us for a couple of dollars. Def worth it! Here is a picture:

http://www.4akid.co.za/products/499-no-tears-shampoo-rins...

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M.B.

answers from New York on

I specifically let water get on my baby's face -- I'll take a washcloth and let it dribble down her face. She also sits on the shower with me sometimes and the water sprays over her face. She's getting much more used to water on her face and in her eyes, which I think will be a big help with swimming. I just use the baby shampoo that doesn't sting and let it run in her face.

M.H.

answers from New York on

I used a wash cloth. This works great! :)

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S.B.

answers from Redding on

I used to kind of do the football hold and rinse with the other hand.
We didn't have the visor things when my kids were little.
Really, you can get it figured out.
I don't know....my babies were in the shower with me from the time their belly buttons fell off and water on their faces never bothered them. They both went on to be champs at swimming too.
Wash their bodies and rinse their little heads last either with a cup of water or under the faucet.
That's how we did our babies.

Best wishes.

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R..

answers from Chattanooga on

My DD, at 4 months, had enough hair that I could put it in a pony tail. Definitely needed a real shampoo! lol. I don't really like the visors though, because they go all the way around the head so the water follows the line of the visor, and doesn't rinse the back of the head well. Plus, I noticed that the visor (at least my dd's) leaked on the sides, and the water would follow the visor to the middle and run down her face anyway. I got one of those cups with the rubber rim on 1/2 of it, and that worked pretty well! Now she is 1, and couldn't care less if water runs in her face. I will use the shower head to make a 'fountain' for her, and she will stick her face into the water to try to drink it. lol.

~For the cradle cap, you can use a soft bristled toothbrush to gently scrub instead of your fingers. Use small circlular motions, and it will help lift the flakes off. It helps a LOT! My DD had cradle cap so bad that it actually became a rash down her body, so her pediatrician turned me on to the toothbrush thing. She also told me that even with the cradle cap, only to wash her hair every 2-3 days to keep the oil glands (which cause the cradle cap) from becoming over-active.

H.G.

answers from Dallas on

I have always sat on the side of the tub and layed my kids on their back across my lap and washed it that way. But, my mom was always real careful to not get water in my eyes and im 32 and still don't like water in my face! My kids are the same way. Use baby shampoo so it doesn't burn get him used to it! The way I eash it doesn't get water in her face tho. Good luck!

M.L.

answers from Houston on

I put my hand over his brows to shield any water and tilt the cup back from there so the water runs down the back of the head and not into the eyes.

Or just use a washcloth with a small amount of sudsy soap on it.

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