Need Help with Bathin

My daughter did the same thing.. We now take showers together and ahe loves it.. You cant even say the word "shower" around her or she starts tugging on her clothes to get undressed, so unless you want her in there with you you have to spell it out LOL good luck

Have you tried doing bath & shower combo? Fill up part of the tub with water, and then use a shower head that detaches to wet her hair.
How about special rinse cup for the tub or letting her do it?

Good luck!

I asked this same question when my son was between 15-16 months old. I dealt with the same problem, he loved his baths and all of a sudden he was afraid of everything to do with the water. All I can say is that it was just a stage for him, and I tried some new toys to get him to like bathtime more. But until he got passed the stage I learned to give the quickest baths possible, usually standing up. I didn't push him too much, I just waited it out. He got passed it in about a month. Hang in there!

My kids don't like water on their faces either so I bought some foam visors that have velcro in the back (to make them snug) to wear when I rinse their hair. No water goes in their faces that way. I got it from Toys R Us in the bath part. As far as sitting down, why does she have to? It doesn't seem to me that it is an important battle so just let it go. I would just not put water in the tub- give her a shower (with a removable shower head) or use a cup filled with water to rinse her off.Just make sure you have a nice bath mat so she doesn't slip. Hope this helps.

Do everything you can to make bathtime a fun experience. Get lots of bath toys to keep her occupied while you are washing her hair. Make sure you use baby shampoo so it doesnt hurt, as bad, if it gets in her eyes, but be careful not to get it in her eyes.

Amazing! We had the same exact problem when my daughter turned 16 months. She had loved her baths and then turned against them. She would howl and freak out during bath times. All it took was some time to pass. I think it took a month for her to get over the bath thing. During that time we would do our best to sponge bath her and every so often deal with the screaming and fighting and hold her down to wash her hair. Now that I think about it, we would wash her hair in the sink! We tried the bubble bath thing, bath crayons, toys, etc. Nothing worked but time. Good luck to you and hang in there.

Hello there,
Have you tried Dora or Princess Bubble bath? My kids love bubbles! I also have dozen toys in there also, some float some kinda sinks. Make a game to get the toys under the water the fastest, she will eventually get wet and prolly sit after bending over so much. Smile also throughout the whole time. I just remembered, I also have squirt guns that are just for bathtime, she has to take it under to fill it, and just like I said, she will get tired of bending over. Slowly then pour water on her legs and go up to her shoulders. Good luck with her hair, my daughter doesnt like water in her face either, but make it into a game somehow. Good Luck.

My duaghter is 14mnth and had gone threw 2 infections in 1mnth. I thought that made her fear the water. I know the feeling i found that if my daughter has this bathtime book then she will sit and take a bath. Try a bath book or a bath toy that she really likes. That our it is just there way of saying no.

Hi C.. When you wash her hair-try not actually filling the tub with water--just let the water run slowly from the faucet---let her pick out a washcloth that she likes and sit her in the dry tub--let her hold the washcloth over her face---take a plastic cup and just slowly pour the water on her hair---the washcloth will protect her from feeling the water is getting in her eyes, nose, mouth etc. And, she may be more comfortable sitting in the tub--and not leaning backward or whatever to have her hair washed and rinsed. The cup pouring over her hair to rinse etc. may be easier to control. Also, try putting a little bit of the shampoo in her hands and letting her rub it in her hair herself---then, of course you'll "help" her finish up. She may just like to idea of having a little control over all the water rushing down over her face--and she'll like being able to do it herself.

when this happened with my step daughter i would bath her in the kitchen sink..althought crowded i was closer to her and she wasnt as freaked..finally she out grew and was fine..T.

Hi C.,

I lots of kids go through this, I have three kids and I think each one of them hated the hair washing, including my son who is 4 now, and still sometimes screams as I'm rinsing his hair. Two suggestions that might help are, if you can get a removable shower head, so when you are rinsing her she can touch the water first and you can make a game with it "now let's wash your belly, now your back". Next, putting a washcloth over the front of her head helps the water from not going directly in her face. My mom did that with me when I was little. She'll have to get over sitting in the bath again, stay firm and maybe tell her, she'll miss playtime if she won't sit for a bath first. Good luck and best wishes, E.

I'm not saying this to sound rude, but maybe check the temp. of the water, to make sure it's not too hot. I once put my little guy in the tub and the water was a little too warm for him and he let me know right away by pulling himself back out on my shoulder.
Good luck!

Is it possible that the temperature of the water is too hot or the temperaute of the room is too cold, and that she is uncomfortable? My 5 year old won't sit in the tub when it's too hot. I always test it, but what seems okay to me is sometimes uncomfortable to him. Also, he complains when the room is chilly, so I've started using a space heater to warm the bathroom before he bathes. It's so nice when they can actaully tell you what's wrong. Hope this helps.
S.

Try taking a bath with her. My daughter and son love bath time but my daughter's favorite thing is tub time with daddy. He washes himself clean and gets a bathing suit to get in the tub with her and she loves it. They splash together, play together and just have fun. My suggestion is take a tub with her. My daughter enjoys taking them with me but I usually take a shower which she loves too. That's our fun in the water time. hope this helps.

I just got these ADORABLE bath visors custom made for my baby and a friend's. Perhaps getting her a special one just for her will make her feel good and safe from splashing and like shes part of the process, etc. If you e-mail me I could give you the details and send you a pic of mine. This lady will custom design them with the theme you want. I believe they are only $7.99 each and she only charges $3 shipping, no matter how many you get!!
I would also suggest having her play with little buckets of water (supervised of course) so she can splash, play, and get used to it, so she can feel more in control. Make it a really positive thing and praise her when she interacts with the water.
Also, maybe give her a baby-doll to bath!

skip the hair washing for a little while. It won't be the end of the world. Also, try taking a bath with her and letting her wash your hair. make a game out of it.

My Daughter is the same as as yours and she does the same thing. Its so hard to give her a bath now..I have tried everything I can think of short of getting into the tub with her, but I don't think that would change anything..LOL..she has toys in there, she likes turning the water on and off, and splashing, but as soon as i start to wash her she gets mad and cries...the rest of the time..until we are about done then she wants to play and cries because i took her out of the tub. I know she is getting cold during her "baths" but there isn't much I can do when she won't sit down...

My son went through a similar phase around 18 months, he's now 23 months and over it. He would not sit down in the tub, but I found that he likes to play with running water. So I would let the water run slowly and let him play with the cup we used to wash his hair. After a month he was over the stand only and would sit down, but as long as you're right there just let her stand up, she'll get over it eventually.

We went through this at about the same age. As fast as it came along was as fast as it disappeared. It was almost like she woke up one day afraid of the bath tub. We worked through it and now she is fine and loves the bath. www.livegreeneasy.com

I think this is normal. My son did it but I don't remember what age he was. At one point I remember him telling me that he thought he would be sucked down the drain. I'm not sure what will help except that I stopped draining the tub until after my son was out of the bathroom.

Are you able to take a bath with her and play a bit? I do this about twice a month with my little one and she loves it!
You can wear your swimsuit or just your undergarments.

We haven't really had this issue with our 21 month old son but i understand it is very common to suddenly be afraid of the bathtub and in particular - the water going down the drain. It's not clear to them that water goes down the drawin but they don't! There was a short time when he decided he didn't like his bath anymore a few months ago and actually - we started to give him a shower. Now he loves the shower, prefers it over the bath, and that's what we give him every night. Much easier to do by the way!
Maybe try that?

I have not taken the time to read all of your responses, so I appoligize if I have repeated something that someone has already suggested, sorry. My daughter started doing the same thing around the age of 18months. Trying to cope with the screaming, tantrums, and full blown out hysterics I just dred the bath time with my daughter. I tried....I really did...I tried everything! I took baths with her, I tried color bubbles, bath crayons....I mean you name it, i tried it. What I did not try in all the months of trying was a showers....Guess what.....she loved it! I took her first shower with her, and we had so much fun. She is now over two years old, and LOVES taking showers....It makes her feel like a big girl. When people ask her if she is big girl, she replies,"I take a shower." It is really funny. Good luck

My 16 month old son was a water baby until last month. He went from splashing and screaming fun to standing and crying to get out. He used to be fine with water streaming down his face and now he wants out as soon as I start to pour the water. I tried the pour cup with the rubber side to shield his face, but it is cumbersome and hard to get his head in the right position. As with most of my son's issues, he is getting better with the bath over time. We play with his water xylophone and the basketball hoop while I start pouring over the back of his head. I make sure to tell him, "here comes the water!" so he has some warning. He never sits in the tub anymore so it is a constant challenge to wash and rinse his body. Just hang in there. Baths will be fun again. Next, they won't want to get out!

B

My daughter does the same thing. It got so bad I told my husband that I wanted to start collecting a paycheck for bath duty. LOL She started this around age 2. She is 2 1/2 and we are still going at it, though it is getting a little better - she recovers more quickly. On the days that she won't sit down I get the job done as quickly as possible. I warn her when I am going to pour water on her head and do the best I can to not get it on her face. Some things I've tried are bathing visors, swim goggles, washcloth over the eyes, special cups and pitchers, reclining in my arm and "looking for stars in the sky". Though they didn't work for us, perhaps they will work for you. Good luck!

Do you think that the fear of the bath has escalated from the fear of water getting in her eyes? I bought those bath visor hats (I think I got them from onestepahead.com or babies r us) but I also just heard of the idea to use swim goggles. You could also have her pretend to bath a baby doll herself (with the goggles or visor even!) during play time or even find a doll that can come in the tub with her so she can bathe it while you do her. My only other suggestion is just to make the tub as fun as possible with those water color-changing tabs, bubbles or great toys (my kids are in love with this toy from Tomy that is 8 dolphins that float and each is a whistle- when you tap it's head it plays a tune. It may also be from onestepahead.com) Good luck!

I would definitely buy her a special tubby doll that you can take the clothes off of and she can bathe herself, just like you bathe her. Let her wash the doll in the tub or sink, dry off the doll, get the doll dressed, etc. Then tell her its your turn to bath her. Explain to her how important it is to wash away all those bad germs that can make her sick.

The other option is to just wash her while she is standing in the tub and be as quick as possible.

I'm guessing this is just a phase, kids are funny like this!

I wish you luck!

r.

My son went through this around 12 months. It's just a phase. One thing I did was allow him to play in there w/o water during the day, so he wasn't so afraid. Another thing when we did baths I went in with him. Only had to do that like once or twice & he was fine.

Try not to make a big deal out of it or that will prolong the process.
Good luck!!

Hello there. My daughter went through the same thing. I went to wal-mart and found a few bath toys and a face blocker hair wash butcket thing..(I have no clue what its called) When you poor it on her head you do it from the front and there is a soft piece that goes around the forehead so the water doesn't get into her face... I made bath time fun time with a few toys and when she was comfortable in the water i would wash a bath tub toy and rinse showing it doesnt hurt. It took a few times for her to totally get used to it but after the realization that it wasnt going to hurt she loves tubby time.. I hope everything works out for you.. good luck...

I went through the same thing with my daughter when she was about 12 months old. She just started freaking out at bath time. I started giving her baths in the kitchen sink and that helped. Eventually we were able to get her back into the bathtub again. I asked her pedi and he said it's completely normal for kids to go through a stage of being scared of the tub. Don't worry, she'll grow out of it!