14 Mnth Who Hates to Take a Bath!!!!

Some great advice about the kitchen sink! And getting in the shower with your child. I think most kids go through that. Both of mine did. I started getting them into a swimming pool as often as possible to hopefully increase their love of the water. My three year old who would scream at the top of her lungs now will voluntary go under water!! She will say "Mommy watch me!" And at first it scared me but I realized how much of a benefit it really is to have them so comfortable in water. Although she still hates for me to wash her hair for fear of soap getting in her eyes. Sitting or standing, I used a large cup to wet and then rinse and I just do it very quickly and have a towel or rag on hand just in case. Maybe try giving him a bath a few times here and there without washing his hair to "gain his trust" will help him calm down enough to atleast get in the tub easily. Then let him be a part of it. Put shampoo in his hand first and let him feel he has some control. But none the less, don't worry....he won't feel that way for too long. The more he gets used to water the less he will be afraid.

have you tried putting him in the kitchen sink? my little girls loves that. i set her in and turn the water on lowand can spray her off with the sprayer. that will make it a lot easier on you too with your belly. or let your hubby put him in the shower with him. my girl likes that too. she sits on the tub floor and plays while my hubby washes and then he picks her up and holds her while he washes her off and just rinses her off under the water. we just sing and laugh and tell her much fun it is and what a big girl she is for getting under the waterr.

I can only suggest getting in the tub with him. Or having your husband join your boy. That way you can actually hug him close and reassure him. I suggest only doing so when you husband is home of course, don't want you getting stuck in the tub. It might help if both of you are in there, one in the tub with your boy and one at the side. I hope this helps. Good luck.

have dad try taking a bath with him... i would say you could but i know when i was 7 moths along i couldnt even get in the tub!!! give it a try!

I actually had the same problem with my little girl (also 14 mo.). I did a number of things. First I started giving her showers with me. She eventually got used to water in her face (even though I tried my best to keep her face away from it), and after about 3 weeks of showering she was ready to go back to the tub. I also did an aquababes class with her. This got her very comfortable with the water. She loved it! Congrats on your new one on the way. Good luck.

I bought a visor at babies R us that keeps water out of kids' eyes. My first boy liked that. Maybe try to buy some new bath toys to coax him into the bath again. Have you tried bath crayons? He might be too young for this???? Or you could try a paint brush (you can "paint" the walls with water). Good luck!
S.

call Grandma she will help!!!!!!!!

A little unorthodox, but I started putting a pair of sunglasses on my son for the same reason. These are babybanz so they're more like a goggle than a sunglass--but it works great. If I had it to do over again, I'd probably get swim goggles--but I used what I had on hand.

Hope it helps!

I don't know if this will work for you and your son T., but I have these hats that I bought about four years ago. I bought them at Toys R Us and I stil use them on my children today, so they last a long time too. I think they were Sassy brand. They are really colorful and look like visors, and are velcro in the back so they adjust with age too. My son had a really bad cut (when he was 22mons.) right above his eye and ever since then he hates to get water in his face and this was the only thing thatIi have found that help give him security again. I just looked online and they are called bath and sun visors and the are made by Sassy, you can find them on www.Sassybaby.com look for bathtime and the bath accessories. Hope this will help you. What I did will Brayden to show him at first the you can't get water in your eyes with these on I told him to stand under the shower and he thought that was fun, but he was also older than your son, so use your best judgement, but I think these will help you and your son out. Good Luck!!!

Try getting in the bath tub with him until he is comfortable again. My 8 month old daughter was scared of the bath tub too and I got in there with her for about a week until she was comfortable. She now does fine on her own. Maybe that might help with you leaning over too!! Good luck.

I have a similar suggestion. My son has tubes in his ears, but also hates having water in his face. We cover his head with a swim cap and use goggles to cover his eyes! He looks a lot like an alien, but has a lot of fun "swimming." Maybe this will work for you. Good luck!

My son loves it when he gets to bathe with daddy. They have squirt gun fights! Maybe this could be something that you try? Also, when I do give him a bath I dont wash his hair everytime, but when I do I give him a clean dry washcloth that he holds over his eyes while he leans back and I pour the water over his hair. Good Luck !!

Perhaps your husband could get in the tub first. He could wear swimming trunks if he wished. I used to blow bubbles, the outside kind that you blow with bubble wands, into the bathtub to keep our son in the tub. I explained first that to him that he had to sit down at all times and could reach and see how many he could pop. I would blow them close but not in his face. We would count and he soon forgot where he was. Your husband may be willing to participate too. Getting him to feel more in control of the hair washing may help. I asked my son if he wanted to wear the bath hat or hold a washrag over his eyes while I poured water on his head. It gave him a choice and seemed to work. He's now 6 and takes showers and lets the water run over his head and face. So that didn't create a long lasting dependency as we gradually worked away from it. Unless he has been playing hard or outside a lot, perhaps the hair washing could be skipped a night or too to make him more comfortable in the tub. Good Luck

I've had this problem with my sisters children. The middle one at that age would absolutly throw the biggist fits! Also my 9 month old is starting to have problems now. My suggestion would be to try the sink. If this doesn't work i would suggest tag teaming. Here's what my boyfriend and i do. I wash her, and he holds her hands standing when it's time to wash her hair. The fits are still bad, but it makes washing so much easier. Also try having one of you go in the tub with him. My daughter loves taking a bath or shower with me. Lol though she still hates having hair washed. If you get in the tub with your son, have your husband nearby to help wrap him up in a towel and help you out of the tub. Good luck!

Jen T

This must be a boy thing, my son did the same thing I found putting him in the kitchen sink worked. I would run the water slowly and give him some safe kitchen utencils to play with measuring cups etc. The hose made it easier to wash his head and with you being pregnant this will be much easier on your back. He loved playing in the stream of water. Use one of those little bath hats to keep the water out of his eyes....