Hi Mamas!
I have a beautiful, smart, funny, and strong willed 14 month old daughter that has an issue with taking baths. When she was a baby she was bathed in a baby bath tub and when she started sitting up on her own we moved her into our bathroom tub. We didn't have any issues until just recently though. Some nights the whole bath in and of itself is an issue. She will scream from the moment she hears the water running until the moment we get her out. Most of the time she just stands there and screams while we rush through washing her. Our biggest problem is with washing her hair. Even on the nights when she is enjoying playing with her bath toys, the minute she gets water in her face she freaks out. We've tried everything we can think of....washing her hair with a washcloth, leaning her back, buying the pitcher that forms to her forehead, holding a wash cloth over her eyes, not washing her hair and slowly easing back into it but nothing has seemed to help. I would LOVE to think that she will just grow out of this but.....in the meantime....any suggestions on how to get through this?
My son was like this too until about 2.5 yrs old. He still doesn't like washing his hair, but he no longer screams about it. Allowing her to take a new toy into the tub or playing her favorite upbeat music might help...distract her in any way possible. BTW, Walmart sells the tub crayons and tub finger paints that someone else mentioned.
Is there a reason why you bathe her every night? Most parenting books will tell you it is not good to bathe babies every night as it is bad for their skin, as it washes away their natural oils and their skin never learns how to hydrate itself properly. Try only washing her hair every 3 nights or as another mom said - 1x a week. On the other nights if you feel she needs to be cleaned, then give her a spongebath with a washcloth and just give her a good wiping down. I used to take my kids in the shower with me- and just rinse them off. Also, take advantage of the summer and take her swimming- this might also get her over her fear of the water. Good Luck!
Have you tried doing it in a pool outside? Just to get her thinking of it in more of a play/fun light? Totally guessing here.
Does your daughter like bubbles? Maybe you can reward her for taking a bath by having bubble time at the end if she has been cooperative. Gymboree makes really good ones with a tube that you dip in the bubbles and then blow through. She could even do that to help make some of the bubbles. And - the best part about bubbles during bathtime is easy cleanup! :) Good luck
My oldest daughter was the same way from 8 months to 2 years. Now she loves bath time! Here are a few things that helped us get through this. Bubbles- to get her mind off the tub and focus on the bubbles, bath crayons, bath finger paint, and color tablets. We focused on just doing baths for about two weeks with no hair washing and then once every three baths. Then when we did wash her hair we let most of the water out. Laid her down on her back making she the water line was below her ear and washed her hair that way. It worked. Later we used a hand held shower head and now we wash her hair with that. No more tears or freekouts! Good luck!
Take her in the shower with you. Tell her it's like being in the rain, so it's more fun. Does the shampoo burn her eyes? Make sure you have a "no tears" shampoo. How is she in the swimming pool? Can she put her face in the water and blow bubbles? Just curious if that is a problem too or just the tub?
Small tub inside the big tub...they sell an inflatable duck shaped tub at Target...she might feel safer in a smaller space and the duck might be a novelty.
Why not take the bath with her, you could ware your bathing suit. Another thing you can do is put her face up laying on your lap with her head by your knees and wash her hair making sure no water gets to her face. You can make a game out of it. Also letting her know about what is about to happen and when its coming and always doing it the someway so she knows what to do when it comes. My son til this day does not like water in his face and he is 13. I would put my hand like as if I was shielding him from the sun then let him know that the water was coming. I would also leave the hair washing to the very end so if he wanted to get out with urgency he could. You should have seen him when he was taking swimming lessons.
Yes, my son hates hair washing and water poured on his head too. For a while, he actually would only stand in the tub. I felt that was too dangerous and ridiculous so I made him sit and would reward him with his favorite snack. After a couple times, he sat by himself and now loves bubble bath (asks for more) and playing with his bath toys. We only wash his hair every few weeks. That may not be an option if she is a girl but I would cut her hair shorter and maybe only wash it once a week. Also, no matter if she cries or not, give her a treat. It will take her mind off the water and hopefully help her freak out less.
I hope she does grow out of this for you. The only thing I can think of is, something I read about through Whattoexpect.com, you to go back to the beginning of taking a bath in the small tub and gradually work you way back into the regular tub.
My son was the same way! He's 4 now and tilts is head back, but boy did he cry!
I bought foam visors at Babies R US. They velcro in the back, and I would make it tight. He would still turn his head a lot and look up sometimes, and it took a few baths for him to get used to it. But it worked!
