This just started about 2 weeks ago. My 16 month old freaks out in the bath tub- he refuses to sit in the tub- screams at the top of his lungs. I have tried talking to him and calming him down before putting him in the tub. I have tried new toys. I have tried sponge baths- that is just as bad. Did any of your kids go through this stage? What did you do? I feel like it is so draining just to get through bath time. I hate doing it without my husband. He has never fell or had an incident in the bath tub- this came out of nowhere...
My kids haven't done this, but here are a few ideas.
Have you tried holding him in the shower? It's a bit slippery, but my husband and I both are able to hold our kids, soap them, rinse and then hand off. Hopefully this would not get the same reaction.
Another thought is a new toy. Bath crayons, a water toy (where you pour and something spins...), a squirt gun (spray bottle)...
Good luck!
my twins were the same. One baby did like it in the beginning and the other one always hated it. My one daughter would scream, as though I was putting her in acid. so I gave up even attempting to bathe her at all. For a year I would just put towels in the crib and wash her down in her bed. It was less stressful for both of us and less of a risk of her trying to jump out. I think she felt more secure in her bed. Then i figured out she hated being submerged in water, do to sensory issues. Now they are 3 1/2 one is terrified of the shower (have to use a storage bin as a tub), but the other one loves to sit in her bath chair and feel the shower. Kids are funny and they will change over time. U dont have to bathe kids every nite. I would just do it 2-3X week..it was just crazy. So try to figure out something that is less stressful on both of you. remember kids feed of the parents stress and they get worked up even more.
Oh my goodness, my son went through a similar thing around the same age. He is now 3 1/2 and now likes baths again. What we did at the time is switched to showers; it was something different and I would make it fun just like the bath. Looking back and seeing how he is now with water when he washed his hands, I think that maybe they are sensitive to the temperature. Even when I think the water is warm at best, he says 'It's too hot Mommy.' Also, I agree with some other posts that I would just hand bathe him out of the bathtub with a wet washcloth/soap and then rinse him with a different damp washcloth or even a few wipes. They really don't get that dirty at that age. As long as you keep their privates clean it should be fine and hopefully he'll grow out of it!
Also, we tried bringing him into the shower with us and he did NOT enjoy that. Hopefully one of the many suggestions works for him. Good luck!!
I bought a seat for the bath for my daughter. There is an arm attatched to the seat that holds on to the side of the tub. I think on the box it says for up to 10 months but I used it well past that. It was plenty big and I or my husband were always monitoring to make sure there were no accidents. I think it made her feel more secure in such a "large" tub of water. She also did not like pools or lakes at the same time. All too big for her little self. I think she felt more in control. I actually had a hard time getting rid of it and just putting her in the tub without it. She fought me for a while until she was finally comfortable to bathe without it. I bought mine from Babies R Us. You can probably get it wherever they sell baby items. Good luck!!
My son was the same way. We had no problems giving him a bath but once he hit a year old, he would scream at the top of his lungs. He did not have any accidents or anything either. We also tried toys, putting him in with no water, giving him play time only, etc. We even tried sitting in the tub with him. It didn't matter, as soon as he was in the tub the screaming started. He finally out grew it after about a year or so. Now he is 9 and like a fish in the water and you have to force him out of the tub. One thing you do not want to do is force him by putting him under water or anything like that. That is something someone suggested to me and could end up being very traumatic for him.
I can't speak from experience because my son loves the water, but maybe if you try putting some toys in the tub with no water - just let him play with his toys, fully dressed for a while. Or if you have a water table, and are really brave, maybe you could bring that into the house (put a blanket underneath or something) and let him pour water from a cup in there, and maybe try 'blowing bubbles' in the water and see if he'll copy you. Most importantly though, try to remain as calm as possible during his theatrics. If he senses for one second that you're agitated, or if your comforting actually validates his fears, he may become more hysterical. There are probably fun dvds out there too, showing Elmo taking a bath or something. Or, this may sound strange but he's young enough that this wouldn't be inappropriate, what about a playdate that included a shared bathtime? If you have a friend or relative with a little one, maybe you two could give the kids a bath together. Maybe having another kid in there with him will make it seem more like fun and less frightening. Whatever you do, good luck, and remember that they eventually grow out of everything.
