Bath Time Troubles

I bought a blow up bath tub that fits inside a regular bath tub as my daughter had the same problems. I also bought lots of bath time toys for her. I think my daughter was testing me at that age and I would tell her that she had to have a bath, no matter what. I also bought a small space heater to keep the bathroom really warm which seemed to help. She is now 31 months old and I can't get her OUT of the bath now. She takes a 20-30 min bath each night. If your daughter likes music, try playing some calm night time music.
Good luck!
L.

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Hi V.,

You didn't mention if you have any toys for her. The key thing is to have a distraction. My children love bath time (HATE washing their hair) because they get to pick out a few toys to bring in with them. It doesn't have to be specially designed "bath toys". I let them bring in any of their toys that can survive water exposure. And nine out of ten times they prefer these to the toys in the store that are made specifically for the bath.

Also try using bubbles. Don't put too much, as it can irritate their skin if they are soaking in it too long. And there are also soap crayons, finger paints and other fun bathing things you can experiment with. She might be a little young still for those, but check it out. Oh, and you might try finger puppets too. She doesn't need to be in there too long, so just try a few things to keep her distracted until she's clean.

Hope that helps!! Good luck!!

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we read books to our son so he would relax once he was old enough to sit.
Get a long anti slip matt, and tell her not to walk around, if she does, then slips, remind her that is why she should not!
Do not use soaps or bubble bath until the last minute, so her bottom is not irritated. Maybe she is getting cold or hot?
Give her a waterproof baby dool to wash, change toys every night, etc. Make washing ahri easy and fun. Dove shampoo and cond. works best for us as far as pain if it does get into eyes. no tangles either!

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I'm not quite sure how you feel because both of my children love taking baths. I would suggest getting a variety of toys for her to play with while she's in the bathtub. They make bathtub color crayons too. My daughter loves them. Try and make it a fun experience rather than a chore. Try to get her to participate in preparing the bath also. Let her plug the drain and turn on the water. Maybe then she will be a little more interested in it. Good luck.

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My Neice hates bath time also. When I watched her, I put her in the tub with cups and plastic bowls, and we kinda went nuts playing, and splashing around. She was so distracted having fun, dumping water everywhere, that I had her washed up without her even realizing it. Then she was upset she had to get out. Walmart had paints and crayons for the tub also. They could distract her, and make bath time fun. Girls aren't supposed to take Bubble baths, so that can't help you, but maybe playtime can. Good luck.

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For both of my children, I have used the Munchkin inflatable duckie tub. It's great for travel and my kids feel secure in it and love to play. You can find them at Target or RiteAid. Hope this helps...good luck!

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It's normal to start having fears around now. My son is 11 months now and doesn't like his baths. I do two different things. I will still bath him in the kitchen sink (he's small for his age) or I will just take a bath with him. If he's really upset in the bath I will nurse him a few minutes while dumping water on his legs, chest, and back. I also encourage him to splash the water with his feet. I fill the tub up with enough water to allow him to float (don't do this if you aren't actually in the water sitting in the tub with her). I also put toys in the tub. He likes the baby brush from the hospital and other things that float. Good luck!

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We have an inflatable duck tub that fits nicely inside our regularly sized tub. I believe it's made by Munchkin. It is the perfect size for our son who is big (10mos old/30 or so inches/25 lbs) He's not ready to be loose in the tub so this is a good alternative because it's like a mini tub just for him. Also the beak quacks when you squeeze it - he loves that. Hope this info is helpful.

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Hi V.. some great advice here. With my son, tantrums were either b/c he was tired or didn't understand. Maybe some books about bathtime, pictures of kids having fun. When she IS having fun in the water, get pictures of HER! use them like icons. maybe let her wear her bathing suit. and what I did with my son was ANY time of day - late mornings, early afternoons. I'm sure you have a ton of toys. maybe have a "pretend we're at the beach" day. create "the scene" in the bathroom so that it's a surprise? or let her help you. "what do we need for a day at the beach?"

many children are afraid of drain. if that scares her, maybe you can cover it.

best of luck. ~J.

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My little one didn't like getting water in her ears,
and that would cause greatly distressed crying. Why
don't you try putting earplugs in her ears before
bathtime. Worked for us!

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If you worried about her slipping, place one to two of the non-slid bath mats that a bunch of little suction cups on the back (note - scub both sides frequently and replace).

In addition, this is a fun time for them, place floating toys in the tub and sit along side the tub. Heck, you can be in the tub, as well, I had several children, so there was always two in the tub to play.

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My son also went through a time when he hated bathes. About the same time. Two word, BATH TOYS! He loves his bath now. :) Good luck!

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Hi V.,

Try using baby wash with lavander or camomille (calming wash), my son used to be the same way. But after I start using the calming wash in his bubble bath, now he looks forward to showering. Hopefully that will work for her. Also, they get fascinated with the bubble bath, I suggest you bubble bath her every time and make bath time a fun time for her.

Its fun to have babies!

-e!

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Hi, my name is J.. I have a 17 yr. old son and 14 yr. old daughter. May I make two suggestions? First, don't bathe your 15 mo. old daughter every night...sounds like you could both welcome a little peace. Second, do you have a youngster "friend" you could borrow sometimes or another child of your own close in age she could bathe with? My kids did not like bathe time either UNTIL the youngest got old enough to sit well in the tub with the older...then it became fun because they had eachother. Or you could have a special toy she only gets in the tub. One more thing. Try having someone else bathe her...sometimes when we feel bad about something, we can make our little ones feel bad about it too. Don't dismay...if mine made it, yours will. March on, Mother! J.

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Where are the bath toys? I have a 4 year old and 18month old and that is what makes bath time so much fun. My 18 month old loves the octopus faucet protector by crayola. You can turn it upside down and water pours out the 4 legs in an arch that makes him laugh like crazy. Baby born swim baby is a hit with him and yesterday for valentines day I got him these dinosaurs from cost plus that light up different colors when they are in the water. They loved that last night. I think the biggest hit would be cups that you can fill.
Good luck with that. And if it still is difficult- give her a bath every other day or every 3rd day. Babies don't need baths every day unless they are obviously dirty.

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Wow, you have tried everything. Good Job! I have always taken my little ones in the shower with me as it is back breaking over the tub. I would stick to the shower. Does she need a bath everyday. Try backing it down to 2 0r 3 times a week or if there is an emergency bath needed. (got sick or muddy) Good luck. Blessings.

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You've had a lot of good suggestions, I also used a blow up tub and that worked well. The only other thought I had was maybe she's just getting tired and cranky that time of the evening? With my first daughter I bathed her in the morning after daddy left for work, it was such a nice quiet time for both of us and very relaxed. Then at night I'd just wash her hands and face really well. With our second daughter that just doesn't work with our schedule, it may not work for you either, but I thought I'd throw it out there. :)

Wow, it sounds like you've tried every possible thing! I'm sure it's temporary, 15 months is a difficult age to try and make her understand--at some point you will be able to explain to her that this is going to happen no matter what, but in the meantime I would keep it as short as possible and be as gentle with her as you can...

Hope this helps,
J.