Hello Moms,
I have a 13 month old son who is refusing and fighting really hard to not take bath. He used to be one of those kids who absolutely love love love bathtime. I fit his bathtub in my kitchen sink and everytime I would take off his clothes and take him near the bathtub, he could not control his excitement and would almost try to jump out of my arms to into the bathtub to get into the water. Since, past one week, for some reason, he hates taking a bath. As soon as I get close to the bathtub and as soon as he realizes that its bathtime, he completely freaks out and tries to get out of the water. Needless to say, I haven't managed to give him a proper bath in the last one week. Have any of you experienced anything like this? Could this be just a phase? I've tried to put his favorite toys in his bathtub, but he gets so mad that he hardly looks at the toy. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you.
Hi Everyone, Thank you all so much for your wonderful suggestions. This is so helpful. Thanks to all the great moms out there. So, I tried to take a shower with him yesterday. Although, just the sight of the shower (even before getting into the shower) freaks him out like crazy and I was constantly afraid of dropping him. I'm going to give him a break, just clean him with wet sponge for the next couple of days and then try the big bath tub. Thanks again. I hope my LO starts bathing soon :)
Get in the tub with him. Totally fun, and you can make it safe and friendly, since mommy's there too.
My daughter (16 months) still likes her big inflatable duck that sits in the big bath. They sell them at the grocery store, target etc (http://www.munchkin.com/products/detail.html?pID=168)
Good luck!
Hi S.,
Yes it is just a phase, keep trying but stay calm and don't let him see you get upset. Give him sponge baths with a warm wash clothe to sooth him until he gets over it. Be patient. I would start using the big bathtub/shower to get him used to it.
S.
Dear S.,
As long as someone else hasn’t put him in a tub when the water was too hot or there was a situation where water went up his nose, (i.e. he had a bad experience), I recommend that you prepare the bath with very shallow water and take control while you are still the biggest. When I hear people say a baby or small child “refuses” to do this or that, it concerns me, because if you let a child do as they please, when clearly the “parents” know best, you are in for it as they get older.
If he has had a bad bathing experience, then start with a through washing on the changing table and work you way up.
There’s nothing quite so pleasant as a well behaved child and the teaching starts from birth.
Blessings.....
I'd start putting him in the regular bath or in the shower. He is a big boy now and needs more room to move about. Good luck!
At his age, it may be a fear of the height of the tub being in the sink. Since he is likely able to sit up, put some water in the regular bathtub and let him bathe there. You will need to plan everything out so you can be with him every moment he's in the tub, but that is easy to do... and if you forget something you need to go for, either have daddy get the item, watch him while you get them, or simply scoop him up, wrap him in a towel and go get it, then return him to the tub. My guess is having all that space to play in the water will thrill the little guy.
Hi,
Try putting him in a big bathtub if you have one. My daughter started using a bathring to sit in in the big tub when she was about 7 months old. Now she takes a bath in the tub without her ring. She is 15 months old and has been doing this for a few months now. She loves to have room to kick and splash and float toys. Her favorite is to lay on her tummy and pretend to swim and blow bubbles in the water!
You aren't still using the baby tub are you? He's way too big for that. Get a bath seat and put him in the big tub.
13 mos is old enough for the big tub if you have one...do you? Kids usually always love to play in the tub. I'd sit on the toilet and read for an hour sometimes while they played, splashed, giggled and destroyed the bathroom! Good times.
Is he associating bath time with bed time and maybe being cranky because he knows he ultimately has to go to bed? You might want to bathe him earlier and do story time right after so he doesnt associate it with going night night if that makes him mad.
Has anyone else given him a bath lately that may have hurt him? Maybe he got too cold and doesnt want to go through that discomfort again or something like that?
It does seem like an odd behavior to have happened over night.
i would put him in the regular bath now. he is a big boy now, so he can go in the big bath. They sell those suction seats for the bath, or let him move around in there. If you don't have a bath, then maybe he can shower with you.
maybe he's getting to big for a little bathtub and the joy has gone out of it for him. my son also started to not like his little tub, once i started him in the big tub in the bathroom he loved it again. he really loved all that room to scoot around on his belly. and i bought him a bunch of tub toys which made it all the more fun. i had this little mirror that attached by suction cup to the wall and would make him whipped cream paint to play with. he would make beards on himself and laugh!!! when he got older and knew not to get it in his mouth, i made shaving cream paint. i also had tub tints that colored the water. theres alot of cool tub toys now maybe you could intice him in with a new toy. good luck!
have you tried putting him in a regular bath tub, not a baby bath?
Also, bubbles helped my son during this phase. He is now almost 19 months and is going through another phase of not liking the bath,...we are using bath crayons to help..
What an odd change of behavior...
How about a "sponge bath"?
Or holding him in the shower with you? (you could wear a swimsuit if you feel strange about it)
Dear S.,
Try putting him in the shower or bathtub with you. I showered with both of my kids from the time they were super little and neither had a fear of the water. In fact, as soon as my son was old enough, I had him in the hot tub with me and his sister. We almost had a heart attack the first time he bent down and put his face in the water. He came up laughing. He was not afraid of any swimming pool and by the time he was a year old, we were counting One, Two, Three...and letting him go under for a few seconds. He could already hold his breath under water. He was a little fish! The first time we took him to a lake, however, he FREAKED!!!!! He didn't want anywhere near the water, didn't want any of us near it. I think it's because it was such a big body of water and there weren't any sides to hold on to like he was used to. We got in the water and showed him it was safe and it wasn't deep right near the edge. Finally he let us at least get our feet wet while holding him, but he shook and shivered. The next time we went to the lake, we took our boat. I put him in the water with me with his little life vest on and he cried when it was time to get out.
I really do think it's a phase your son is going through. It may be that the "chore" of taking a bath just isn't fun. One thing I learned with my first baby who cried everytime I had to bathe her was that I didn't have the water warm enough. She was fine in the shower with me because the water was warmer...that's how I figured that one out.
Try getting in the tub with him a couple of times. If the water is too cool for you, it's probably too cool for him. I know you work full time, but it might be a nice way for you both to relax a little before you do the jammies and night-night thing.
Best wishes!
Hello S.,
I wonder why you put the tub into your sink? I give my grandchildren baths in the kitchen sink all the time andwe have learned that mermaids need room! and a 1 year old adores to use the hose to make bigger bubbles.
So loose the tub and use the sink without it and he may feel more secure and happy.
Nana Glenda
