18 Month Old Won't Sit in the Tub

My 23 month old daughter went through the same thing a few months ago. While it is hard to enforce, it is a safety issue having her stand in the tub. We now tell her that she must first sit, then she can have her tub toys. And we change them up every once in awhile so that she gets "new" ones to play with. The crayola bath crayons are great, they wash right off and she must sit to use them.

While I agree with the other moms that she can not stand in the bath tub, I do not agree with the tone of some of the postings. This can be a difficult situation, especially because you don't want to do anything to make her afraid of the water. It is a safety issue, but every parent goes about how to get it done differently. Good luck!

We started giving our 15mo showers for convenience when she was putting food in her hair everynite, now she too does not like to sit in tub. We find showers work best and if we don't want/need to shower I have just run the water out of the tap with me in the tub, soaped her up and then used the hand held shower to rinse her off. She loves it. I can't wait to get her in the pool.

try bathing her in the kitchen sink. I did with my son until he was almost 4 lol he loved the sprayer. I kept a small bucket for him to shoot the water into. I found this also helped with my back. I also took him in the shower with me sometimes. Try it you never know.

I agree with the moms that say there is no standing in the tub in my house because that is dangerous. Having said that maybe it has something to do with the way the tub feels to her tushy, try putting a towel down on the bottom of the tub ( I did this with my daughter for the 1st 2 years) it helps them not to slide around in the tub & may feel better for her tushy

Hi H.,

Is she to big to use one of those bath chairs. Just a thought. :)

In our house, we just plain old can't allow standing in the tub. My son slipped and fell once and split his mouth open, and since then, if they stand up, the bath is over. They've had me enforce the rule enough times (even while covered in soap!) that they prefer to follow the rule and just sit for their baths. My son is almost 2.5, and my daughter is 15 months. They both understand "sit down on your bottom please" and that there are consequences for their actions. They also both have tubes in their ears, so the consequences of a fall could be great. If you really want your daughter to sit in the tub, you need to be an enforcer. One thing you can do is have her shower with you, where standing is more acceptable and safer. My kids love the shower and it's a real treat for them to take one with us. Good luck!

my daughter went thru that. I bought lots of bath toys, and blow up beach balls. called it a beach party. She was tempted to go in and finally did. good luck.

I think that you need to set down the rules...if she doesn't want to sit then she should take a shower...there should be no standing in the tub(for safety reason) and hey she could shower with you and then there's one less thing you have to do...or you could still shower her seperately, but again safety first. if you want to give her a bath, remove all the toys until she sits...I have 5 boys (my youngest is now 2) and they all shower...a bath is a special treat or for when they are sick...of course I do this to save water but it's been like this since my 2 oldest were with us in an apartment that only had a shower...goodluck!

It always amazes me when a little one refuses to do something and the parents allow it. Standing in the tub is incredibly dangerous. Would you allow her to unbuckle her car seat because she wants to? Tell her to sit period!! If she doesnt sit then she needs a consequence (read punishment). Tonight tell her before she gets in the bath that she WILL sit and you will not argue about it. Tell her if she doesnt sit she will have a time out. If she refuses to sit, take her out and put her cold and naked in a corner for 2 minutes. Put her back in the tub and repeat until she figures out you mean business. You need to stop this now before she slips and has a bad accident. Also she needs to know that she cant be allowed to do whatever she wants, especially when it comes to something dangerous.

Some kids just don't like sitting in the tub. It's nothing to worry about. Just continue what you are doing and wash her standing up. If you are having trouble washing her hair while she standing try getting a little plastic step stool for her to sit on in the tub.

if all she does is stand, consider yourself lucky. mine is all over the place. i shower him mostly, i feel its safer. you can line the bottom and even the sides of the tub with a big bath towel or three, it stays in place better if you shower him. make sure you have a protector thing on the faucet and whatever else you need. if you dont want to shower him, maybe get one of those inflatable tubs to put in the tub, i would think it would be a lot safer to fall in.

My 12 month old is the same way. We had a tub seat for her, and all she would do is stand in it. If I raise my voice and make her sit, she'll sit, but not for long. Its not that we "allow" our kids to do this, like another mother suggested, but kids are kids and they are just testing their boundaries. Just do the best you can, and try to get them to sit. We also have a pooh toy that requires them to sit to use it, which has worked well. We have a rubber mat on the floor of the tub for her safety.

Get in the tub with her if you think it will help. We usually shower or get in the bath with her, so she knows what she needs to do.

Good luck!

my daughter is the same way. She splashes and plays and does the whole bath thing but will not sit... my son did the same thing for a while until he fell n busted his butt once gettin out... now he prefers showers. i think its a matter of control for them. not quite sure. even babies feel the need to have a little control over things.(i guess they dont realize how much control they really do have over things from the time we find out they are coming into the world huh) so i guess the best and only advise i have is to keep a close eye on her and make sure she doesnt fall n bust her butt and just let her splash.

I had this problem with my son as well between 12 and 18 months--when his balance standing was not great yet. I did make him sit as much as I could but it took a while for him to consistently listen. In the meantime I got a rubber mat so he wouldn't slip and a soft cover for the faucet. Now that he is 3 the problem is him dumping water on the floor--so they do find new ways to drive you crazy ;-)

You got lots of ideas here, so I wish you luck with that. I just wanted to say that I agree with trying some different things and not making it a big deal. It will pass. There are more important things be concerned about, trust me on that one, I have 4 kids 4-16.

I used to use one of those large sponges that you would bath an infant on. My kids like to sit on that since their butt did not slide all over, which made them feel insecure in the water.

Blessings,
T. E.
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