My almost three year old (turns 3 end of March) HATES to have her hair washed. She loves the bath and showering, but try to wash or wet her hair and it becomes a huge screaming battle. She also tends to act out when you brush her hair, though once you've washed it, we like to put conditioner in it and brush it out so it's not a rat's nest, and she's generally more calm for that part.
What on earth can I do to make this less stressful? Is it just a phase?
We have started a nightly routine of washing and combing her hair, and with the help of some squeeze-balls she can squirt herself with, she's decided I'm not trying to drown her when I wash her head. She still protests, but it's dwindling a bit each night.
Hi S.,
I had the same problem with my daughter who is now 6 1/2. What I did was slowly and softly with a wash cloth wet her hair with little shampoo and this seem to help. She did not like the water on her face so the washcloth kept it away for the most part. Maybe this can help with you. Good Luck! :)
Okay, you are probably going to think that i should've been committed for this one...............but, my daughter who is now 5 went through that so bad she would try to fight me off in the bathtub screaming at the top of her lungs if i came near her w/shampoo - anyways, i'm sure u may have or know someone who has the little mermaid movie, well haley would watch that and i would let her wear her bathingsuit in the tub up until just after she let me wash her hair - the one thing my daughter picked up on w/that movie was the singing ariel would do & how beautiful her hair was. So she would give in & sing while i washed it & when it came time to brush it and stuff i would just remind her of how beautiful it would look afterwards. For the longest time we would pick up anything that had to do w/ariel - we even found little mermaid flippers & a scuba mask at walmart that i'd let her wear for a little bit while bathing - i can't remember my mom ever going to this length to get us to do things, but i think the most important thing is choosing your battles. Boy, looking back my oldest hated the shower & then my youngest the bath. If it were up to them they'd only bath by jumping in the pool when it's warm enough. Good luck!
i have a 6 yr old daughter that has curly hair past her butt..it has always been long...she has over the yrs already had trims that equal to 5 inches total cut off. even when she was littler it was hard to wash hair..we learned to have her brush it befor we got into the tub..i bought one of the head visors for keeping the water and shampoo out of her face..that has helped alot..once she has brushed i let her play for a while in the tub to relax her and tell her its ok to get her own hair wet. once it is time to shampoo i put it on her head but also put a dab on her hand and have her help shampoo the head..when rinse time comes i usually have her lean back into my hand as i run the water from the tap over the head.she is facing up so nothing gets in her eyes..when i do the conditioner it is her time to wash her body..i usually run my fingers through the hair or the hair pick. when she is done washing i do the same for the rinse..until she trusts you with laying her head/neck in your hands..you could have her put her arms back as though she is leaning on them and just tip her head back..you can still support her neck so it don't hurt her..you could also put her on the counter top in the kitchen and accomplish the same thing..have her lay on the counter top and hold her neck while the facet runs over her head and shampoo and usual..takes a little getting used to with doing it one handed though..hope some of this helps..rosie ps have a happy holiday season
My daughter is going through this now. She is 2 1/2, and used to love the bath. Now, she is afraid, and refuses to sit down in the tub. I think this is the age. I have heard from other parents that their children are also going through this.
My daughter went through that stage also. At the time she had long hair so one of the first things I did was cut it so that there was less to wash and brush (her hair would tangle really bad). To wash her hair I would lay a towel on the kitchen counter with a rolled up one under her neck, she would lay on her back on the towel with her head over the sink. I would then give her 2 plastic cups to hold over her ears and a wash cloth on her face. We would then sing "we're gonna wash that dirt right out of my hair" (a song from South Pacific). She got over it when she was around 5 or 6, but that was our hair washing routine for about 3 years.
I'd ask her what part of hair washing she doesn't like. My youngest daughter hated to have her hair washed because she was afraid that when she closed her eyes to keep the water out she'd fall over and drown. Odd but sometimes what we fear is odd. We decided to wash her hair in the kitchen laying her on the counter top with a rolled towel under her neck and hair in the sink. We did this for about 4 months until she decided that it was ok to wash her hair in the bath again.
I am right there with you! My 2 1/2 yo HATES the shower and tub. She screams and fights so much she is horse by the time where done. I put the water on and filled the tub a little the othe day and let her play. I realized when I went to warm up the water that she is terrified of the shower head!! I didn't push the hair thing since it was a fun experience just to play and scrub in the tub. I will try the sink trick for her hair! I have no solutions just to say you are not alone!!!! A.
My younger brother was that way, he was just really nervous about the water in his face. We solved it by giving him a paper towel to hold while we washed his hair so that he could hold it against his forehead and wipe away any water that accidentally got in his eyes or face. Otherwise he would freak out. I hear they also make a viser. But I think having the ability to control the papertowel made him feel more secure. I am sure a handtowel would work just as well.
We use the dry towel approach, too. And I've heard putting swimming goggles on helps, although I haven't found any in the stores yet.
I've explained to my son to yell "towel" instead of just out right screaming... so I know to wipe his face, instead of just getting upset.
Good luck!
Hi S.,
Maybe she doesn't like the water in her face. Give her a wash cloth so she can keep it over her eyes and have her lay back so the water doesn't go down her face.
Good luck,
J.
Yes it's a phase, and hopefully for you won't last too long. LoL My son is 3 right now and we're going thru the hair washing thing too.
My daughter was worse.. at 2 and half she suddenly became TERRIFIED of monsters in the bathtub and refused to bathe for about 2 months. I was pregnant at the time and exhausted so I just did the sponge bath thing for a while until it got to the point of her really really needing a REAL bath.. she screamed and we got thru it and it was horrible but finally she realized there were no monsters in the bathtub and mommy was right there and she would be fine. :::whew:::
They do outgrow it, I promise!! LoL I just tried not to associate anything negative with bathtime during that phase, never use bath as a punishment, try to make it fun with toys and bath crayons (the kind they can write on the walls with and they wash right off,,, I used Magic Erasers after the bath and it came off fine), and it eventually passes.
Good luck!!!
ditto what beata said, my daughter likes to have a dry washcloth ready for her whenever she is in the tub.
It's not unusual for a 3 or 4 year old (and sometimes even older) to hate having their hair washed. Usually they are afraid of getting water in their eyes. I solved this by giving my kids and grand kids a washcloth to hold over their eyes. I also have the kind of shower head that is removable and has a setting for a gentle spray. This way the water doesn't splash as much. Using a cup to pour the water from is also a lot easier to control.
