In the Bathtub

I think you're doing everything right, but you may have to just hang back and do a little sponge bath for a while, like when she was little. Also, I would do 2 other things. During the time she's DOESN'T have a regular bath (really, just use a washcloth in a little dish of water so she doesn't have to even think about it for a while), let her give her doll a bath in HER regular bath tub and be sure to pretend to talk to the doll about how nice the water is, "asking" the doll "is it ok for you", etc. Let her bathe the doll for a while until she asks to go back in. When she is ready - maybe just start with a small amount of water in the tub and just gradually raise the level til she is comfortable. I think that will get you the quickest results. Sorry that happened to her, but I'm sure she'll get over it quick. You might get a little long-handled shower head you can plug into the faucet to make hair washing easier for a while.
M.

Hi S.,

Are you able to talk to her before she takes her bath..right at the edge of the tub..and let her test the water herself with her hand to see if she feels any better knowing it's not hot?

What about if you took a bath a few times with her and made it fun with toys? I don't mean for you to bathe yourself..just focus on her but get right in there with her and see if that helps a few times. After that you can go right back to just bathing her?

try a shower. i have a almost 2 year old little girl (turns 2 on the 15th). she loves her baths but i only have a shower where we live. she is also used to hot baths. i know that it must have been scary for your little one to have her little butt scalded in the water and can make her sour on baths. so i really suggest a shower becaseu she may not like it and want a bath again or on the other had she may like the shower and not want a bath again lol.. my little one loves the shower (we take one together or i end up soaked anyways) she sprays me with the detatchable head and stomps in the little water in the basin. good luck it may take time though.

something like this happened to us. I then got in the bath with my daughter, which she thought was great.

Good luck

Dear S.,
Isn't it tough when our kids are really going through it? We feel so bad for them that it's hard to think of solutions.....my heart is with you.

Try taking a shower with her. My son started to do that with me or with his dad around that age. he wasn't scared but just too busy to sit comparatively still that long.

(By the way, I just read the other responses that are similar to mine and if you feel more comfortable wearing a bathing suit then do but....really.....at 21 months she will not be scarred for life at seeing her mom or dad naked. Seriously, the human race has been bathing naturally together for thousands of years......you want her to be comfortable herself with her own body , right? So if you model that behavior--being comfortable with your body--she will have a much better chance. Just simple logic. I honestly don't get what the fear here is...you're not going to do anything weird, right? And so what if she brushes up against you by accident or points and asks questions? Don't you think she would think it more strange that someone would wear their bathing suit to take a bath or shower? Maybe she would want to wear hers too and then you have a whole new set of problems.....

Do what your heart tells you. In pretty much all child rearing that's always proved to be the best course of action for me. Sorry for getting on the soap box here but I think many times in our sincere efforts to do things perfectly we sometimes warp the poor kids more.)

She may like the shower or not but I think it is worth a try. It's much quicker too and then you have time to read a book and rub her back to relax her after if she needs that.

This too shall pass, I promise.

Thanks for being a loving mommy.

Blessings,
Deb

Parents are babies security. Unfortunately it became breeched due to the water temp. So be patient with your baby girl by regaining her security with her bath issues. Your best bet would be to take a few baths together to show her that everything will be fine when she gets in the water. With some activites in the bath tub to play with she'll soon want to take a bath alone so she'll have more room for play. Good Luck!!!

Not exactly the same story, but sort of happened to me and my son. What I did was put on a bathing suit and hopped in the tub to show him it was okay. I talked to him showed him it was okay, let him touch the water...just like you're doing...and, we went out and bought some crayola stuff for the tub. After a few nights of Mommy in the tub, he told me to get out. Hope that helps a bit.

Good Luck

My husband and I have the same problem. He was always like this with bottle temps as well as the bath. Solution: Get in the bath first! Easiest and fastest path to your goal of breaking the cycle you're in. And for the future: if your husband doesn't do it already, when he checks the temp of the bath water, tell him to check it by dipping in a bent elbow, not a hand. Babies are more sensitive to hot water, and the elbow is a better gauge for how they would experience it.

Good luck!

Try taking her in the shower with you a couple times before putting her back in the bath. It's something different that might be a good change before going back to the same routine.

You might want to take a bath with her. Also, there are some very cute water thermometers. My son loves this little turtle that floats and shows the temperature. Try using that and make it a game. (Is it too hot, too cold, or just right?) Best wishes!

Maybe try getting in the bathtub and then having your husband put her in with you. I know all three of my girls always loved that and after a couple of times, she may be ready to go in again herself. :)

just keep giving her a bath and as long as you make it an enjoyable experience she will eventually get over her fear!
good luck and pray for patience!

My son went through a phase where he wouldn't get in a tub if it wasn't at home. I got a little blow up tub that I put in the big tub and I got in with him. That seemed to help and he finally got over his fear.

Good luck!

Maybe if you draw a bath and get in first and ask her to join you. You can show her how much fun it is and that the water is not hot at all. I use the rubber duck that has a thermo on the bottom. My son likes to check it and see what if the water is hot or not.

Try everything and hang in there. Fear is a powerful learning tool and she's using it to protect herself. Show your pride and congratulate her for being smart.
Now approach bathing in an abstract way, a new way.
Sponge baths
Bucket baths
Showers
Sink baths
Play baths
Together baths
Mix it up, make it fun and playful.
My daughter is a power house and needs to make her own decisions, so if she needs a break for a while-I'd grant her the time. the worst that can happen is a smelly kid. Give her the time, confidence, support and experience she needs to start again.
Good luck. A huge challenge with no right answer. I wish you patients and peace.

I would suggest getting in the tub with her.

you could try putting her in the bathtub several times a day for like ten minutes without water and just let her play or even eat some snacks just so that she gets comfortable with the bathtub again.

Hi S., Just continue to be patient with her, that was probably a really scarry thing for her, you may want to try getting in with her, you can wear a bathing suit, unless you would be confortable, with out one, and play, wash her while you play. Kids remember things. Let me share a really quick story with you, when my first born (a son) was a toddler I put a sleeper on him to get him ready for bed, he started complaing that the feet in the sleeper was hurting his toes, so I decided to cut the fet out and just put socks on his feet, well i cut the first one off and as I was cutting the second obe i accidently nicked the top of his foot it didn't bleed, didn't break the skin, had a tiny bruise, but after that everytime he saw me witrh a pair of sissors in my had he would run to his room, this went on for about 3 weeks, so she will start to like her baths again, she just needs more time. J. L.