Toddler Dislikes Water/Baths

I feel for you!!! I too have a 2.5 yr old who HATES the tub AND having her hair washed!!! Finally, I had to cut her hair really short and only wash it a few times a week. When we do bath time, im carefull to use more bubbles than water...and we use a bathingsuit in the tub (which someone else suggested) that seems to work the best since the water dosent "hit" her directly. I think it just a sensory thing, so hang in there!!!

At this point, I'd call the dr too. It could be another problem...the pedi might have seen this before and be able to help.

Good Luck!

My sister had a similar problem with her daughter. i remember she used to load the tub with her toys and tell her she is going to have a toy wash. she played outside the tub for a while...bubbles and all, and then she eventually climbed in. she used to allow her to wear a bathing suit to pretend it was a fun thing not a chore. Maybe it might work, keep your head up...good luck

I recently gave a bath to my friend's reluctant toddler.
Some things that helped were talking about how warm and nice the water was, gave her a foot massage with the soap.... Maybe incorporating massage with the bath would help?
I also sang, "It's time to scrub-a-dub-dub in the big girl bath tub."
And we chased bubbles around.
Another idea, have someone not-usual give the bath?
My last thought is.... Is the water too cold? I know I get wimpy if my bath isn't "just right". ;D
Good luck & keep the patience.

Hi N.,

My daughter was a nightmare at bathtime since she was 2. She would scream so loud I was terrified the cops were going to come knocking on my door. She was alot better when my husband had time to do the chore and then I started taking her in the shower with me. I just put on my suit and we would play ring around the rosey or lets run through the rain. Now I give her a shower 90% of the time and she gets in all by herself. I would always praise her when she did well and still do. She was afraid when I took the hand held down but I started to just let her run her hands under it and now she will stand with her head back and let me wash the soap from her hair. I'm very proud of her she has seemed to overcome the fear.

Good luck and I really do feel for you.
L.

Hello N., For now, I say honor your daughter's body language completely and quietly accept her behavior as her way of expressing she is fearful. Trust that her perception of water reflects some past experience with it. It could be as your first responder said that when she was much much younger, the sight/sound of the drain frightened her, or she may not like the sensation of imbalance when self-regulating to stand/sit in water, or the sensation of water on her skin...there could be many sensory reasons 'why'. I suggest you offer your daughter warm/cool child-sized washcloths and allow her to self-bathe every now and then on a towel in the kitchen, or give her a favorite doll to bathe outdoors (or in). Does she have a special teddy or something perhaps that needs bathing? Have you tried bathing with her? Meanwhile, respect her fear and support her in small ways to get past it by NOT drawing attention to her fear by appearing worried or concerned (kids read facial expressions more than we realize) but rather, while honoring her fear respectfully by not forcing her into what she thinks is a 'scary' situation, just smile and say something like 'Hmmm. No tub? How about washcloth then, please?' and move on. Try not to draw attention to the negative, and turn the negative into positive sensations for her. She'll figure a way to self-calm herself around water/tubs/pools etc. once she feels secure that you're not going to push or coax her into situations she has labeled 'fear'. Good luck! Be Peace. N.

if this was my child i would just try the kitchen sink, a sponge bath and the shower...as in let's pretend it's raining on you... I can't really say much mine all loved the tub. Hang in there she will eventually take a tub and you'll never get her out :)

My youngest Son was exactly like that as a baby and toddler. It turned out that the water near his ears was a big problem for him. So I would sing his favourite song (Bicycle Built For Two if you can believe that) in very soft soothing tones to keep him calm in the tub, and I made sure not to splash the water at all. Bath time had to be very calm and quiet, yet I also had to make sure it was over in record time otherwise, he started getting tense again.

K.

Hi N.,

You might want to consider talking to your pedi because she might either have a fear of water or a sensory disorder. She may not like the way it feels on her skin kind of thing. Your going to want to get this taken care of a soon as possible.
Good Luck!

E. P.

My son hates the tub (he is 18 months) I tried it once & he was fine although not having fun. But after that one time he screamed the whole bath! So I put him back in the sink which he loves! Now he is getting a little too big (he is a big boy for his age, tall not chubby) so I am soon going to try the tub again, he has been standing up in the sink & getting into mischief. But the sink still works and makes my life easier since I am 6 months pregnant. So why not try the sink with her and see what happens. I also heard that all kids go through this in the tub for one reason or another & soon get over it. So what your daughter is experiencing is normal/phase.

My firstborn did not like to put her feet in water.She was younger than your daughter when I started the following. I would take a shower holding her.She would lay her head on my shoulder with her face hidden under my chin. I think she felt comforted by the skin to skin, baby/mama bond, and so the warm water did not scare her. Perhaps it brought back womb memories. You could even hand her to Dad, if you are both ok with that.
Does she fear water in her eyes or ears?
The other thing I did was what I call a "deck bath". I used a hand sprayer to "bathe" her while she stood in the shower.I put a washcloth over her eyes to keep the soap out when rinsing shampoo. You could also use swim goggles or a mask. She could eventually do it herself and also discovered the joy of squirting others.
Good Luck!
LC

I have three boys and the youngest was the same way, he is 2.4 and bath time was just horrible( one would think I was killing him)a bath would literally take @ 30 sec, wash and get him out. He does have older brothers and that wasnt even helping if I tried to get them all in, even my husband tried getting in with him. Then over a matter of about 4 bath's he finally stopped on his own and now he hops in and doesnt want to get out.Does she like to play in water in the sink, my kids all loved doing that, if so you can probably rule out a sensory problem. I would just say give it time and dont push her and she will come around.They are all different and everyone will have an opinion, some you ask for and some you dont( my mother in-law insisted something was wrong with my son because of bath time and I just ignored her) you could get a water matt, I just saw one at K-mart the other day and it has about an inch of water and little sprinkles spray out and it was Dora. It was in the seasonal isle. She might really like it or she might hate it,lol, either way trying cant hurt. Good luck and try not to worry when this passes something new will start,lol.

I can relate. My daughter is very fearful of a lot of things. Bathing included.....but not so much the bath itself as the hair washing. She can't stand having water on her face. To make bath time easier I had to take baths with her for a while and that seemed to help. I also told her that we didn't need to wash her hair all the time....because that is what she hated the most. I have now started to take showers with her, which again, she really dislikes but it makes it easier and quicker. I really have no real suggestions because it seems like you have tried most of them. I just wanted to let you know that your child isn't weird, but just doesn't like the water.

Hi N.!
Was she ever in the bathtub when the water was going down the drain? I have read in a couple of places that children don't have the spacial reference to distinguish between the water going down the drain and themselves so when they see the water going down they think they will go down the drain too! It scares some kids more than others. She's also old enough to tell you what scares her about the bath. Talk to her about it casually sometime when the 2 of you are doing something not bath related and I bet she'll tell you.

Something else to watch for is urinary tract infections. It's possible she may have gotten a mild one from a bubble bath or soap you used at one time and now she just associates that pain with bath time.

Hi N.,

I agree with your parents. Maybe your daughter has a sensory disorder. Probably not. But it's worth exploring. Does she have an aversion to certain fabrics or food textures? Do her socks have to be on just the right way? Do tags irritate her to the point she can't focus on other things? How is she when you wash her with a facecloth away from the water? Do certain sounds bother her? Perhaps it is just a stage or a power struggle sort of thing, but it wouldn't be a bad thing to run it by the doctor. At least this way you'll be able to determine how to approach it, either as a behavior issue or as something a bit more complex. Either way, both can be dealt with.

C.

N. we went through a brief period like this with our now 5 1/2 year old. She would scream when we put her in the bath or went near water. I think it's a phase, it was for our daughter anyway. Although where you say it's been for a year, that is tough. I don't know what her pedi could do or would say to you, but maybe they'll have cohersing suggestions to make it a little easier all around. Good luck.

Hi N.--I would check to see if she has a sensory issue going on---but also I'd go back and start getting her used to just going in the tub---no water--just a sponge bath--with my daughter we took a picture of the tub--showed it to her and reinforced with a junior mint (her favorite) while we walked to the tub. If she stepped in the tub she got another candy. It took a week before we tried turning on the water---just a little stream at first with her in the back of the tub---and another week before she finally sat--reinforcing with the candy. She was 22 months old at the time---and she is almost 6 years old now and loves the water---she still prefers to shower as opposed to a tub which is fine with us. She was diagnosed with Autism around the same time---and had other sensory issues. So---not trying to scare you in any way---but it might be a good idea to talk with your pediatrician. Good luck--Kim

My son who will be 3-years old on July 4 hated his tubs too and it lasted for about a year. We tried all the same things you did and nothing worked! I then decided that I would no longer beg of him to sit down and acted as though it was just fine for him to stand up....but told him he was missing out on so much because if he sat down he could then kick and spalsh. Well last month my son shocked me and sat down without me asking him to and he now loves his tubby time and hates to get out! So my advice is to HANG IN THERE as this phase shall pass.

Hi N. - We have a 5 year old that we have struggled with when it comes to baths. We discovered one day that he enjoyed running under the sprinkler, he made it a game to see if he could get through it without getting wet. He couldn't of course but he didn't seem to mind the light spray. We installed a hand held shower nozzle in the tub and he now controls how wet he gets. It's usually enough to get him washed decently and in return he puts up with a very quick shampoo. By the way - he was diagnosed as having Sensory Processing Disorder - it explained a lot! If your daughter has any other oddities you might want to read up on SPD.
Good Luck!