All Communities > April 2008 Babies > Bath time nightmare !

Bath time nightmare !

Sarah - posted on 02/15/2010 ( 3 moms have responded )

100

17

My 22 month old son hates bath time ! When i start running the bath he runs and hides away from me, when i start undressing him he trys to keep his clothes on and then when i try and put him in the bath he tries to wrap his legs around me. He cries and tries to climb out once he's in the bath. I've brought loads of bath toys for him, i give him his dummy during bath time, my husband has tried having a bath with him but he's the same. He won't sit down in the bath, he stands and cries. I wash him and he's pushing the sponge away and when i wash his hair, he screams the place down. I have to pour water onto his head as he wont sit down and put his head back and when i do, he slaps his face to get the water off! I use johnsons no more tears shampoo. And by the end of bathtime, which is a whole of 2 minutes probably, i am drenched because he's splashed the water everywhere trying to get it off him. I don't know what to do anymore. I want him to start enjoying bath time and not cry when i say it's bathtime. Any tips, suggestions etc would be very much appreciated !! The bath toys i've brought him as well, he isn't interested in them when he's in the bath but when he's not in the bath, he'll play with them !

Join Circle of Moms

Sign up for Circle of Moms and be a part of this community! Membership is just one click away.

Join Circle of Moms

3 Comments

View replies by

Zaklina - posted on 02/20/2010

30

11

Maby your son just doesnt like to hear the sound of running water so you can try to prepare the bath while he is playing with your husband and take off his clothes in the bedroom without telling him that is bath time. Or if you have curtns in the bath with pictures of fish or some other animals it is possible that he might be scared of it. Whatever you do dont do it with force. Try to make the bath time as a playing time.

Tracy - posted on 02/19/2010

9

18

I agree with kelly's ideas. Also does he have any other issues with water....dislike his face washed after meals, pool time or anything else similar to water. Maybe he just has a sensory issue with it?? I know lots of kids well and people that have certain sensory issues with things! If you think about it I bet you can come up with a food you wouldn't eat because of texture or a type of clothign you dislike because of the texture! In iowa we have a thing called the AEA where we work with kids/families for just this type of thing! You could ask your school district if they have a program that works with birth-3 year olds...Good luck!

Kelly - posted on 02/19/2010

57

21

Does he like to play in water at all? Try filling the sink with water and having him sit outside the sink playing with his bath toys in the water. You can gradually move him into the water by putting his feet in after he is more comfortable. This might help if he is just afraid of the water. My daughter went through a phase of not liking baths because she did not want to lay down in the water. We switched to showers with one of us during this time. She loved playing with the water and we were able to wet, shampoo and rinse her without her having to be submerged in water. I think this fear only lasted a month and now she loves baths again. I think the key is to find out why he hates the bath so much and work from there. Forcing bath time will only make things worse. You might have to resort to sponge baths until this is resolved. Just remember this won't last forever.



P.S. Johnson's "No More Tears" is not a gentle shampoo. It has very harsh ingredients and they add numbing agents to make it not irritate. Try a natural brand like Earth's Best or Earth Mama Angle Baby instead.

Want to find out the opinions of this community?

Add Poll