my daughter cries everytime i try to wash her hair

Crystal - posted on 02/06/2010

My little boy is 21 months. About 2 or 3 months ago, he started the same thing. Since his first bath, he has LOVED it. Now though...he refuses to sit down. He whimpers, squalls, and screams if he is made to sit in the tub. He has NEVER allowed us to lay him back or anything to rinse his hair. Even if we are bathing with him. It's always been just dumping the water on his head - he used to do it himself.

Now it's a screaming fit whenever it's time to wash his hair. His actual bath - if he's allowed to stand up - is no problem. But hair washing? He screams, cries, and sobs like someone's murdering him! We've tried everything but the shower so I guess that's next.

Colleen - posted on 02/06/2010

Buy a pair of swimming goggles (mouth and nose coverage). I had the same problem with my son and I worked out it was his fear of having water on his face. After I got him the goggles he was a happy as larry and he would bath and shower with no worries.

Michele - posted on 02/03/2010

Hi Everyone! My little girl is just 2 and she went through the same thing a few months ago when suddenly she didn't want us leaning her back to rinse her hair whereas before that she was absolutely fine! I bought one of those jugs from Target with a rubber piece in the front that you rest on their forehead and pour water over their head and no water goes in her face. It works really really well. She loves to play with it first in the bath and put her ducks in it to swim etc. Then we make it all exciting as I tell her THomas is going to wash her hair now and she is fine when I firstly wet her hair and when I lather the shampoo on but won't let me lean her back to rinse... so I end up pouring a few more buckets of water over her head to rinse but very little water goes on her face and I think that's the key. They don't like water in their face and of course I've always used Johnson's baby shampoo which doesn't burn eyes etc. I've also found recently after us having a swim in the pool, she loves to pop into the shower for a quick rinse and I use this as an excellent opportunity to wash her hair as whilst she plays with a few toys in the shower she always manages to get a wet head and face and doing this regularly has really built up her confidence with water. I can easily wash her hair in the shower and now prefer to do this rather than in the bath! Good luck all!

Kimberley - posted on 02/03/2010

I'm going through the same at the moment. when my son was younger he used to love getting his hair washed, but now he is two and its a nightmare to wash it now its longer.
My son has wiry textured hair and the minute he gets water on it he screams and goes wild. What i dont understand with him is that he dont mind mostourising his hair but dont like water on it. I put toys in the bath for him and he's always occupied but he just gets scared of the water.
ANY suggestions ?/

Giseli - posted on 02/03/2010

my daughter started crying every time i washed her hair when she was 1 year old and has just stopped now that she's 31/2:)so it's a phase.

Sarah - posted on 02/03/2010

My guess is that it's a phase. One of my daughters went through this as well. She loved having her hair washed, then overnight she would freak out every time I washed it or so much as put water on her head! I just kept on washing it anyway reassuring her that it would be fine and she eventually got over it. Good luck! :)

Pamela - posted on 02/03/2010

I have a little boy about your daughters age, and I'm in the same boat. I think its a phase. My oldest did the same thing and it eventually quit..I've tried everything from letting play longer in the bath before giving him a bath, to washing his hair in the sink..

Heather - posted on 02/02/2010

Mine is the same way! Nothing worked for me so when I am ready for him to get out I wah his hair and by the time we are one he is so upset and screaming he wants out....

Lin - posted on 02/02/2010

hi everybody i just wanted to let you know how i got on. i put her in the bath and her dad bent his head over the bath. i let my daughter put shampoo in my husbands hair. she was so excited by this that i washed and rinsed her hair in under a minute with out her knowing. my husband ended up drenched in water but we all had a laugh and bingo it worked. she now waits for my husband to give her his head in order to wash it and while she occupied with that im able to wash hers with no problems. plus my husband ends up with lovely smelling hair most nights before bed aswell lol thanks for all your advice. this website is a great invention. thanks to all love lindsey

JAIMIE - posted on 02/02/2010

Hello I know that when I leave my daughter up sometimes her " hair hurts" and any female who has ever left there up might know so when I would wash her hair it hurt allot.Also she did not like the way it felt to " lose control " when I would hold her head so what I started doing was washing her hair from the bottom up and then letting her try..this way it avoided going in her eyes and I didnt have to hold her head cuz i wasn't near her eyes. I don't know these things worked for me so I figured I would share...good luck :)

Melissa - posted on 02/01/2010

We had this happen with our now 4 year old. We got her a cute pair of goggles to put on and now it is fun for her to wash her hair.

Or try standing in the tub and holding onto a bar and hanging her head back????

Emilie - posted on 02/01/2010

My niece went through a stage where she didn't like the bath at all. She had visited her grandmother in MI and her grandmother accendently made the bath water to hot, I don't think my niece was seriously injured, but for the longest time she screamed her head off every time she got in the bath. When I would babysit her I would give her a bath and just put up with the screaming for a few min. eventually she realized she wasn't getting hurt in the tub and finally settled down and would let us give her a bath, I believe she was about 15 months old when it started and it lasted about 2-3 months.

Lin - posted on 01/28/2010

thanks so much everyone. i feel a bit better knowing you all went through the same thing at some stage or another. all the advice given sounds great. firstly i need to buy some new bath toys for new distraction and no tears shampoo.ill keep you all posted on how i get on. wish me luck.

Julie - posted on 01/27/2010

My son went through the same thing. He has loved bath time since his first one:) For a couple of weeks he would throw a fit and and try to get away from me. I started having him help with the process, and he is getting better about it now. I put a little shampoo on his hand and showed him to rub it on his head, and while he is doing that he is normally better about me working the shampoo in too. I also gave him a cup to pour water over his own head and he thinks that is the greatest. Wasn't so sure the first couple of times, but now he gets in the bath and thats the first thing he does. Oh, and also I sing to him while we wash his hair to make it fun. "Scrub, scrub, scrub your head, get your hair all clean" to the tune of row, row, row your boat. I just sing it over and over until we are done. Hope this helps!

Lianne - posted on 01/27/2010

hi, my daughter used 2 love having her hair washed, then one day i washed it poured the water over her coz she like it, and she just screamed the house down and carried on cry, moaning for days and kept pulling her ear, turned out she had a ear infection and all the water must of hurt her ear,

now i hav 2 wash my hair wiv her, and i get her 2 wash her dollys hair, shes still abit worried about it but no where near as bad, somtimes she puts her head back in the water buy herself which is good, sometimes it takes me 2mins to wash her hair and sometimes it takes me 20mins where she keeps telling me no and wont let me do it.

Michelle - posted on 01/27/2010

my daughter went through the same a"phase"....she loved baths then for awhile hated them. I ended up buying bubble bath, bath crayons, & bath toys to make bathtime more fun. Her favorite are these bath tablets that change the water colors...She eventually got over it...until then keep the bathtime short&sweet--there is no reason to torture you both! Gd luck!

Brooke - posted on 01/27/2010

Perhaps you could try getting in the bath with her, and letting her wash yours while her Dad does hers? You would, of course, need "no-tears" shampoo! It may be enough of a distraction to get her to let it be done.