22 mo afraid to take baths! help!

[luckydogcafe]

hello. my 22 mo ds has been really resisting bath taking for about a month or more. It all started when I put him in the dry tub just to wash his stinky parts (a major diaper load IYKWIM!) and I started the water, which was of course cold at first and it splashed up on him. I think that startled him to the point where now he won't take one at all.

We tried to give him one in the kitchen sink today, but that didn't go over well either. We tried new toys, no good. We tried getting in with him and giving him showers with us, but neither helped.

Any suggestions? I can usually wrangle him enough to get the privates, but forget about washing the hair. He used to love baths....help!

thanks.

[Treasuremapper]

My advice is to get in the tub with the little guy. Have warm water, soft lighting, and soft music. Nurse him there. Work up to it over time.

[chersolly]

Jump in with him.

[OTMomma]

I'm sorry the kitchen sink didn't work, that worked for us. My friend's child went through this recently and what worked for them was letting the child play with the running water as it was running into the tub- he started out outside the tub putting his hands and toys in the water, then they built up to putting him in the tub. They let him keep his diaper on at first so it didn't seem like a bath. Eventually he got over it, but I think it took a few of these weird style baths with the child still wearing a diaper.

Good luck.

[mellie-bellie]

I had the same prob with my ds back at the same age (he's now 4). He used to love baths (we bathed together since he was a newborn), and then he got so terrified of the water and would scream like crazy when bath time came around. So he went w/out a bath for about 2-3mo (I'd spot clean him daily), and then I slowly was able to get him back in the bath (I can't remember how, I just tried one day and he was somewhat resistent, so I tried to make it a good time, while washing him as quick as possible). The only thing that sucked about waiting till he was ready for baths again was that he got BAD cradle cap....bad as in it covered his whole scalp, and he STILL has some of it! My advice is to not push the bath issue if he isn't comfortable with it....kids have a way of coming around when they're ready. Requires lots of patience and creativity at times.....

[onlyzombiecat]

My dd is 4 and has gone through periods when she was afraid of the bath. She doesn't like showers at all.
She is currently nervous about the cold water faucet after a time when the bath water got too cold. I run the water and shut off the faucet before she gets in the tub and that helps. I let her feel it before she gets in so she knows it is warm.

I'd say the main thing is to be patient and not give up on baths. Keep trying different things and it may just pass. Don't make too big deal about his fear.

Cut his hair short so it doesn't need as much washing.
Can you wash his hair with a bowl of water and a washcloth? (sponge bath)
Maybe set up a small kiddie pool to bathe him in with his swimsuit on.
Bubble bath or foam soap.
Add food coloring to the water to tint it. My dd liked picking a color for her bath.
Let him turn on & off the faucet (with your supervision). I think sometimes giving them more control helps with fears.

[luckydogcafe]

Finally! He finally took a real bath! I filled the tub, and as I was filling it, his naked butt came running and crying to me with a clean diaper in hopes that I would forget why he was naked in the first place. But, I had gotten two squeezy bottles and filled them with water and squirted them all over the place. He giggled forever-until I put him the water.

Once he was in I started squirting him which made him laugh again, and before I knew it he was sitting in the water and having a great time! Thanks for everyone's help, I hope this is the end of it!

[Greaseball]

Sponge baths with baby-wipes and spray-on dry shampoo. That's what we did when dd had a full-length cast on her leg for a month and couldn't take baths. She got just as clean as she would have with a regular bath.

And the shampoo was dog shampoo, no less...it did have this heavy perfume in it, but I'm sure they make some that doesn't. You just spray it on and rub off.

[EmsMom]

My DD was very afraid of the bath. I avoided baths for a while, but after a while a bath just seemed a necessity, at least occasionally. So I used my own invented desensitization technique. First I would stand with her in my arms fully dressed with no water. Just for a few minutes. I did that for a few days until I could feel that her body was relaxed and calm when we did it. Then I progressed to gradually having less and less clothes on while we stood in the empty tub. Then I added maybe an inch of water before we got in to stand in the tub (she was still in my arms at that point). All the while I tried to make it seem like a game, showing her how much fun a little splashing could be, etc. I waited each time I stepped up the exposure until she felt relaxed and comfortable. Well, you get the idea. After about two to three weeks, we were in the tub. I was extremely careful not to ever splash or drip water into her face or move suddenly. She lost her fear. Now she loves a bath... This technique of desensitization works for many things. Very slow, very steady progress will get to the goal without too much trauma...