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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

Hates the bath

17 replies

Lolasmum · 13/10/2003 16:56

My 1 year old has recently started hating the bath. We've had no problems up to about 3 weeks ago when each time we put her in it she starts to scream, look terrified, won't sit down and just clings onto the side. We go swimming which she loves. She'll even go in the shower with me after swimming. This bath thing really doesn't make sense. She's got lots of toys and I've tried getting in with her. I've tried having a shower at home with her. Nothing seems to work! Any ideas / tips greatly appreciated!

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aloha · 13/10/2003 17:09

I wouldn't push it if she doesn't like it. A quick wipe or hose down should keep her clean enough. Annoying if she's like it in the past though.

eefs · 13/10/2003 17:29

ds(3) has developed a serious aversion to the bath too in the last year. Drives me to dispair, I can keep him clean enough by washing him down frequently, but he's a grubby little monster and I'd so love to be able to bung him into the bath every other evening.
Any ideas anyone?

katierocket · 13/10/2003 19:04

we had this with DS (now 2) at exactly the same time as your DD. He loved swimming, loved the bath then all of a sudden he took against it and screamed whenever we even took him near it. we did want Aloha suggests - just gave him wipes with flannel, tried to wash is hair on bathroom floor (very messy and not overly successful) after a while I introduced a bowl of water that he played with and then after a few days/week I put the bowl in the bath with no water in the bath, just water in the bowl, from their progressed to shallow bath and eventually to proper bath.

bit of a palaver but worked and there was no way I was going to force him screaming and crying and then have him hate the bath for ever after.

sorry bit rambling but HTH

katierocket · 13/10/2003 19:07

god grammer bods will be after me..... 'there' not 'their'

codswallop · 13/10/2003 19:21

Give her the shower thingy to hold if you can and she can water all the ducks.!

More toys?

katierocket · 13/10/2003 19:28

I think if she's as terrified as my ds was - toys won't help (we tried lots of different ones) but try anything.

Lennie · 13/10/2003 20:24

My DS has started doing this again at 14 months. He went through a bit of a spate a couple of months ago, but some bath toys sorted that out. For the last few weeks he's just been screaming, even if I put him in the bath fully clothed with no water and some toys.

I really hope someone can suggest a solution. I might try the gradual process KatieRocket described.

DS stamps his feet and screams, clinging to me while I give him a quick wash. I talk calmly to him like I've always done, but no distraction has worked yet. It was certainly interesting (and wet :D ) washing his hair yesterday.

waterbaby · 13/10/2003 20:31

We've just come out the other side of this - again, a child happy swimming (even underwater) and previously loving the bath started temper tantrums as soon as she heard it running. We gave her time, as others hve suggested, but still ran the bath about twice a week, and offered her the chance to get in and play. She wasn't allowed to play with the bath toys from the side, had to get in for that! Like the others, not wanting a bath doesn't mean she got out of having a wash though... flannels and bowls of water. We also tried showing her her friends in the bath, if we were there at bathtime... but in the end, in her own time she came around, and just a week after the last bath tantrum we are having trouble getting her out of the bath, and she asks for one every night - so stick with it! Good luck,

waterbaby · 13/10/2003 20:34

I'm not sure if I should say it now, but this stage lasted about ten weeks for us... I'm sure it won't be that long for you

jamoon · 15/10/2003 15:03

Small paddling pool on the bathroom floor worked for ds when he went through this at 12months. I think he felt more secure as he could climb in and out when he wanted to. This lasted about a week and then he went back happily to the bath.

laa · 15/10/2003 20:02

it's a nightmare. Our son startes a phobia of the bath at 14 mos. Previously you couldn't keep him away from water - he loved the sea, paddling pool etc. Overnight he just went beserk in the bath and it was really distressing. After a few wks he calmed down but it started again after a couple of wks. In the end I read lots of books and stopped putting him in the bath. I sponged him by the side of the bath. We did a kind of aversion therapy style thing. I got in the bath and made it clear he didn't have to. At 1st he's only watch from behind the bathroom door but after a few days he got nearer and nearer. After a wk or so he started playinig with toys in the bath and a wk or so after that he came in with me. It took about 3 wks or so and was time consuming. I did it in the mornings when he was more awake and up for it. Glad to say that now he loves bathtime and even immerses his face to blow bubbles and pours water on his head. Toddler Taming has a small section on it. It does get better - must be a stage thing.

suzyj · 15/10/2003 22:06

lolasmum - I could have written your post a month or two ago! DD did exactly the same and just gradually stopped. It now only happens when she's really tired. We tried lots of things but in the end found that keeping the bath time short, talking calmly but still making sure she got a wash and keeping special toys that she could only play with in the bath helped. She's scared of the shower if it's used while she's in the bath but will play with it if she's not in it. We also tried to avoid making her sit or especially lie down if she didn't want to - just got used to washing her standing up! Say to yourself, "It is only a phase, it is only a phase!" HTH.

3GirlsMum · 16/10/2003 13:09

Lolasmum have you tried getting in the bath with her to see if this helps. Not always practical I know but maybe to get her comfortable in there again you could try this? x

Azure · 16/10/2003 13:32

DS went through this stage when he started to walk (11 months). I realised in his case that it was because he wanted to stand up in the bath, but it was too slippery. I bought a bathmat (silly not to have one before) and gradually re-introduced him to having a bath. I never forced him, but run the bath everyday and washed his face etc by the bath if he wouldn't get in. He still rarely sits down, though.

JanZ · 17/10/2003 10:09

Ds (3) has hated the bath for about the last year. Fortunately he is a very clean kid, so gets by with the occasional forced dunking (if we are having a bath, we sometimes force him to come in with us, which he complains about initially and then quite enjoys - but still hates getting his hair washed). We never bathed him regualry anyway - it tended to be a once a week thing anyway, more to get his hair washed.

We try to take him swimming regularly, so at least he's getting washed that way. A recent breakthrough is that he's started to enjoy the showers (only at the pool though!) and even tolerates me washing his hair there without screams.

Children don't NEED to be bathed, so don't make a big deal of it and she'll come round in time!

Original poster

Lolasmum · 22/10/2003 19:50

Thanks for all the tips. 5 weeks after she started screaming we've had our first happy bath. I put the old baby bath on the bathroom floor and stood in it and started splashing and playing with her toys. I then got out and undressed her. I then got back in and did some more playing. I then got out and climbed back in holding her. There was 10 seconds of semi-tears then she just started playing and laughing. Hopefully our problems are behind us....

OP posts:

Lennie · 25/10/2003 19:10

I tried the sharing bath method today with a fair degree of success. After hearing the bath running DS tried to run away. He's a new walker and it was so cute with him toddling along with his arms in the air, if I could ignore the distress and screaming ...

I started with him playing with some toys by the bath while I got in the bath, then I gradually moved the toys into the bath and then picked him up and sat him in with me. It was a long process but thankfully less tears than we have been having lately. I still had to rinse his hair after washing, but it was much easier for me to do it in the bath with him than to the side like last week.

I'm putting it down to him wanting to exert his independence now that he is walking.

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