Is this just a phase???

[Taler]

My almost - year old DD for the past week or so howls when we go to bath her. The way she screams it's like she's been tortured! Where on earth has this come from all of a sudden?!?!

There have therefore been a fair few days now where we've not been able to bath her because of this.

Her 'cries' too have changed. She does this cry that is partly a scream, from the back of her throat. I think it's fake?!?!? Can babies do 'fake' cries at this age???

Please let me know what you think.

Sounds a bit strange but difficult to know without being there.

My suggestions would be to make the bath as exciting and different as possible - colour the water, lots of bubbles, ball pit balls, that kind of thing to regain her interest. Also try bathing her at a different time of day, again as a bit of a distraction.

I looked aftet a little girl once who developed a sudden fear of the bath after her mum pulled the plug out while she was still in there. She thought she might get sucked down too! She was older than your DD but it's possible that something as small as a bumped head has made her scared. But as I said, it's hard to know without knowing your DD and without seeing it first hand. I'm sure it won't last forever, though!

Could the room maybe be too cold as the temperature has dropped? Or the water changed temp without you realising? Otherwise I agree with pp - something could have frightened her or it is just a phase.

We've gone through phases like this but usually they were based around something happening like pooing in the bath. It started as being genuinely scared by something, but ended up as ds crying in the bath, because he remembers crying in the bath & seemed to think that's just what he does now!

We found backing off a bit on the volume of baths, but making them non negotiable when he really needed one, plus a bit of distraction ( new toys) and ignoring him worked after a few weeks.

I'm pretty sure this isn't unusual. DO did this at a similar age. We backed off for a couple of days and skipped baths and then I got in with her for a few days so she felt safer. It did the trick, no idea what caused it though.