Trauma at hair washing time! help

[thearty1]

My 3year old DS has always hated having his hair washed. But the fear and the trauma it causes him is getting worse. He freaks out, shaking and screaming until he's sick. It's heartbreaking. He also now makes us promise not to wash his hair, before he'll agree to come upstairs to have a bath before bed every night! Even though we only actually end up doing a hair wash about once every 3 weeks.

We've tried demonstrating (on ourselves) to him how tipping his head forwards, or right back will stop water going on his face, we've tried using one of those rubber rings, but he won't let us put it on. We've tried bribing him with chocolate or toys, but even that doesn't work.

Any other tips or ideas would be appreciated. TIA

Will he go swimming? Dunk n go :)

Go for long walks in the rain with no hood.

Dry shampoo!

He goes swimming, but hates getting his face splashed. We've done lessons where they splash their faces and briefly go underwater, but he has got so upset that we've had to come out of the pool.

Dry shampoo is a good idea. Hadn't thought of that!
As is going out in the rain without a hood :)

My boys always held a folded up dry flannel up to their eyes and we poured the water directly over their heads using a big jug. It was fast so didn't cause the flannel to soak up much water.

Have you tried a shower head and letting him try to do it himself? Maybe if he has more control of it, he will be a bit calmer?

Also, you could use just a tiny bit of shampoo and use a sponge to sponge it off.

If he has short hair you could even get away without the shampoo and wash his hair with a wet (but not soaking) flannel or sponge.

Yes, we use a small towel. My husband pours the water, and I hold the towel over his eyes. At the moment he panics too much to be able to hold anything himself, but hopefully as he becomes older he might be able to. (He's only just turned 3).

Good idea to try 'washing' his hair with a flannel without shampoo. That could help with the confidence if I do that regularly. :)

We wash my Ds's hair with a flannel for all the reasons you mention. It's certainly taken the edge out of bath time

I put dc in a small bath, wet hair with hand full of water, small palm full of no tears j&j baby shampoo. I have a large jug of warm water to rinse with palm full of clean water. It's a nightmare but it is the least traumatic. I use a dry face cloth to keep eyes dry.

Haha I used to be so smug that ds didn't mind hairwashing at all and then it flipped on its head.

Blowing bubbles and letting him hold his toothbrush help a little.

You can get a special jug that stops water going forward - saw them at Jojo Maman Bebe but I bet if you googled you'd find it on amazon.

There are plasti hats with visors to stop the water pouring on to their faces but I think it is a fear of water is our problem. Dc used to love the bath, now every time is a battle