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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

please help bath advice urgently needed

17 replies

tortoisefairy · 09/08/2007 14:28

My ds1 is 18 months old. He has gone through phases of loving and hating the bath. He curretnly hates it. screams and shakes until he's sick. There is nothing I can think of that has triggered this. We have taken him swimming 4 times in his life. He screams for about 30 minutes and then he loves it. Because of his strong dislike we have only taken him 4 times and are waiting until he's older and we can reason with him (that happens right?!). I have brought every bath toy/gimmick under the sun. Some work for a while and then he just says bye bye and screams and hangs onto them for dear life. I have got in with him myself, this freaks him out even more. Anyone with any tips please write I am desperate...

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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bubblagirl · 09/08/2007 14:33

my son also went through a phasre at that age he is 2.3 now the best thing i did was make him get in tthen just played silly with the toys he did join in and now loves getting in but it was hard work i found he didn't like his hair being washed so didn't do it for first bath but just did it real quick on second and dried his face and ears straight away all you can do is keep trying or he might think he has reason to be frightened or let him watch you in bath and you can laugh and splash get out and let him go in i did this also good luck sorry not much help its just trial and error

bubblagirl · 09/08/2007 14:33

sorry about spelling

TheQueenOfQuotes · 09/08/2007 14:35

DS1 went through a phase of that - so we started giving him showers instead (not quite as much fun but it got him clean lol). AFter a while he started hating the shower too - so we switched back to baths and he's been fine ever since!

bubblagirl · 09/08/2007 14:36

oh i did run a bath and attempt a few times i did stand him in a few times and just splash water on him then kept saying well done such a big boy but didn't force him in and gradually his confidence came back just plenty of praise and laughing hype it up to appear so fun and soon enough he'll associate it as fun but dont feel to anxious just wash him standing for a while untill you feel you can lower him properly put bubbles on both of your noses but dont make him feel he has to go in

Original poster

tortoisefairy · 09/08/2007 19:52

glad to hear things worked out for you,gives me hope! ds1 also hates having his hair washed thats another whole battle! Thanks for the advice - v gd. I have tried a variety of the things you suggest except get in myself on my own - trying that tomorrow - tonight we went round a friends house adn had bath with her dd1. her dd1 was brilliant loving the bath adn ds1 was more intriged but he did still scream however, but wasnt as bad as normal. Tommorow when i try I am going to be so OTT - in style of daytime childrens presenter! I am forcing him to go in the bath at the moment - trying the whole nothing to be afraid of routine and holding him the whole time - I dont believe he's ever going to voluntarily want to get in. He has worked out that he can play with the bath toys standing outside the bath, whilst i wash him on days i havent forced him in. Any other ideas gratefully recieved Thanks.

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bubblagirl · 10/08/2007 08:11

yes my sons big fear was having his hair washed still is so i do it real quick and then dry his face and ears and then goover the top with bath toys to make him forget about it i think all kids go throught his phase as my friends boy did exactly the same also but now loves bath again

good luck maybe buy him a new bath toy as i got my son new water pistol especially for the bath and this excited him as it was new or get a doll we had one and we put it in bath with him and i let him wash hair and praised the doll for being good they want what anyone else gets so this did help also

bubblagirl · 10/08/2007 08:13

oh he had a pair of goggles and would let me wash his hair with them on and you can buy them hats that shield the waater from babies face when washing hair that was a god send untill it broke

gringottsgoblin · 10/08/2007 08:14

paddling pool in garden. hose pipe, water pistols, wash the car or toys with no clothes on. they will all get him clean without getting anywhere near the bath. he is only 18m, will be fine to go without for a little while.

Bewilderbeast · 10/08/2007 08:32

have you tried getting in the shower with him?

Leati · 10/08/2007 08:34

tortoisefairy,

Little babes around that age, find a BIG bath tub frightening. This is actually a little known fact, most babies have a hard time transfering to an adult tub unless they have always bathed in it. Have you recently switched him from infant tub to regular tub?

If this is the case, try this instead. Put the little tub inside the big tub for about a month. Then try to reintroduce a bath in the big tub.

Good Luck!!!

berolina · 10/08/2007 08:37

He doesn't need a bath every day. Reducing baths to the minimum (we bathe our ds, 2.2, approximately every 3-5 days - and he likes the bath) will spare him and you some stress.

Paddling pool a good and entirely sufficient idea in summer.

rhiannon134 · 10/08/2007 08:40

Gringottsgoblin you made me feel loads better, I only bathe my 13 month old once a week if he's lucky tho everyone else seems to do it every night. At swim class they give us bath homework to do every night and when they ask us next week how it went I'm like yeah great! even tho he hadn't seen the bath since before the last lesson. I'm sure bathing babies too often must be bad for their skin anyway.

SleeplessInTheStaceym11House · 10/08/2007 08:42

top and tail him out the bath and try and co-erce him into your bath with toys until curiosity gets the better of him. dd went through this. its not acctually the end of the world if they dont get a bath for a while. i found if you kept trying to force the issue it got worse. she was at one stage throwing herself out the bath!! which was quite dangerous!

good luck, its soul destroying isn't it?

SleeplessInTheStaceym11House · 10/08/2007 08:42

good luck, its soul destroying isn't it?

gringottsgoblin · 10/08/2007 08:45

there was a study done a while ago which showed babies who had a bath every day were lots more likely to have asthma than tjose who only had 2 a week, lack of dirt to get their immune system working or something. i have really healthy children

KITTENSOCKS · 10/08/2007 11:54

Nothing wrong with a wet flannel all over wash. Also, no tantrums trying to prise a toddler from the bath who doesn't want to get out!

Original poster

tortoisefairy · 10/08/2007 13:12

Ha ha you all make me laugh - feel much better now! paddling pool up sunshine out so thats a good start. I like your point kittensocks - so true! He loves bubbles so I'm limiting them to bath time to make it more fun too. thank you so much for all your support and ideas
xx

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