Hi there,
My 5 month old DD hates the water and it’s making bath times really hard. She screams from entering the water until I’ve finished. DD1 was and is a proper water baby so not if this before.
For context - she is in our bath tub in one of those reclining type bath seats to stop her slipping out. We only have a bath, no shower. She has hated bath time since being a newborn.
I have started getting in the bath with her and holding her rather than using her bath seat which has meant there is less crying but she is not enjoying herself at all. We’ve tried singing, toys, using a muslin over her tummy so she doesn’t get cold, dipping her toes in first so it’s not so much of a shock for her. None of it interests her. She just screams in fear as soon as she hits the water. The water is the correct temperature as we have a water thermometer so I can make sure it’s not too hot or cold. We have not had any incidents that would have given her cause to be scared of the water (slipping under the water, choking on water etc). She’s on her way to being able to sit up and we want her to enjoy bath time with her older sister when she does. But it’s become very stressful bathing her - she also has cradle cap so needs more hair washing to try and alleviate this. We were also hoping to start her with swimming lessons at 6 months like we did with her sister, but this doesn’t seem realistic at this time.
Any advice for my water phobic daughter would be great.