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Behaviour/development

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Suddenly afraid of the bath, wants me in there too!

6 replies

clucks · 01/04/2003 00:31

DS who is 2 and a half has always loved baths. Recently he is afraid to get in, though has the ritual of putting toys in and getting undressed and hopping about. He wants me to get in too, in fact, carry him in!!

Although we have often shared baths together in the past and played until both wrinkly, it is now quite hazardous as I'm 38 wks preggers.. DH has been away most evenings and I'm afraid of slipping and cracking both our skulls. Especially if hairwashing which is usually a fight. Needless to say, we don't wash hair too often, twice a week. A friend told me it's a phase which will pass as his imagination is developing at this age and he probably thinks there are spiders or something in there. In fact, even when in the tub he sits on my lap and won't touch the bottom. Getting fed-up as knackered enough already without all this at night and DH not really very helpful.

Has anyone had this, did it last? Don't know what I'll do with two of them.

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doormat · 01/04/2003 08:35

MY ds3 who is 2 also had this problem a few months back. He loved the bath and suddenly out of the blue screamed when it was bathtime. He would not sit down in the bath at all. I find now that I have to "bribe" him.For example he loves nothing more than going out so I will say to him."Come on lets get you in the bath and you can come out with Mummy". It works.For days when you can't be bothered going out use IE;watching teletubbies,reading favourite book etc.Use the things he enjoys most.I hope this advice works for you. Good luck.P.S Tell him what a big boy he is aswell even when he is screaming.He will calm down after awhile.

CAM · 01/04/2003 11:35

I know it's problematic when your child suddenly decides not to do something happily that they've previously enjoyed but I can't help noticing that your children are both boys....maybe they're starting the boy teenage thing of "fear of water" early? Sorry to be flippant, only meant jokingly!!

Hilary · 01/04/2003 11:49

A couple of years ago I posted about the same thing. Funnily enough I was 38 weeks pregnant at the time too! It is in 'behaviour/development' and it is called 'fears and phobias' sometime in 2000.

Hope it helps you, I got some helpful responses. I can't quite remember how but the problem was solved quite quickly.

mears · 01/04/2003 12:28

Forget baths just now - a wash at the sink will suffice - it will do him no harm not to have one for a few days. Your dh can take him into the bath when he is at home. He can ease himself out of the bath to get dried before taking ds out hopefully getting him used to sitting in the bath for a short while along the way. What about him chosing a new bath toy? Ds not dh

webmum · 01/04/2003 17:00

not much help, but DD in her short life, 22 months, has had a hate-it-love-it phase switch at least every 4 months.

The swichtes always happened with no apparent reason.

Why don't you just give him a quick wash and leave baths for when dh is at home?

Good luck!!

clucks · 02/04/2003 20:03

Thanks all.

In fact, avoiding baths is what I have been doing. His father takes him swimming every week and he loves the shower there, the little so and so. Also DH is doing everything possible to NOT be home right now, another thread altogether...

I'm going to leave him, he gets bottom washed everyday anyway and hair etc isn't noticeably dirty.

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