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Behaviour/development

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Original poster

Hairwashing - nightmare of epic proportions

36 replies

GetDownYouWillFall · 25/01/2010 20:52

Sorry this has probably been done loads before, but can't see any previous threads and we are desperate for advice!!

DD is 2 and she's never particularly liked getting her hair washed but it was always do-able.

Now the last couple of times have been nigh-on impossible. Got the soap on the hair but when it came to rinse it - she stood up in the bath and refused to sit down, screaming at the top of her lungs and getting extremely angry if I so much as touched her head.

Any advice? I had a plastic halo thingy when I was a baby but can't find any in the shops?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

drinkyourmilk · 25/01/2010 20:55

will she lie down in the bath ala mermaid and let you rinse out the soap that way? (you know - just kind of wriggle your hands through it till it's gone).

At 2 I'd be tempted to use bribery - extra story that night, or read them in mummies bed. That kind of thing.

Fayrazzled · 25/01/2010 20:56

The only thing that worked for my son- who had the screaming ab-dabs every time hair washing was even mentioned, was for him to wear swimming goggles.

thisisyesterday · 25/01/2010 21:01

we have one of thesse

they#re amazing! my 2 used to cry and cry and now they're absolutely fine.
it really works too.

you may have to use some sort of bribery to get her to try it the first time, but then it should be ok!

MarmMummy · 25/01/2010 21:01

We had this too, mainly with DS. I will admit that at his worst we only washed his hair once a month

Bribery with chocolate buttons, DS holding a towel over his face whilst we washed hair,using a sponge to dampen hair and rinse rather than a jug and trying to be as speedy and as jolly as possible worked. He's still not overkeen though.

addictedtolatte · 25/01/2010 21:02

they sell them halos at the larger boots stores. they also sell jugs in mothercare that go flat at the front and push to there forehead stopping the water from going down there face

LoveBeingAMummy · 25/01/2010 21:03

I'm trying to get hmy dd used to getting the water on her face. Have got some teletubbies water toys that squirt water. PLus that cup thing that goes aganst the head.

orienteerer · 25/01/2010 21:06

It will pass....eventually .

Forget the halo things etc, never found an ideal solution.

To be honest they don't need their hair washed that often (keeps the lice away as well)

JaynieB · 25/01/2010 21:07

It is a nightmare isn't it! I do once a month/6 weeks - DD has curly hair and when it goes straight I know its time....
I usually get a helper, my Mum is especially good - and DD will now lie back in the arms of one washer while the other gently washes hair - as long as not one drop of water goes on her face....
Hijacking your thread slightly - if anyone has any good tips of how to deliver eye drops I would be heartily glad to hear them.

franch · 25/01/2010 21:08

Same here orienteerer - only thing that worked for us was time - not what you want to hear though is it! You have my sympathy - I always thought someone would call social services in, my DDs always sounded like they were in utter agony.

NoahAndTheWhale · 25/01/2010 21:09

It will pass.

It used to be a two person job to wash DS's hair - one yo hold him down as otherwise he would at least try to exit the bath and the other to do the washing. DD was bad as well although not as strong in the getting out.

Really can't remember when it stopped but DD is 4.4 now and things have veen ok for at least 18 months or so

hellymelly · 25/01/2010 21:13

I get DH to hold a towel over their eyes and ears and then they will agree sometimes to stand up and look up and I can quickly do it.Don't do it very often though!

orienteerer · 25/01/2010 21:19

Yep, decibel level was VERY high in our house. Must say swimming googles, when they are old enough, provide good distraction.

vesela · 25/01/2010 21:24

DD (also 2) went through this about four months ago - she'd never liked it, and then things suddenly got worse - tantrumming and trying to climb out of the bath with head covered in soap etc.

Luckily my mother turned up with one of the rinsing jugs that have rubber edges and that helped us turn the corner - partly, I think, because the jug helped her to realise that if she kept her head back, it really was better.

rasputin · 25/01/2010 21:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Sawyer64 · 25/01/2010 21:29

I'm a wicked Mummy,who just pours water over as quick as I can,they(DS,DD1,DD2) have never known any different.True they aren't keen at first,but its over and done with in minutes.

The plus side is they have never minded putting their face in the water when swimming.

I was also one of the few mums that "dunked" her baby during swimming sessions.Just started as I meant to go on,

My DD2(3) screams a bit when washing hair,but I give her a flannel afterwards to dry her face,and we have a game that makes her giggle,and she's fine after.

onepieceoflollipop · 25/01/2010 21:29

It will pass. We had about a year of screaming with dd1 who is now 6.

We tried the shampoo shield thing (mothercare) - not much luck. Hairwashing in this house is only done 1-2 times a week for dcs anyway.

What helped in the end was she got to about 3 and her speech/communication was much better by this age. I just said to her one day in the bath that all of the shouting and screaming was upsetting to her and to mummy and daddy as well and could she please stop. Bizarrely she did stop! I'm not saying this would work for everyone, and of course we have had plenty of other situations that she has challenged us with instead. . Just wanted to try and reassure you it will pass.

Sawyer64 · 25/01/2010 21:31

FaintlyMacabre · 25/01/2010 21:35

Mostly I go with the Rasputin/Sawyer method but I did once have success by getting DS to look for animals on the ceiling- lizards, mice etc. He seems to be wise to that trick now though...

ThePinkOne · 25/01/2010 21:39

Haven't read all the replies so sorry if I'm repeating but we get her to hold a squeezed-out flannel over her eyes and look up and see if there are any rocket ships! then she tells us what colour etc.

She has been known to strop and not hold the flannel, so I have then given her the option of having the big jar from our foam letters to rinse and dumped the whole lot over her head!!! Which luckily she found quite funny! It makes it quick and is fine as long as they close their eyes

mawbroon · 25/01/2010 21:47

My 4yo ds hasn't had his hair washed for months. Years actually. It does sort of get wet when he is swimming, and in october, he split his head open and let us scoosh it clean with the shower.

You would never know to look at his hair that it's never seen shampoo ever, and rarely gets wet.

solo · 25/01/2010 21:49

JaynieB, my Dd also has extremely curly hair but I wash it every 7 ~ 10 days as I don't comb it in between so dread locks begin around that time...

Have to say that I don't(touches wood)have this problem with her and I think that's largely because she was showered with me from birth, so got used to it from the off.
Ds though, was a nightmare and I did use the halo with him. I think once he started having swimming lessons, he lost the fear.

Bonsoir · 25/01/2010 21:52

Just force the shower on her and let her scream.

WingedVictory · 25/01/2010 21:52

The Boots thing is at eye shampoo shield

and Mothercare at:
shampoo shield

shampoo rinse cup

and
DRIEYES shampoo shield

cory · 25/01/2010 21:56

Am usually an old softie (of the letting-child-come-into-parental-bed ilk) but will admit that I used to hold ds upside down over the bath and shower him whilst singing very loudly to drown out his howls.

lovelycoffee · 25/01/2010 21:59

Had the same problem with my DD until the last year (and she got much better, I think what helped a lot (not that we planned it) was that we took her swimming more so she wasn't so worried by water - she tips her head back now, we just do one shampoo and I use a leave in conditioner

Hair brushing also tricky until we discovered the tangle teaser which was a bloomin miracle! Before then, lack of hair washing and brushing caused some tangles which I had to cut out! Felt like a really crap mum!

I also tried giving DD some bath crayons so that she was so busy drawing on the bath that she forgot to be so bothered by hair washing

It really does pass whatever you try - you have my sympathy

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