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Children's health

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Original poster

Tips for washing a toddler's hair please!

22 replies

HensMum · 24/02/2009 14:05

DS is 16 months old and hates having his hair washed. I used to be able to lie him back in the bath and rinse it but he won't have it now, he screams and wriggles so much I don't feel safe trying to lean him back.

So, we do it by dribbling water from the sponge onto his head which inevitably means that water gets into his eyes and he still hates the whole process.

We tried one of those shields to stop water running down his face but he won't tolerate that and pulls it off.

Any tips to make it easier? Any good products around?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

MadameCastafiore · 24/02/2009 14:07

Just get on with it and ignore screaming.

He will soon get over it.

Seona1973 · 24/02/2009 14:10

I use a shower hose attached to the bath taps and use my hand to keep the worst of the water away from his face. I do have a towel handy for when the moaning/squealing starts though!!

Purplemoon · 24/02/2009 14:14

You could try a child's shower toy that fixes to the side of the bath like this one to help him believe he's in control of the water a bit, turning it into a game might just be your best bet.

Original poster

HensMum · 24/02/2009 14:31

Oooh, good idea Purplemoon.
He does soon recover from it but I don't really like him getting so worked up close to bedtime. It's a stressful end of the day for everyone and I'd rather avoid it if I can.

OP posts:

Thrifty · 24/02/2009 14:34

if all else fails use a bucket. we use a bucket (small beach bucket) with ds (3). wet hair with flannel, shampoo then dump full bucket of clean water over to rinse. you will only get one rinse as screaming ensues as soon as the water reaches the face. immediately retrive screaming toddler from bath and wrap in warm snuggly towel[mean mummy emoticon].

seeker · 24/02/2009 14:35

And it doesn't need washing very often - wiping over with a damp flannel will do!

Lizzzombie · 24/02/2009 14:43

I only do it once a week and use this. Its not great, as he knows whats going to happen when he sees it, but it saves some of the water going in his eyes.

Washing his hair is a traumatic experience though, and always makes me feel like a totally evil mother!

seeker · 24/02/2009 14:46

Once a week is more than enough - particuarly if you go swimming! Truely, toddler's hair doesn't get greasy, so wiping it with a flannel is enough to get most of the baked beans and so on out of it. Pick your battles, I say!

MerryMarigold · 24/02/2009 14:49

Lizz, you are my twin. We use that jug. Ds is much better now than he used to be but we still only do it once a week. It used to be a MAJOR, traumatic screaming fit (he is now 3). He only screams for hair washing and hair cutting. We also tried to teach him to shut his eyes which he's finally got after a year! He plays with the jug on normal bath nights so it is not a scary thing. Also, if he goes swimming I get dh to wash his hair in the shower as he loves the showers at swimming but won't have one in our house . We had one of those shower things that the kid does, but a) it is quite hard for the child to work it and b) there's not enough water to wash/ rinse it properly.

Original poster

HensMum · 24/02/2009 14:51

Oh, we definitely don't do it more than once a week - not worth the hassle. Sometimes it does look grubby though and looks so pretty when it's nice and clean.

OP posts:

llareggub · 24/02/2009 15:10

I wash DS's hair once a week, and usually do it by getting in the bath with him. I get him to wash my hair first, which he enjoys. I then get his hair wet by any means possible, and then shampoo as much as I can. I then get him to lean his head back against my chest so the water doesn't get in his eyes. I make sure we have a towel to hand. This method is usually less traumatic for him, but I can't wait until he is over it!

MrsJoeMcIntyre · 24/02/2009 15:12

I use that jug with 21mo dd too. Same problems as all of you.

it's a phase, it's a phase.

MerryMarigold · 24/02/2009 15:17

mrsjoe it is a phase, but sadly quite a long one

Saltire · 24/02/2009 15:22

Have no advice, but much sympathy. DH and I used to have to strip off when washing Ds1's hair. DH would climb into bath and hold him, sort of under his arms, and I would wash. We would be soaked, DS1 would be screaming, nothing at all worked. We had neighbours at the door on more than one occasion wondering what was going on. Even now he has to have a whole towel over his face,a dn if so much as a tiny drop of water gets on his face he yells. he's almost 11 now!
I personally blame MIL as she had him overnight when he was about 10 months old and turned the shower on him whilst he was in the bath, he was fine with hair washing up until that point

worley · 24/02/2009 15:24

ditto MadameCastafire. exactly what i have to do, he soon gets over it and its quicker than faffing around. i just have a towel ready to dry his face

hazeyjane · 24/02/2009 15:37

Dd1 is nearly 3 and still terrified of hair washing-and I mean terrified. Not sure that,

'Just get on with it and ignore screaming.

He will soon get over it.'

is necessarily the method that always works?

We have tried so many different things, but it only seems to minimise it, rather than completely conquer it IYSWIM!

We use one of the hair washing jugs with the flat edge, because it does make it a lot quicker to wash her hair, we only do it when it looks like it needs it (which is sometimes weekly, sometimes more), don't use too much shampoo and just try to be really gentle about it.

Good luck

CaptainKarvol · 24/02/2009 15:40

Another one here who just has to ignore the screaming. DS says every single night 'not washing my hair!' when I say it is bedtime. He hates it. We do it once a week.

MrsJoeMcIntyre · 24/02/2009 16:13

Dd starts cocking her leg on the side of the bath and trying to climb out, saying, 'Out, out, out' as soon as she sees the jug. My heart sinks for her when I know I have to wash it.

BoffinMum · 24/02/2009 16:28

This is going to sound counter-intuitive, because of the eye stinging thing, but if you get them to put a flannel over their eyes and use soap on their hair, yes soap, it rinses out in a nanosecond and they end up panicking less.

BoffinMum · 24/02/2009 16:30

I also play a little game with them called "Let me water my little flowers and make them grow" and spray the shower attachment on different bits of them going "Oooh hooo!" and giggling a lot. Then it 'accidentally' gets on the hair.

muddleduck · 24/02/2009 16:32

I use a damp facecloth to wash and I give ds1 a dry face cloth to wipe the drips off his face. He is (at last) quite good at keeping looking at the ceiling.

Also it turned out that he hated the smell of the shampoo (maybe just association) so we now make a joke of putting toothpaste under his nose so he can't smell it.

MrsMopple · 24/02/2009 16:37

DS didn't used to mind, but does now. What we do is have a flannel to hold over his eyes (either me or he does it). It turned out he didn't like the water dribbling round his ears, either, so we got a hand towel and hold that over his ears AND eyes so that none drips anywhere. Sunday night is hairwash night, so that I know it's done once a week, as he's a bit anti baths in general now (3 and a half)

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