Toddler bathtime

[amsadandconfused]

My two year old granddaughter refuses to have a shower at home and refuses a bath when staying here 🙄She is ok showering after swimming twice a week.
Am at a loss what to suggest to my daughter. I am having her here tomorrow evening so am planning on taking her out to choose bath toys and get some colourful bath foam .
Any other ideas will be greatly received.

Does she have baths at home or refuses to bath in general?

Glow sticks!! Chuck a few in and turn the lights off

@Twizbe

Does she have baths at home or refuses to bath in general?

She is refusing shower at home and has started refusing bath with us . There has not been any incident that has caused this . Think she is just being tricky so thought I would ask for any good ideas ! Glow sticks is worth a try @flangesaurous . Thank you

My friends daughter went through a stage like this. She put blue bubble bath in and put her daughter in a swimsuit and called it swimming instead of having a bath. It worked - she was about 3 at the time

I just let mine not have a bath....he had a wash with a flannel twice a day but they're not very stinky at 2 are they?! It wasn't worth the tantrum in my eyes. He decided he wanted one eventually and now has a mix of bath, shower or wash depending on how he feels.

I clearly remember mine screaming about not going in the bath, then water play in it, then screaming about being got out again.

It’s fine just don’t give her a bath, it’s only one night?

Nope- it's not something they get to choose, if they need a bath, they need a bath! 'If you don't want to play, that's fine, but you are getting washed! Up & in!

Ah ok I read this as she's having baths at home but not showers.

A paddling pool in the bottom of the shower making a bath might help.

Two things that helped me:

• A stick on basketball net to the end of the bath with a ball to throw in it
• Rubber ducks that you can squeeze and pretend they're doing a wee

I have a two year old. I think sometimes they just need to feel in control and refusing things is a way to gain control. I find that giving ‘age appropriate choices’ can work sometimes. E.g. my DD often refuses to have her teeth brushed but if instead of saying ‘let’s brush your teeth’ I say ‘do you want Daddy or Mummy to brush your teeth?’ she’ll get to make the decision and feels like she’s in charge.
Sometimes that just doesn’t work though and we skip teeth brushing. You have to pick your battles.

Thank you for all your kind suggestions. We went out today and she chose a new bath toy ..lots of squeeze animals . Great excitement running the bath and lots of bubbles,threw the toys in ..I was so hopeful but as soon as I tried to undress her in the bathroom she went absolutely berserk. There was absolutely no way I could get her in the bath . So it was strip wash . She was so distressed. Think I will wait until she can be reasoned with . Thank you again.X

Both of mine went through a phase of hating baths and showers when they were 2…. I think it was fear of the plug / tap / shower head. They couldn’t really explain it but they were quite hysterical.
It came on suddenly, lasted a few weeks and then stopped as suddenly as it had started!

Is she refusing to wash or is she bathing at home? If she is bathing at home then I wouldn’t worry about it.

Would she maybe be happy to wear her swimsuit into the bath?
Also worth checking if it's too hot / cold for her .. I swear my 3 year olds bath feels way too cold to me but any warmer and he says it's too hot so it's only about 35 degrees .
We also use food colouring - he chooses what colour he wants it.
Also though if she's showering twice a week after swimming I wouldn't actually worry about it. Two or three times a week would be the most we do anyway as otherwise his son goes too dry. In between he gets his face and hands washed. Obviously if he has an accident or rolls down a muddy hill then he gets another bath.

DD1 went through a phase like this around 2, yet wouldn’t go to sleep without a bath (plus she was learning to use cutlery then so filthy every day) so we had to persevere. Tried all manner of toys/bubble baths/bribes to no avail.

One evening DP was working late and I had SO much work to that evening myself (primary teacher) that I couldn’t face the negotiation. I very calmly and silently plonked her in the bath, quickly rinsed her off and then got her out and ready for bed. She was so surprised that she stopped yelling at me and cooperated - I think she was just too young to understand the cajoling, and simple, kind boundaries helped her.

She’s almost 3 now and whenever she’s having a tantrum about nail clipping etc a similar approach still works - calmly ignore, don’t wind her up further with talk and get the job done quickly.

Just me experience.

We went through a phase, and bought some mouldable foam, started playing with it in the bath without being in the bath iyswim and she wanted to get in with it. Try shaving foam and food colouring?