Toddler hates bath..?

[AlltheQs]

My son just turned 2 and he used to LOVE the bath, we would sometimes have An extra bath just cause he liked it so much. About a year ago he suddenly went off it, started complaining as soon as he was in to get out, not upset or crying, more just giving off like he wanted to do something else.
As far as we’re aware there was nothing strange that day - temperature was normal, no soap in eyes etc. since then he has HATED the bath, screams and cries and contorts himself in the strangest shapes to try and avoid it /get out of it.
I’d read it was normal for some toddlers to go through this phase but it’s bore been going on a year. We’ve tried different times of day, showers, and for a long time standing outside the bath and being washed down with clothes but even that he starts to give off. Yesterday we tried putting him in again for all of about 7 seconds and he cried so much he made himself sick.

Any one else ever experience anything like this? At a loss 😞

@AlltheQs
Can you try maybe glowsticks in the bath, or the stiff you put in the bath that turns water different colour to maybe make it more fun for him.

Something like this.

It's not that uncommon. Just stick with the 'it's ok if you don't want to play in the bath, but you need to get washed'. Make sure the bathroom is comfortable and stand him in the bath and wash him. Quickly, but properly, scoop him out in a big cosy towel and into PJ's as quickly as possible. Praise him a lot if he doesn't make a fuss & ignore him if he does. He'll grow out if it and much more quickly if he doesn't get any attention out if being a pain in the bum!

Do either of you go in the bath? A friends DS refound his love of baths by gate crashing theirs! & I had my showers 'gate crashed'

You could try some bath toys, I bought some plastic pipes off Amazon they stick to the bath / tiles they can pour water down, some cogs that stick on the bath and turn when water poured on. You can buy colour changing lights for inside the water.

Then there's bath crayons, bath bombs, when ds really really hated the bath when he was younger I bought some little bath bombs that changed the water colour and you could change the colour you had made it by adding another colour to it.

I bought all the above from Amazon.

Same problem here with grandchild.Have tried every trick .Gets so distressed so now just leaving it..too stressful and upsetting for everyone!Now has a shower with Mum every couple days..Still hates it, but not as hysterical .Absolutely loves going swimming though!Tried costume on in bath !Good luck. X

Another thing I did for ds for the bath.

I bought him a snorkel set from Amazon. 😂

The things you try eh!

Did something happen to scare him.off water? Did his head accidentally go under for a few seconds? I remember being in the bath as a small child and my mother washing my hair. She used to pour it all over my head and my face and I hated it. To this day I can't stand water running over my face!!
Or maybe he's just being a typical toddler?
I personally wouldn't worry too much as long as he's getting something close to a good wash 😉

It is a very common phase that toddlers go through. I just did a stand up strip wash when mine went through it. They didn't mind a quick sponge wash and a jug of water to rinse the soap off. Warm bathroom, empty bath and straight out into a warm towel.
It is quite common for toddlers to develop a real fear of going down the plughole. They see the water gurgling down there and can't rationalise that they are too big to follow it.

We had this, hit a bath bubble machine which went in an empty bath for playtime 😊

I would get in with him. I didn’t have a bath on my own for years after the kids were born - it was a lovely time, no distractions, always had a great chat 😊

We stood ds in a washing up bowl covering his feet at most and told him he MUST NOT splash us with a smile on our faces. He did splash, he did laugh. Then we trn that amount to bath and added a bit more after a while.

Thanks so much for all your responses!!
We’ve tried a lot of different bath toys with not much luck but will definitely try above recommendations of glowsticks/different colours etc.
I think This may just be an ongoing battle for a while sadly but definitely helps the sanity knowing he’s not the only one! Also nice to hear that another chi old hates the bath but still likes swimming.. we haven’t taken him to a pool since early lockdown (before he went off the bath) and I’ve had the fear of going again given how he is with bath but I’ll suck it up and try it!
Thanks everyone!

We have exactly the same problem with DD - she used to LOVE bath time, all of a sudden she screams and cries at the mention of it no accidents or bad experiences that we can remember. She’ll only get in if one of us gets in with her, and even then it’s a quick strip wash job. Will try some of these suggestions… solidarity! I dread bath time now!

We tried all of the above. Nothing worked. He's now 10yo and is a bath refuser. I get him in the shower twice a week - and he never wants to leave

Getting him in is whinge central, but he's happy when he's actually in there. Makes no sense.

Loves the pool and beach, too, including showering on the beach. Zero logic.

My 2.5 year old hates baths and has done for most of her short life!

We do a shallow bath (strip wash) once or twice a week and wash her hair only when it needs it. We wash her hands and face with a flannel every night before bed.

We had a recent success on holiday when we stayed in a cottage with just a shower cubicle. She really enjoyed standing in the shower with a bowl of warm water and a cloth and washing herself. I think we might continue this at home. She obviously feels more comfortable being in control of the water.

Mine hated the bath for about a year after having some very minor slips (despite bath mat etc) when she was learning to stand. Nothing bad happened and she wasn’t hurt, just scared her.

We cut down on baths to around 3 per week and then did a little strip wash or a wet wipes wash on non bath days. Gawd - she just stood in one place and sobbed in her bath for so long! We perfected the 90 second bath!

But we just kept at it and about 6 months ago she finally relaxed enough to sit down in the bath and now she is in there for 30 minutes a night and loves it. We didn’t change anything as we were already doing toys, crayons, bubbles etc - she just got older and found it easier.

Showers no better for us as she hates water in her face!

Good luck, don’t feel bad or question yourself too much xx