hair washing nightmare please help

[abi87]

my 2and a half year old dd hates having her hair washed and screams for the entire time. we've tried using a jug, the shower and those things that go round her head to stop the shampoo going in her eyes but nothing works. has anyone got any tips please?

Will she lie down in the bath and have it rinsed that way?

Oh I sympathise. We had this problem for a while (still do if she's really tired and determined to be a grumpy monkey). What worked for us was staying with her older cousins and going in the bath with them. My sister has them standing up in the bath (I know some people might not approve!), covering their eyes and singing while she uses the shower attachment. Dd just wanted to copy them. Now all I have to say is "come on stand up with your eyes covered like dcousins. What do you want to sing tonight?" Works most of the time.

I do think that if they're tired it makes it worse so on hair-washing nights we also have an earlier bath (sometimes with bribe of TV afterwards if she's good).

But even now, sometimes I just have to grin and bear it

can she sit and tip her head back just a wee bit and hold a big sponge over her face and eyes (one of the big ones you would use to wash the car??) while you pour water over her etc? At least she will be in control of her face which I think is a big thing for them.

do make sure that sponge is wet though so it absorbs water properly!

My boys will only tolerate hair washing if they have a rolled up dry flannel pressed over their eyes, and their necks bent back at an angle of 90 degrees. The dry flannel really works. i count the number of rinses too, so they know when the torture will end

DS (3.5) hates having his done which is problematic as he has shoulder-length & very curly hair It always ends with me having to hang onto him & him screaming/crying . I hate it...

Mostly though all I do is wet a flannel & give his head a good scrub with that (we have never used shampoo on his hair) & then brush it (which he also hates). If its really smelly/dirty though the least traumatic for all of is is to use the scalp brush we have - basically dunk it in the water & then brush a bit of his hair - that way he gets cleaned & brushed hair all at once.

...quite often though we end up going out with him looking like he has been dragged through a hedge backwards about 20 times...I figure the odd stare/comment is less hassle/stressful than putting him through the brushing/washing.

Get her to hold two cotton wool balls in her eyes sockets, and bend her head forward.

Worked with DS.

I sympathise, I had to really psych myself up with DD before hair washing - now age nearly 5, still doesn't like it but getting easier as she can tell me what to do to make it less traumatic. Agree with the other posters - DD wouldn't put her head near the water until she shared a bath with some friends who ducked their heads under - Also she too lies back in the water and I gently wet her hair - I have dry flannels ready to wipe up any drips. It may take some time for you to get to this stage without screaming but it will happen eventually. We rinse in the bath water by her putting her head back again - it isn't ideal hair washing but every 2-3 months she comes to the hairdressers with me and has a trim - she loves the lovely young things who fuss over her and wash her hair WITHOUT ANY SCREAMING and it means her hair gets properly washed at least a few times a year.

Goggles or a small snorkel mask
they love it

I have just bought a really clever jug from mothercare which was expensive but excellent. Link her

I meant link here

I was just about to suggest balletmum's jug - worked for DD aged 2.

Highly recommended

Have you tried letting them wash your hair for you. I have the nail cutting fight so we turn it into an event with everyone cutting each others nails, tends to work.

Yes I agree with CD on the goggles front, DS loved them. Also second whoever said about counting down the rinses. But some children just hate the idea of the water being poured on them, if this is the case I would say just sort of stroke the suds out of her hair with a soaked flannel. It's much less scary and though it takes a while you won't mind if you're not wrestling / being upset by screams.

Oh, I sympathise.

DD1 has just decided to turn this into a great big hairy arsed nightmare. She used to sing to me whilst she lay back and let me rinse her hair. Now she's a howling banshee child who's shrieking is of sufficient volume and pitch to break all the light bulbs in the house.

I wish I knew why.

Anyway, I was at a total loss when DW solved the problem by showing her how she washes her hair. So now, like Jane68, we all wash each others hair and things are a lot less tense.

Lots of great tips here though. thanks. Good thread. Now: how do you deal with teeth brushing.....?

thanx for all the ideas . we will be having hair wash nights a bit more often to try them out. fingers crossed one of them will work!

she used to be a nightmare at having her teeth done 2 but we got her an electric tooth brush (the childrens ones are on offer in sainsbury's at the mo) and she is fantastic with them now

Top tooth tip Abi. Thanks

Have you tried playing pixies at hairwash time?? I got a mirror and propped it up in the side of the bath and we play pixies (making ears and horns) with the lather. I get her to put her fingers in her ears when we wash it off.....