My son is 2.5 and absolutely hates the bath. He loved it when he was a baby (although has always hated having his hair washed) but now gets very distressed when we bathe him. There haven't been any incidents where he's been under the water or anything that I can recognise as a trigger for the change and I'm not sure how best to get him through it. We have tried lots of exciting bath toys, bath crayons, even a 'sensory' bath in dim light with glowsticks in the water but nothing has helped. We have also tried showering him instead, which is much faster, but he hates that just as much. Recently we've tried a very fast shower every morning in the hope that doing a quick daily shower (without getting hair or face wet) as part of his morning routine might get him through the worst of the aversion and at least help him manage it without getting upset but he is so distraught when he gets up that he now won't use the potty in the bathroom but insists on taking it outside, because he's worried that if he undresses we'll put him in the shower. The level of distress he shows is way above the normal level of a tantrum/upset from being tired/crying when he hurts himself.
Interestingly last year when we went to the beach he loved being in the sea and splashing in the waves so I have no idea why the bath/shower is so different.
We think he might be ND - he has been investigated for autism and is having twice weekly play therapy which has helped him massively although won't get a diagnosis (if in fact he is ND) until he's much older. This makes me wonder if it's an autism-realted sensory issue but whatever the cause, we need to find a way to make it work for him so that he can bathe or shower without screaming and melting down.
Does anyone have experience of dealing with something similar, and if so, how did you get past it? I'd be really grateful for any experience and tips you might be able to share.