3 yo bath time issues

[ajc1994]

My 3.5 yo is great all day and at bed time etc, fairly easy going loads of energy but a lovely little girl. However she hates bath or shower time daily and it ends in tears everyday (her and me a lot of the time). I’ve tried so many things to make it more fun for her, showers with me, special bath foam and bath bombs to make it interesting or fun, she will like it for maybe 1-2 days then is over it and screams saying she doesn’t want a shower and she doesn’t like it etc. I try and make it as quick as possible and she’s happy with the water temp and everything. Anyone had any breakthrough in a similar position? I’m guessing it’s because she’s getting tired towards the end of the day but she’s going to preschool and days out so I can’t really switch her bath time to first thing in the morning as she often comes home filthy. TIA x

Big yellow sponge and sponge her down? Is it hair washing??

Yes just do a quick sink wash.
Or she has a bath as soon as she gets home - not at bedtime.

I had this and I did a mixture of her showering with me in the morning (didn’t add too much time) or bath as soon as we come home then a wind down after that. Also I didn’t stress about baths every day.

Ok thanks all. Will try some of these tips, issue we have is she finishes preschool at 6 so home for 6:10 and aim for a 7pm bed time so she is already knackered by bed time. She seems to prefer showering at the moment and has one every afternoon or evening and hair wash every other as she has long hair and it gets so knotty and full of ice cream Sun cream etc so I’d struggle to go longer

But she seems to hate shower with or without a hair wash even if it’s a 2 minute shower

Try doing bath or shower on a weekend morning. Let her take toys in or save random plastic containers for her to play with. Don’t attempt washing- just let her play and you be an observer and see what you pick up from her.

I think after a full day you are both just wanting bath/ shower to be over asap and you are anticipating her mood, she will pick up from you your bottled up feelings and she’s tired so it makes it a million times worse!

I’d also ‘wash’ off some days like pp said with a sponge but not in bath/ shower.

Also get the paddling pool or water play in any outside space you may have.

Also again, might be simple but is the water too hot? Are you checking with a temperature gauge or your hand? Maybe make it cooler for a 2 week period and see (she may not respond to a temperature change within the first few tries).

Shallow bath and the little Toomies cappuccino maker thing. Toomies barista. Kids go crazy for it.

Lots of great tips on here already. It looks like ots going to be warm for the next few days, have you got a paddling pool that she could play in? I’m sure we had summers where that was the main thing that kept us clean as DC

Another who does sponge baths regularly to save time. With her hair, can she wear it in a ponytail or plait to keep it cleaner and stretch out the time between washes?

Went through this with my daughter, health visitor recommended filling a large shallow storage tub with water and balls pools and washing her that way.

Ive got a great phot of DD stood up in the kitchen sink on holiday. She too wasn’t always comfortable in the shower and there wasn’t a bath but she quite happily went in the sink (which I obviously bleached afterwards).

Having plaits or pigtails was a good shout too