Bath Time - Hopewell, VA

Hi J.
I never had this problem until the last month. My daughter LOVES the water but this last month she will do anything not to have to have a bath. We have been letting her take a shower with us since she was a year old. She LOVES the shower. I would put her in the shower with you and see how that works. Also lately when my daughter doesn't want to take a bath I ask her if she wants a colored bath (I bought those little things you drop in the water and you can make different colors. When she says she wants a colored bath she gets to choose the color. When all else fails get in with her. We get in the bath together at night and cuddle. It is relaxing for both of us.

Two suggestions, either try taking a bath with her, even a family bath. Toddlers want to do what mom and dad do. Also, try a shower, don't stopper the tub, the standing water may bother her, but turn on the shower and let her play with it on the outside of the tub first, sticking her hand it in etc, so it's not scary. You can also try getting in the shower and letting her stay on the outside and play a little, then bring her in with you. Once she sees it can be fun and not scary, you won't have to shower together all the time. Hope this helps. PS my son cries now if he doesn't get a shower and he always loved the bath, something about the falling water, he loves it!

i personally dont have this problem but my aunt did with her son (now 5) and she found that showering worked better, she (wearing a bathing suit) or my uncle would get in with him and he loved it hope this helps :)

Have you tried taking her in the shower with you? My daughter didn't like the bath, but loved the shower. There are great baby carreirs that wrk well for holding baby in shower (as well as at the pool or beach), some are made from Solarveil materail which has UV protection built in, but they are light weight, work great in the shower, and you can soap right through the material. Hotslings make a nice pouch style one, and Zolowear make a ring sling (adjustable) one. You can see some here, www.handsfreebaby.com.
Best of luck,
K.

Is it because she doesn't like water? Or maybe she doesn't like the water on her face. My daughter was the same way. What I did let her "play in the tub." I would fill up the tub, put lots of toys in it, and just let her have fun without doing the bathing and hairwashing part. I would do this a couple of times a week, and she thought it was just another playtime. Then after she realized that it was a fun activity for her, I started to slowly introduce bathing to her by using the soap as something I played with, with her. It took some patience and a little more time than normal, but it worked. The Pediatrician told me that a "playtime bath" was sufficient for her and not to make it a big deal. Hairwashing was done by having her look up at the "sky" and using my hands to put water on her head. Just be patient, try this, and if this doesn't work, just listen to what my mother used to tell me. "Don't worry, she won't be walking down the aisle without a bath." In other words, she will eventually get used to it and learn what we all haved learned.

G.

J., maybe there is some trick out there to force her to enjoy the bath, but also consider that she just doesn't like the sensation of being in the water. She's a little individual, and is entitled to her opinion. Try only doing a sponge bath most nights, only washing the critical areas. If she gets a specific area dirty during the day, wash just that area with a wash cloth and soap. Keeping her clean may be the best way to only need baths when she has had a particularly messy day. That's my $0.02 worth.

My daughter was the same way, so before I even tried to give her a bath I would feel all stressed about it and I'm sure she sensed it.
I decided to try something new, with just a little bit of water in the tub, (before I put her in) I started to splash the water and laugh, before long she wanted to join in, when she would splash the water I would laugh. I continued to do this the next couple of times she had a bath, this turned her from hating bath time to loving it. Ofcourse we used bath toys too. Now at age 2 bath time is not a fight and she can entertain herself.

I tend to agree with Sarah G's approach. When there is such a strong opposition to something that should be a "fun" experience, it usually means a certain negative stigma has gotten associated with the event. I bet your daughter avoids the bath more because of the historical battle she knows she has to face than the act of being bathed. I went through this with one of my children for this and for potty training. You need to get past the stigma of negativity.

Finding ways to let your daughter experience the bath water as a fun activity as opposed to a battle to bathe is a good way to start. Let her splash in her bathtub puddles. Get her toys so she can play (from the outside) with her bath tub fish pond. Give her opportunities to let her discover that the bath tub is not a battle ground by giving her these times which won't include the bathing scenario.

If you get her to the point of enjoying just playing in some water in the tub (like puddle splashing), you can begin to put a little more water in the tub with some fun bath tub toys, and hopefully, the turn around will go quickly form there.

Good luck!