Help! 2 Year-old HATES Bath All of a Sudden?

I went through this, too...and to tell you the truth, he still is off-and-on with the bath and my son is 4 1/2!

I tried all of the toys, paints, etc. I bought a shower hose type thing to use in the bath. He loves that, so sometimes that works. I also let him pick out his own shampoo scent (Loreal Kids has some interesting ones). I even bought a fireman's backpack/hose squirting toy - I think it's now discontinued but I found it on Ebay - fisher price rescue heroes)

I try to make a big event out of it. We even pretend he's a burrito after getting out of the bath when he's all wrapped up and we pretend to sprinkle toppings on him...
whatever works!

The key is to not give him a choice obviously. We've put him into the tub when he's mad sometimes, and his response is "I'm NEVER getting another bath EVER again!" Which of course is ridiculous. We've also let him stand (with us holding on to him of course) and we've used the shower hose to do a quick wash.

My best advice to you is to hang in there of course..but also to laugh about it. We'll be wishing for these days later on when they're older!

Good luck.

2's develop fears they can't verbalize- maybe its the drain or drowning, who knows. You may ask if he wants you to cover the drain, let him know you'll be there with him so he won't get hurt, maybe give him the option of bath or shower so he feels more in control, maybe get in the tub with him. By the way- if you want the opportunity for socialization in a positive environment, i work at St David's Mom's Morning Out on McMurray Rd. We have mostly 2's, and we have a really fun time. Its available M/W/F 9-12, but you choose the days and hours you want to use.

Ahhh, aren't two's fun? Anyway, have you tried reverse psychology? It has worked pretty well for my kids when they don't want to eat. Just make it a game, like you're joking, but say "Whatever you do, DON'T ....(fill in the blank)". You may have to repeat it a few times so they "get" what you're saying. Two year olds can't resist doing the opposite of what you tell them to do, even if it's not really opposite! Good luck! Maybe by the time you read this, the phase will be over!

Hi M.,
It's probably just a phase and will pass. What I used to do with my son when he didn't want to get "in" the tub was to let him stand and just do a quick sponge bath kind of thing with the water running but the tub unplugged. Just make sure he's OK standing there and doesn't slip.