Washing a 7-Month-old's Hair

I hold an interesting/favorite toy up high and pretend it's coming down at her...when she tilts her head up to watch it, I rinse!

I get in the bath with my daughter, lay her on my legs and suds up her hair, I then use a washcloth and ring it out so the water doesn't go towards her eyes but rinses out the shampoo. I do the same thing with my son- I also have a towel near by so they can dry their eyes if something should go wrong.

Just slightly lean her back using her towel to drip water from her hair. sing songs and try to make this a fun time for baby and you.

My 9 month old son has had a ton of hair since birth and initially hated having water in his face too. His twin sister was totally indifferent to the water, making her bath experience much easier. So, I decided to get my son used to it around 5-6 months by turning it into a game. Around this time he started to like splashing the water with his hands and feet, and would really splash and cry when water got on his face. I would laugh with him, cheer "splash, splash, splash!" which would make him laugh and continue splashing. From then on, right before I would pour water over his head (& face) I said my "splash cheer" and he would laugh and splash and not care about the water anymore. Now, I don't even have to go through the ritual, he's just gotten used to it.

I feel it is important for babies to get used to water on their faces so when they're older they're not afraid of water and feel comfortable swimming, bathing, etc. But I hope whatever you choose works for your little one!

When I had this problem with my oldest son, I would put a dry wash cloth across his forehead and then use a cup to pour water over his head. The dry wash cloth soaked up most of the water and made life much easier. Good luck. I hope this part of bathtime becomes less of a struggle for you.

Lay her down on the counter and hang her head over the sink like a biauty shop does. Put a towel under her neck for comfort. The water will not go in her eyes this way and you will be able to rinse the hair well. Back in the day we all took a bath in the kitchen sink from time to time.

C. T

Hi! I haven't read the other replies so someone may already have suggested this, but they sell a pitcher with a curved spout specifically for this purpose. I think One Step Ahead sells them on their website. The curved spout is designed to fit right on the top of the child's head so the water flows down their back instead of in their face. Check it out!

My 20-month old still hates having her hair washed! She has a lot as well. I ended up taking her in the shower with me for hair-washing and used the baby tub for bath time. That way she still loved bath time, and has the reassurance of me holding her close for the hair washing. It wasn't ideal, but it got the process over much more quickly and helped control the fear. I was worried about the soap making her too slippery to hold at first, so I would sit down in the shower with her for the soapy parts. A detatchable shower head makes that easier, but I managed fine without for months.
Good luck!
MC

Well this takes a long time but, I used to take a VERY wet wash cloth and a bowl of clean water and just try to wipe out the soap. My daughter has a lot of hair too and it takes a lot of passes but it worked. As she is getting older she doesn't seem to mind the water going in her face as much, we put a dry wash cloth over her eyes. I would keep trying that once in awhile so she gets used to it.

My son hated having water in his face at first, but now does it to himself. I would blow in his face before pouring so he caught his breath first. I also tried to make it a game. I laughed so he did. It was really important to me that he be comfortable with the water, as we have a pool in our yard, so he needs to be water safe pretty quick. The first few times he didn't like it, but after a while he started to not mind. Just go quick. Eventually you can give her toys like the rinsing cup to plau with while in the bath, and you'll be able to get her to rinse for you. There's not much you can do about it though, so she's really going to have to get used to it. Just remember she's going to mimic your reaction. If you are scared, she will be; if you are anxious at all she will pick it up. Make it a funny thing, and tell her she's fine, and know in your heart that she is, and that it's actually better for her to get used to this.

Hi, why don't you get into the tub with her? I did that, give her a mirror so she can see what is happening.

I always gave mine a fun cloth like something shaped like a duckie puppet to put over their eyes. And that worked well. Problem is they are now five and three and still afraid of water. The five year old is just now getting to where she can put her face in the water or get a little water in her face so she can shower. The younger one is horribly afraid and pitches a fit. It is getting to be such a nightmare.

All my friends have kids that will splash in the water, put their face in the water, let you pour water over their heads and so on. They just played from the beginning. If you make a big deal out of it your baby will continue to be afraid and end up like mine.

I would suggest getting in the tub with her and playing a few nights in a row. Pour water over your head and let her pour water over your head and laugh and splash and play. Make her realize that there is nothing to be afraid of. Keep a cloth in the bath if you need to, but just use your hands to wipe the water away from your face and try to get her to do it too. Make it a fun time and laugh and go on so she won't be afraid anymore.

My oldest had a head full of hair from birth. She looked like a chia pet of sorts. I would put her hair in little piggies from the time she was three months on. She has hair down to her bottom now. I have to trim it to keep it out of the toilet when she goes potty. I had to bath her every day from birth on because her hair would get so oily. But I was always so careful to keep the water out of her eyes and gave her a cloth if water splashed in her face.

With my son (who is five months old) I just let him splash and I laugh and go on. I'm hoping he won't be afraid like his sisters.

My daughter has bucket loads of curly hair. She hasn't lost a bit of it since the day she was born and now it's so long it's all the way down her back. It doesn't seem to matter what I do to keep the water out of her face (she has the same terrified response at two as she did when she was first starting to get mobile and would flip over during a hair washing). I can't wait for some good answers on this one. I'd like to thank the mom's for their help too!

Hi A.,
Babies R Us has some type of visor that you can put on your daughter which blocks the water from hitting her in the face. I guess you can use any visor that you may have around the house as well, but the one from the store is styrofoam.

My daughter had alot of hair also. I would have her lay down in the tub when it was time to rinse her hair (there was no water in the tub) and use a cup to pour the water down over her head. When I got the soap out of the front I would sit her up and just pour the water over the back so it stayed out of her face.

I found this cool thing at Buy Buy Baby - it's like a half bucket with one side made of flexible rubber... you fill the bucket and put the rubber side against the baby's forhead and it forms to fit and makes a seal, so when you pour the water over her hair, it doesn't get in her face at all. It's only $5 or so too I think. Or I read about this woman that used a small watering can and pretended her daughter was a flower, saying something like "time to water Bella!" And her daughter thought it was funny and never gave her a hard time.

I have a shower spray attachment with a hose in our tub. I put my son's baby tub in there and when it comes time to rinse and I use that to rinse my son's head (7 mths also). Very little water roles down his face.

Our son hates the water going on his face so we just do things as quickly as possible. It started around 8 months and is still going strong a year later.

We sit him in the tub when the water is still running and immediately start washing his hair. He reaches out and plays with the stream of water and whatever other toys are in the tub. When it is time to rinse, we do it as fast as possible and if it runs over his face, it runs over his face. I can usually clear out the soap within two rinses. So, yes, it does distress him but we do not drag out the process any longer than we have to. We, too, have the 'pitcher' you describe and he just ducks!

Do you have a hand-held shower head? You can get one for pretty cheap at Target. It's great for rinsing their hair. I never liked the cup, it seemed to take forever and not be very effective. At least with a shower head you have control.

Hi A.,

I've seen "bath visors" online that let you wash your baby's hair without getting water/soap in her eyes. I still use a wet wash cloth to rinse my 9-month-old daughter's hair (I do about 5 rinses), but she doesn't have tons of hair.

Best of luck,
R.

Try these
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2793366
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2792398

Or you can dump the water on her head and laugh like its the funniest thing ever. Now my daughter thinks its a game.

Of course, she will occasionally sneak into the bathroom when I'm taking a bath and dump water on my head. Which really IS funny.

My daughter had a lot of hair as a baby too and I would lay her on a towel on the counter and wash her hair over the sink. Sometimes I'd give her a bath toy to hold while she was laying there. We have a long bathroom countertop, but you could use the kitchen sink too. Just be sure to fold the towel or use two towels so that it feels soft under her and fold it under her neck so that she stays supported (or use your hand to support her). To rinse it out I poured cupfuls of water over her hair to keep better control of how the water flowed - much easier to keep it out of her eyes.

When she's older and is bathing in the "big" tub then you can fill the tub partially with water and have her lay down in the tub. I do this now that my daughter is four and she enjoys laying in the warm water (it comes up to around her ears) and I still use the cup to rinse out her hair while she lays down. Then one last rinse all over after the tub is drained - it sounds like a lot, but it's actually pretty quick and easy since she really has a lot of hair now.

BTW, this is good for boys too - my son couldn't handle any soapy water in his face as a toddler and this was the only way I could wash his hair.

1 hand holds the water cup and the other hand never leaves her forehead. Mold that hand around her hairline so she can see you at all times and use that hand as a squeegie. Pour the rinse water slowly.

A.,
I have had friends who have used goggles while washing the kids hair which I imagine is difficult with a strap on your childs head, I guess you could try to push the strap further to the base of the neck.
I have also seen in stores a hat that kids can wear (target or babies r us.

A., does she still nurse? The only way I could wash our daughters hair was to get in the bathtub with her and nurse her while I rinsed it.

Here is what we do. Toward the end of the bath, I suds up my son's hair. I rinse the back of his head while he is in the tub so that no water runs on to his face. I don't rinse the top and sides until he gets out of the tub. When out, I wrap him in a towel with his arms inside. I call him my little burrito (he thinks it is funny). Then I sit on the edge of the tub with him across my lap, face up, head over the tub. I take a pitcher of warm water and pour it over his hair. I ask him to turn his head to each side so I can get the sides real good. I do sometimes get a little water on my arm while I do it. It is easy to control and not get any in his eyes. He really enjoys it and says it feels good. It has saved bathtime for us. My son is 2.5 and I have done this with him since he was around 1 year old. It sounds similar to the moms who lay their kids on the counter. My son would never have done that as he wouldn't feel safe and relaxed enough. But having him wrapped up seems to be the trick. Good luck!

I used to hold a dry washcloth (it will get wet as you work) on my son's forehead while rinsing.