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Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

Behaviour/development

21 month old terrified of bath!

15 replies

Bouncey · 22/09/2013 14:40

Advice much appreciated. DD used to love baths but now hates them, and is totally terrified. Just turning on the taps is enough for her to run away crying. Shower is equally bad. She has lots of bath toys, and we've tried getting into the bath with her, but to no avail. We've been keeping her clean with sponge baths, but she has quite long hair and it really needs a wash. Maybe we should just get on with it, but it feels awful subjecting her to something she's genuinely scared of.

OP posts:

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Madamecastafiore · 22/09/2013 14:44

Just get on with it. Easiest way to get kids used to it IMO and you won't scar her for life regardless of what some [people will advise you.

I used to get in the shower with the DCs from a very early age as was easier than bathing and was always shocked by the mums having to yell and fight with their kids after swimming lessons when trying to get them showered.

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LongDivision · 22/09/2013 15:41

we're going through this, too, with a 21mo! in our case i think it is a fear-of-drain thing, as he started to become skittish around the time when he heard the drain make a loud clicking sound.
BUT i had a recent success by going swimming with him (which he loves), then bringing him home and getting into the shower. he wasn't crazy about the shower (but the swimming made him a little bit less sensitive about it), but i then immediately sat him down in the bath facing away from the drain, and he suddenly became quite happy to splash around, with me standing between the drain and shower.
I haven't tried it again yet, though (only bathe him every couple of days or so). we shall see.

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LamaDrama · 22/09/2013 15:47

Im considering getting a coloured shower head for DD, they are about £15-£20.

They have led lights on the head, I think. So the water looks pink, green, yellow etc.

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LamaDrama · 22/09/2013 15:49

www.sawitfirst.co.uk/content/colourchangingshower1

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brettgirl2 · 23/09/2013 06:20

Have you tried getting in and letting her play around you? She will prob decide she wants to get in with you.

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beela · 23/09/2013 14:08

We had this after an unfortunate poo-in-the-bath incident when DS was around 2.

We tried all sorts - new bath toys, getting in with him, distraction, etc. In the end, he reluctantly agreed to short baths on the condition that he was wearing his swimming trunks and sunglasses. I'm not entirely sure how we hit on that one

The problem sort of went away on its own after a while, but it did take a few weeks.

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notadoctor · 23/09/2013 19:57

My DD went through this - at first, I had a bath with her every other night or so. Then after a week or two we got her baby bath back out for her to bath her dollies. After a few nights of that (with no pressure for her to get in to) she climbed in with then (bit of a squish!). She did that a couple of times and a few nights later she was happily in the big bath on her own again.

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Jaffakake · 23/09/2013 22:38

We also had this at 24 months after a pooing in the bath incident. We persevered and with distraction, bubbles & finally with some new bath toys after 2 weeks it passed. We noticed it went from him being genuinely scared to jut making noise, cos he'd got used to crying in the bath!

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ipswichwitch · 29/09/2013 17:59

Just come across this thread and wanted to say we've had the same. Nothing at all triggered it off as far as we can tell but we've had a week of hysteria to the point where he refused to even go in the bathroom. So we gave up, resorted to strip washes until I decided to get the paddling pool out in the kitchen.

DS (23 months) was very unsure about getting in at first until we gave him a bag of plastic balls to throw in. By the end he was on his front swimming in it, he was clean, we were clean and so was the kitchen off all the water everywhere! The next night we asked him if he wanted to put the balls in the bath, which he did and decided to get in with them so he could throw them out again! I'm hoping tonight's bath time goes as well since we're also having a total nightmare with him not eating or sleeping, nd could really do with something going well.

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ipswichwitch · 29/09/2013 18:01

Forgot to add that until this last week he has always loved the bath to the point of crying when we got him out. I will probably never figure out toddlers as long as I live!

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goodasitgets · 29/09/2013 18:09

Bath bomb? Coloured bubble bath?

Can you get in the bath on your own and let her help you - pass you the soap/shower gel/splash you?

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daisydee43 · 29/09/2013 18:40

My dd 18 mths recently went off baths and started crying so I just did them as quick as possible and now she doesn't mind them again - is the water a good temp?

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Alanna1 · 29/09/2013 20:33

We got round this by swimming lots.

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Oriunda · 10/10/2013 11:07

We had this a few months ago. Turned out it was a new toy (type you wind up and moves) that scarw him and even now he hates them. For one week we bathed him standing up in a large bucket next to the bath with one of us in bath. When he was calm we sat him on bath edge so he could play with bubbles etc. Next phase in bath with one of us. Bubbles and lots of splashing. Final phase a great new bath toy (octopals) and he was back. He now loves bathtime and goes mad if we don't give him a bath! It took about 2 weeks btw to get him in bath again.