Category: Parent Talk
When I give my 16 month daughter a bath, she doesn't like her hair washed or rinced. I try to make sure the water doesn't go into her eyes as much as possible, but it's hard to get her to stay still or get her to leen back. I know part of it is her age, but I'd like bath time to be more enjoyable for her. Please help if you have any suggestions.
have you tried maybe having some little toys in the tub, or even some little insentives.
Do you think she might like to try and wash her self? I no around a year and a half they are trying to be more independent from you, so maby she wants to wash er self. You could put the sope etc in her hair and let her rub it in. Then you could give her a cup or pitcher that she can handle easyley and let her wash it out. If she feals like she has more control, hopefully things will be easyer for you. Pluss if things stay fun and not like an unplesent chor for ither of you.
Hope this helps some.
Good luck and keep us
Tracey posted!
If she doesn't mind baths, then it is the laying back part, and all that water. Smile. She's probably getting scare of not being able to breezth. Get a sprayer that connects to the faucet, or one of these shower heads that detach with spray on it. Then you don't have to have her lay back, and can wet and rense her hair without getting soap in her eyes, or her having to lean back. If you've got no tears soap, then she plays regularly in the tub while you do her hair. Smile.
Thanks for the suggestions. I very much appreciate it.
My daughter hates having her hair rinsed, too. Having toys in the tub helps a little. The tub doesn't have to be filled with them; just one or two will do. Also, letting her wet her own hair helps, too. She doesn't like leaning back or dunking her head underwater, and I'm not sure how to help her be less afraid of that. *SMILE*
I think it also helps to talk to them about what you're doing. Nothing overly complicated, just things like, "OK, now I'm going to wash your hair." and "it's time to rinse the soap out." Because, especially if she's caught up in playing with her toys and not paying attention, you don't want the water over her head to come as a shock. I find they like to do things less when they associate them with unpleasantness. Grins.
Once when I bathed my little cuz I took a wet wash cloth and wiped her head with it a few times, but she was only a couple of months old at the time.
Or simply, dip a pot or jug of water in the tub and pour it over her head from behind. Keep doing this till all her hair's wet, hold a flannel over her eyes, see if that helps while you do this. That was how I used to like my hair washed. I hated the handheld shower approach as well as the leaning back approach when I was a toddler, lol. I had to lean over the edge of the bath on the outside while mum seemed to spend hours trying to get all my hair wet, shampooed then rinsed again, followed by at least 20 minutes if not longer under the blow dryer, lol.
Jen.
I used to like to hold the facecloth over my own eyes, and it helped when the adults made a game out of it. Try peek-a-boo.
my little sis was the same way. She went through this phase where she hated to have her hair washed, to. She was petrified of the water. what I did to her was make a gameout of it. I called the water Mr. Water. I told her that Mr. Water really wanted her to wash her hair and that Mr. Water would not hurt her at all and that there was no reason to be scared. I talked in a funny voice when Mr. Water was talking. I know that sounds silly, but that really worked for me. Before I knew it, she was no longer afraid of the water and found her bath time to be enjoyable. Give it a try and see what happens. I do hope that it works out, though.
Don't use teerfree shampoo. It is full of horrible chemicals, including a mild anesthetic, that is what makes it tear free. It numbs their eyes. If the eyes are nummed then they will not water and rid the eyes of the foreign substance, doing even more damage. Try using a wet wash cloth, wet, but not dripping to wipe the majority of the suds away before attempting to wrinse, as this will get at least fifty percent of the soap out, after initially wetting and lathering the hair, making less wrinses neccessary. With Jeremy I just say "Oh, honey, I know, you don't like this part, I'm sorry." I grab the cup, put a hand on his forehead and tip his head back, making a shelf above his eyes with my left hand, then quick as I can pour several cups of warm water over his head with my right hand. Then pop a toy into his hand, or start up a fun game, or give him a dry washcloth to blot his face with, or scoop him out of the tub, or nurse him, whatever, depending on what the situation and time constraints call for. Some times kids are frightened, other times they are just ticked off. If they are truly frightened, then you don't want to force the issue and traumatize them, but if they are just angry or frustrated, prolonging it with all sorts of play acting will just make it more frustrating and upsetting. I don't know which situation you are facing, because for some children "Mr. Water" will work, while for others, just getting it over with, without injury or harm is the best way. It is important to validate their feelings though. If you say "I know, this really sucks, but we've got to get the soap out or it'll dry out your hair and itch." or something similar you are empathizing and validating them, while being realistic and firm. If you are silent or you just keep saying "It's ok, it's alright." and making shushing sounds, you are communicating that you are going to do it, no matter how they feel, and you don't care how they feel. But, if you give them the words for their emotions, you empower them, and if you show them that you understand how they feel and what they are trying to tell you, their frustration and risistance will decrease, see "The Happiest Toddler On The Block." a really good book. Hope that helps.