At my wits end with bathtime

goosehazel

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I have no idea why Brandon hates bathtime now. He used to love love love it. Now he just shrieks and screams till it's all over. I just don't know what to do anymore
Nothing happened in the bath that would make him afraid.
Does anyone have any tips that may get Brandon to like bathtime again? We've tried everything. A bath with me, a shower with me, a bubble bath, different times of day, etc. He even hates when I wash his feet in the sink after he's been outside! We've tried letting him play in a large bowl of water, he wouldn't go near it
Any suggestions?
 

ilovesiamese

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He never got splashed or anything that would make him afraid???

That's really strange??? Did he see anyone else be afraid of water or get in trouble about water Ie. water is dangerous???
 

theimp98

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from what i can tell, all little boys, do the i hate bath time at some point in time.
he will grow out of it, about the time he finds out girls are not that bad.

hmm, find something fun to play with in the water is the only thing i can think of,.
 

catloverin_ks

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I know how very frustrating this can be!! My daughter went thru that stage where she HATED bath time!! I personally think its something kids just go through. It does get annoying and fruistrating, but he will outgrow it!!
Hang in there!!
 

bonnie1965

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could you get a very special toy that he can only play with in the bathtub? No other time. Maybe have him go shopping with you to pick it out. Call it the "bathtime toy".
That's all I can think of other than waiting for him to outgrow it.
Good Luck!
 

kluchetta

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I know that if they EVER get soap in their eyes, they will NEVER forget it and HATE bathtime forever.

That said, my mom used to give my son an ice cream cone in the bathtub!
What a perfect place!
 

swampwitch

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This worked for us: Put a little food coloring in two paper (or plastic) cups, two different primary colors. Let your son pick the two colors. In the bath, he can mix them, in another container, then the bathwater, to make a third color. Let him pick different combinations each night. You can move into the secondary colors after he's learned all the primary combinations. Fun and educational!

Our daughter also has several sets of the alphabet that stick to the walls when wet. She practiced spelling her name and sounding out words during bath time.

Have you tried the bathtub crayons? There are fizzy things he might like. Good luck!
 

hilda>^..^<

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Originally Posted by SwampWitch

This worked for us: Put a little food coloring in two paper (or plastic) cups, two different primary colors. Let your son pick the two colors. In the bath, he can mix them, in another container, then the bathwater, to make a third color. Let him pick different combinations each night. You can move into the secondary colors after he's learned all the primary combinations. Fun and educational!

Our daughter also has several sets of the alphabet that stick to the walls when wet. She practiced spelling her name and sounding out words during bath time.

Have you tried the bathtub crayons? There are fizzy things he might like. Good luck!
Awesome, awesome suggestions! There are all sorts of fun things Brandon can play with in his tub! We had the sticky alphabets as well...those were fun! Crayons and paints work well too!

Uh, have you tried bribing him? I know it sounds awful but maybe something like 'for being a good boy & taking your bath, you can have....' and pick something he reeeeeeally likes, as a reward or treat of sorts for being such a good, big boy! Does he like bedtime stories? 'Brandon, after you bath, we can read your fav bedtime story...'...stuff like that. Oooo, or maybe you can read his fav story while he's in the tub...but he has to behave quietly while you read the story otherwise he can't hear it...

Good luck! Its been a lonnnnnnnnnng time since I've had to deal with this sorta thing...


Hilda>^..^<
 

kittiesx2

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Originally Posted by SwampWitch

This worked for us: Put a little food coloring in two paper (or plastic) cups, two different primary colors. Let your son pick the two colors. In the bath, he can mix them, in another container, then the bathwater, to make a third color. Let him pick different combinations each night. You can move into the secondary colors after he's learned all the primary combinations. Fun and educational!
We do this too but I buy fizzy tabs in primary colors and my son get's to pick two colors each night to mix.Before we drop them into the water he guesses what color they will make when they mix together. He is so proud when he guesses the right color

They also sell disposable bathmitts that have soap built in. They have really cute pictures on them and are like puppets so they are fun to play with and get them to help wash themselves
 

crittermom

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A squirt gun/toy that he can ONLY play with in the tub is also a good choice.Let him pick out a special wash cloth/towel that only he can use for his baths.Let him go in the tub with a swimsuit on........anything creative to get him back into wanting a bath.
I agree with the bath tub crayons, they work great.
I would say that he'll outgrow it soon though.
 

snuzy

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Phew! I thought you were talking about a cat til I read the other posts

And could perfectly understand the shrieking.
Not sure how old he is, but they grow in and out of liking the tub. Now at 10 and 13, you'd think I was sentencing them to the firing squad when I tell them to take a shower. I think boys think their super powers are related to the amount of dirt they keep on their bodies.
 

leli

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Originally Posted by Snuzy

Phew! I thought you were talking about a cat til I read the other posts

And could perfectly understand the shrieking.
Not sure how old he is, but they grow in and out of liking the tub. Now at 10 and 13, you'd think I was sentencing them to the firing squad when I tell them to take a shower. I think boys think their super powers are related to the amount of dirt they keep on their bodies.
Today I said something that cannot be understood unless you've had dealings with a little boy.
"I would like you to take a shower before you get dressed and when you are through, you must put on ALL CLEAN CLOTHES. You may not continue to wear the shirts that you have been wearing for the last 24 hours."

As far as Brandon is concerned, the idea of special toys for use only at bathtime is good. The ice cream idea is another good one, especially if he doesn't usually get it otherwise. However, it could be that he's just going through a phase as others have mentioned and you'll have to wait it out. Try not to let him get you flustered (insofar as that's possible with a screaming toddler), keep attempting to have fun, even if he's crying, and never back down once you've said that it's bathtime. That should help him get passed the stage as quickly as possible. Good luck.
 
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goosehazel

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Hi everyone. Thanks for all the responses so far. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you all, it's been a long day with another awful bathtime. I love all the great ideas though and plan on trying them all. He's only 16 months old, so he's still a little hard to reason with or bribe yet


Originally Posted by IloveSiamese

He never got splashed or anything that would make him afraid???

That's really strange??? Did he see anyone else be afraid of water or get in trouble about water Ie. water is dangerous???
No, no splashing or anything. He even took swim lessons at 6 months. He wasn't a huge fan, but he didn't scream and cry.

Originally Posted by kluchetta

I know that if they EVER get soap in their eyes, they will NEVER forget it and HATE bathtime forever.

That said, my mom used to give my son an ice cream cone in the bathtub!
What a perfect place!
He's never gotten soap in his eyes, so I don't think it is that. But he definitely hasn't ever had soap in his eyes. I love the icecream idea though. I will be trying that.

Originally Posted by SwampWitch

This worked for us: Put a little food coloring in two paper (or plastic) cups, two different primary colors. Let your son pick the two colors. In the bath, he can mix them, in another container, then the bathwater, to make a third color. Let him pick different combinations each night. You can move into the secondary colors after he's learned all the primary combinations. Fun and educational!

Our daughter also has several sets of the alphabet that stick to the walls when wet. She practiced spelling her name and sounding out words during bath time.

Have you tried the bathtub crayons? There are fizzy things he might like. Good luck!
We have bathtub crayons, but they don't fizz. I'm going to get some of those, and the alphabet that sticks to the walls too.

Originally Posted by Hilda>^..^<

Awesome, awesome suggestions! There are all sorts of fun things Brandon can play with in his tub! We had the sticky alphabets as well...those were fun! Crayons and paints work well too!

Uh, have you tried bribing him? I know it sounds awful but maybe something like 'for being a good boy & taking your bath, you can have....' and pick something he reeeeeeally likes, as a reward or treat of sorts for being such a good, big boy! Does he like bedtime stories? 'Brandon, after you bath, we can read your fav bedtime story...'...stuff like that. Oooo, or maybe you can read his fav story while he's in the tub...but he has to behave quietly while you read the story otherwise he can't hear it...

Good luck! Its been a lonnnnnnnnnng time since I've had to deal with this sorta thing...


Hilda>^..^<
He's still a little young to be bribed, but I will as soon as he's old enough


Originally Posted by Leli

Today I said something that cannot be understood unless you've had dealings with a little boy.
"I would like you to take a shower before you get dressed and when you are through, you must put on ALL CLEAN CLOTHES. You may not continue to wear the shirts that you have been wearing for the last 24 hours."

As far as Brandon is concerned, the idea of special toys for use only at bathtime is good. The ice cream idea is another good one, especially if he doesn't usually get it otherwise. However, it could be that he's just going through a phase as others have mentioned and you'll have to wait it out. Try not to let him get you flustered (insofar as that's possible with a screaming toddler), keep attempting to have fun, even if he's crying, and never back down once you've said that it's bathtime. That should help him get passed the stage as quickly as possible. Good luck.
When my Mom and I gave him a bath tonight he cried almost the whole time. He was calm for about 2-3 minutes
 

starryeyedtiger

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When my niece Blake was little, she did the same thing. My sister Monica wound up taking her to the store with her and letting her pick out her very own "big girl bath towel" and some "accessories" (water guns, rubber duckies, bath toys) to go with it that only she was allowed to play with/use when it was bath time. That worked like a charm- it made bath time special because she got to look foward to playing with those special bath toys and using her big girl towel. Maybe try something like that
Also- when i was a little girl they made these neat little "crayons" you could write on the bathtub tile walls with (it washes right off with water) i think crayola made them. I'm not sure if they're still around or not- but those definitely made bath time more fun when i was little- i enjoyed drawing all over the bathtub walls and my mom appreciated me sitting down long enough to bathe me. Good luck!
Also- my mom used to give me popcicles to eat during bathtime when i was little. (right after dinner- so that was my dessert- and if i dropped the popcicle- it was ok because i was already getting a bath.) That lured me in really well
Also worked on my niece and nephews and my great nieces now.
 

kluchetta

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Those are all such cute ideas! It almost makes me wish my kids were little again.

OH NO! WAIT! What am I saying?
 

crittermom

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Originally Posted by kluchetta

Those are all such cute ideas! It almost makes me wish my kids were little again.

OH NO! WAIT! What am I saying?
I wish mine were still little too.
 
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goosehazel

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Originally Posted by kluchetta

Those are all such cute ideas! It almost makes me wish my kids were little again.

OH NO! WAIT! What am I saying?
Originally Posted by crittermom

I wish mine were still little too.
Careful what you wish for


I'm going to try the popsicle thing too. I still think he is too young to pick out some toys and a towel yet, but we're working on it.
 
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