Bathing

Toddler Hates Hair Washing? Tips and Tricks for a Tear-free Fix

From the sounds that used to emanate from my house at bath time, you’d think I bathed my daughter in acid. Seriously, I didn’t know if she was the wicked witch incarnate or what, but the kid hated having her hair washed, her head wet, water in the general vicinity of her upper body period. Solely because it got on her face. I suppose that wouldn’t be a problem if we lived in a post-apocalyptic world where water was scarce. Then everyone would be the “stinky kid,” but as that’s not the case, something had to be done, and from the past tense in my first sentence, I bet you gathered something was. We brainstormed tips for kids who don’t like water in their faces, and you can try them too.

Choose your tool:

Many kids dislike the sensation of being dipped back into the water for hair washing. You can experiment with using either a pitcher with water or a long-hose sprayer shower head like this one.

If you’re already using one or the other, sometimes switching can be an easy solution. Some kids find the sprayers scary. Others think they’re cool. Like most parenting choices, it really depends on the kid.

You can also try using just an overly wet wash cloth to wet hair, but it doesn’t help much with rinsing. This does seem a good time to throw in that kid hair doesn’t actually need washed as much as an adult or as much as a kid-body needs washed even. I found the no-poo approach works great, and I could get away with just getting my daughters hair wet (unless she had something like spaghetti in it) most baths. I wash my kid’s hair with soap about once a month (I have 3 boys and the wee lass).

Gear up:

Next, methods of keeping the water off your kiddos face are often the most effective step you can take as sadly a lot of kids aren’t cooperative enough to just “look up” so the water runs down their back. A few ideas include:

-a washcloth your child can hold over their face as a “force field.”
–swim googles (you can even get some complete with snorkel).
-one of these ridiculous but likewise useful shower visors
-one of these less-ridiculous looking splash guards
shower visor bath cry

Make baths fun:

Anything you can do to make bath time more fun often helps sell the hair washing part. Bubbles and toys make a good beginning, but you can take it a step further with things such as:

-A special song you sing when washing hair. It doesn’t have to be complicated, Daniel Tiger does it all the time.
-Cool hair washing sound effects “wooooooosh goes the water,” “bubbley, bubbley goes the soap,” etc.
–Puppet friends that come help wash hair.
-A shatter-proof bath mirror (preferably curiously positioned so your kid has to look up a bit) so they can watch what’s going on.
-If you co-bath, let them wash your hair first (plus you get to test that tear-free soap, right?)
-Let them pick out their own character shampoo (choose a conditioner combo if you have tangles, and skip that second rinse).

Prep before wash:

I’ve also been told that swim lessons can help tremendously as far as helping kids see water on your face can be fun. Things like water balloons, sprinklers, etc, run this same logic, and bonus, it’s like an outdoor bath.

Finally, books, songs, movies that involve hair washing or water fun can help. For example, if you can sell your daughter on being a mermaid and explain mermaids have to get their hair wet—win—plus great excuse to watch The Little Mermaid.

If all above fails, well momma (or papa), make it quick as possible and invest in ear plugs. This too will pass.

Showering with kids: When should you stop?

I’ve never been big on sharing the tub with my kids, but that’s primarily because hot baths are a mom coping technique. When I shower is probably one of the few times I might get 5 minutes to myself. I do, however, know lots of folks that do bathe or shower with their kids, and many of them have asked me about when, and if, they should stop, being that I write this lovely parenting website.
showering with kids
Frankly, I think that’s a good question with no real answer.

Bathing with infants

There is no real reason you wouldn’t bathe with an infant. Though I would note, many adults prefer a water temperature which may be too hot for a baby. You may also find that your personal hygiene products such as shampoo or body wash are too harsh for your baby’s delicate skin. If you do choose to co-bathe, consider washing baby first with more appropriate water temperature and soap, then giving your baby to someone not in the shower and finishing yourself. This way you get the ease of washing your baby in the tub with you, but not the down sides. As a side point, many infants dislike showers.

Bathing or showering with toddlers

This is where many people start to question whether it’s OK to have their child in the tub or shower with them, especially if they are the parent of the opposite sex. Toddlers do indeed begin to develop a sense of gender identity and will likely take special notice of your visible reproductive parts. However, this is actually a normal, healthy part of development. Americans tend to place a high taboo on nudity, but in many cultures it’s normal for people of all ages to see one another naked. If you are comfortable showering with your toddler, then it’s OK. Be prepared for lots of questions though, and possibly attempts to touch. If you really enjoy your baths together but are uncomfortable, you could wear swim suits for the first part of the bath, and get clean once your child is not in the tub.

Bathing or showering with older kids

As you can likely derive from the toddler explanation, you can bathe with your older children, but be aware that sometime around ages 7 to 9 your child will begin to learn the concept of privacy. They may begin to want to shower alone or you may want to encourage this to help the concept of privacy become more defined. Personally, I’d like to pee alone sometime before my kids are 10 without locks, and I can see making the bathroom a private place a nice step towards that.

So, in summary, there is no right age to stop bathing with your children. It really depends on the family and their feelings towards the issue. Obviously, teens are not going to want to share the bathroom with their parents, and that would be a bit awkward, but before that it’s all up to you.

Did you shower or bathe with your kids? When did you stop?

Bathing Alone: How Old Does Your Child Need to Be?

It’s a bit shocking that something like a simple comment about picking up toys in the hall while your toddlers take a bath can spark child neglect comments.  Many parents might argue the old adage that, “a child can drown in an inch of water,” and claim you should always be within arm’s reach. While other parents feel by that age bathing alone is OK, and it’s fine to just be within ear shot.bathing alone kids

The question is then, who is right?

How young is too young to be alone in the tub?

You’ll get a different answer depending on who you ask. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends not leaving children under 4 unattended in the tub. The U.S National Library of Medicine, however, has a publication on bathroom safety that says children under 6 should not be left unattended in the tub. A poll on our Facebook page for parents produced answers everywhere from age 2 to 10. Then you have to consider that the guidelines presented only state a child should not be unattended, what constitutes as “attended” exactly? Within reach? Within sight? Within ear shot? What does bathing alone even mean?

A mom’s opinion:

Clearly, parental opinions will vary, but here is my opinion as a mom of four kids with rather extensive childcare experience outside of that.

Children younger than 1: Never out of arm’s reach.

Children between ages 1 and 3: Within visual range, unless the child doesn’t sit up well, has a habit of slipping, playing with knobs, or has a health condition which may dramatically increase bathing danger.

Children between ages 4-6: Within close-hearing distance with the door open and frequent visual checks, though parental discretion is advised. You know your child. No one is a better judge than you as to what your child can and can’t do safely.

Children ages 6 and up: Listening is still recommended for kids on the younger side, but the door may be closed. Many kids begin to want to bath alone somewhere around this age as they realize privacy.

In any case, swimming lessons can help children better understand water safety as well as how to hold their breath should they slip in the tub and go under. All parents should know both infant and child CPR and first aid.

What age did you let your kids bathe alone?