How to Deal with a Toddler Who Is Afraid of Baths
Determine the cause of your child’s fears., Help your child overcome her fears of water., Take a bath with your child., Change the temperature., Do away with the drain.
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Determine the cause of your child’s fears.
Some toddlers have genuine fear and anxiety about bath time.
Your toddler won’t necessarily tell you outright what it is that worries her, so you have to observe her actions.
Sometimes the cause of the fear is the water (is it too cold for her? Or too hot for her?).
Sometimes it’s the bathtub (is it too “empty” or too crowded with toys?).
Other times it’s the drain in the tub, which some toddlers think is a small black hole that will swallow them alive.
It may also be the whole set up during bathtime (is it too quiet, or too noisy and hurried?). -
Step 2: Help your child overcome her fears of water.
Once you have figured out what her fear or fears are, find creative ways to help her overcome her fear(s).
For water, one way to help your child overcome her fears is to make the water more enticing.
Add a drop of food coloring to make the water seem magical, or run a bath full of bubbles for your child.
If your child is afraid of getting into a full tub, try putting your child into the tub and then filling the tub with water.
Let her turn on the water faucet so that she feels like she can control the situation. , If your toddler is terrified of the tub, help her get clean by taking a bath with her.
Having you there to support her in the tub will help to make your toddler feel safe.
Tell her that being clean is important, that’s why mommy/daddy is going to get clean with her. , If you observe that your toddler is afraid of the water temperature, try to see if she responds better to a warmer or cooler water temperature.
Make sure to keep the temperature of the bathroom warm so that she does not get the shivers when she is drying off. , Some kids are terrified of the drain; to be fair, it is a scary black hole under the water.
Try to explain to your toddler that the drain is really just a small hole for taking dirty water away, but that the drain won’t take her away because she is clean.
Show your child that the drain will not suck her away by putting a toy over the drain.
Point out that if the toy can’t get sucked down the drain, then she definitely can’t get taken down the drain. -
Step 3: Take a bath with your child.
-
Step 4: Change the temperature.
-
Step 5: Do away with the drain.
Detailed Guide
Some toddlers have genuine fear and anxiety about bath time.
Your toddler won’t necessarily tell you outright what it is that worries her, so you have to observe her actions.
Sometimes the cause of the fear is the water (is it too cold for her? Or too hot for her?).
Sometimes it’s the bathtub (is it too “empty” or too crowded with toys?).
Other times it’s the drain in the tub, which some toddlers think is a small black hole that will swallow them alive.
It may also be the whole set up during bathtime (is it too quiet, or too noisy and hurried?).
Once you have figured out what her fear or fears are, find creative ways to help her overcome her fear(s).
For water, one way to help your child overcome her fears is to make the water more enticing.
Add a drop of food coloring to make the water seem magical, or run a bath full of bubbles for your child.
If your child is afraid of getting into a full tub, try putting your child into the tub and then filling the tub with water.
Let her turn on the water faucet so that she feels like she can control the situation. , If your toddler is terrified of the tub, help her get clean by taking a bath with her.
Having you there to support her in the tub will help to make your toddler feel safe.
Tell her that being clean is important, that’s why mommy/daddy is going to get clean with her. , If you observe that your toddler is afraid of the water temperature, try to see if she responds better to a warmer or cooler water temperature.
Make sure to keep the temperature of the bathroom warm so that she does not get the shivers when she is drying off. , Some kids are terrified of the drain; to be fair, it is a scary black hole under the water.
Try to explain to your toddler that the drain is really just a small hole for taking dirty water away, but that the drain won’t take her away because she is clean.
Show your child that the drain will not suck her away by putting a toy over the drain.
Point out that if the toy can’t get sucked down the drain, then she definitely can’t get taken down the drain.
About the Author
Margaret Stevens
Committed to making creative arts accessible and understandable for everyone.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: