How to Get a Toddler to Take a Bath
Determine why your toddler hates bath time., Read children’s books about bathing., Stock the bathroom with supplies that appeal to toddlers., Let your toddler know in advance that bath time is approaching., Let your child help prepare the bath...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Determine why your toddler hates bath time.
If your toddler begins fighting you about bathing, try to figure out what’s going on.
Is he or she feeling scared or bothered by some particular aspect of the bath, or are bath time battles just a manifestation of your toddler’s increasing sense of independence? If you can pinpoint a cause, it will be much easier to address it.
Some toddlers feel insecure or frightened if the water feels too deep, or if water gets in their eyes, ears, or noses.
Occasionally, this fear becomes very intense, and your reassurances that bath time is safe will not necessarily help.
Other toddlers dislike bath time because they associate it with something they perceive as negative, like the end of play time or the start of a bedtime routine.
If you don’t have interesting toys or distractions available, your toddler may simply find bath time boring.
Some toddlers fight bath time just because they are learning to assert themselves and testing your boundaries.
This is definitely frustrating, but it’s also developmentally appropriate. -
Step 2: Read children’s books about bathing.
Sometimes it helps to buy or borrow a book or two about bath time.
You can look for one tailored to your toddler’s needs – something about how baths don’t have to be scary, for example, or something about how bath time can be fun. , Consider buying towels and washcloths in your child’s favorite color or sponges shaped like animals and cartoon characters.
And buy some toys! There are so many options now – rubber ducks, water guns, plastic toys, bath books, washable tub crayons – that it’s pretty easy to make bath time feel like play time. , In general, toddlers handle transitions more smoothly when they know what’s coming, so warn your child five or ten minutes in advance.
You can tailor this warning to suit your toddler’s particular reasons for avoiding bath time.
For a toddler who is genuinely frightened, you can offer reassurance: “We have to take a quick bath in a few minutes, but I will stay with you the whole time.” For a child who would rather keep playing or finds bath time boring, you can offer to make the bath more enjoyable: “We have to take a quick bath in a few minutes, but let’s make it fun! We can pretend you’re a mermaid or try your new tub crayons.” For toddlers who are testing boundaries, you can emphasize that baths are non-negotiable: “We have to a take a bath in a few minutes.
It’s okay that you don’t like bath time, but staying clean is important, so we don’t have a choice.” This validates your child’s feelings but makes bath time something he or she knows you can’t be talked out of. , Your toddler can help you decide how deep and how warm the water should be, how much bubble bath you should add, and which towel and washcloth you should use.
This strategy might help combat fears about water that’s too deep or too hot; it also helps an independence-seeking toddler feel more “in charge.” , To whatever extent your child is able, let him or her take charge of washing.
Offer to “help” with hair washing and back scrubbing.
This also gives your toddler more control.
Hair washing, in particular, is probably something you should try to handle yourself.
It’s best to carefully avoid getting soap or shampoo in your toddler’s eyes – this will only aggravate any negative feelings about bath time. , If you approach bath time as a grim, annoying chore, then your toddler will be unlikely to think of bathing as enjoyable.
Smile! Talk and sing with your child. , Use bath toys or crayons, read bath books, or pretend to be mermaids or pirates or fish.
Play with the soap bubbles, making beards and hats. , Otherwise, you or your partner can certainly bathe with your toddler.
Either way, your child may feel more secure and more entertained if he or she has company in the bath. , If all else fails, you can always offer to use the shower.
Some toddlers find showers less objectionable than baths.
For young toddlers, you will probably need to get in the shower too, for safety’s sake.
You don’t want your child to slip and fall. , Let your toddler help dry his body and hair, and apply lotion.
Praise your child if he or she has bathed without a fuss.
If you bathe your toddler in the evenings, try using lavender-scented lotion.
Some people think lavender relaxes children and makes it easier for them to fall asleep. -
Step 3: Stock the bathroom with supplies that appeal to toddlers.
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Step 4: Let your toddler know in advance that bath time is approaching.
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Step 5: Let your child help prepare the bath.
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Step 6: Allow your toddler to wash himself.
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Step 7: Stay positive.
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Step 8: Have fun.
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Step 9: Consider giving your toddler a “bath buddy.” If your toddler has a sibling
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Step 10: especially one close in age
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Step 11: it can be more enjoyable to bathe them together.
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Step 12: Offer a shower.
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Step 13: Make getting out of the tub or shower more pleasant.
Detailed Guide
If your toddler begins fighting you about bathing, try to figure out what’s going on.
Is he or she feeling scared or bothered by some particular aspect of the bath, or are bath time battles just a manifestation of your toddler’s increasing sense of independence? If you can pinpoint a cause, it will be much easier to address it.
Some toddlers feel insecure or frightened if the water feels too deep, or if water gets in their eyes, ears, or noses.
Occasionally, this fear becomes very intense, and your reassurances that bath time is safe will not necessarily help.
Other toddlers dislike bath time because they associate it with something they perceive as negative, like the end of play time or the start of a bedtime routine.
If you don’t have interesting toys or distractions available, your toddler may simply find bath time boring.
Some toddlers fight bath time just because they are learning to assert themselves and testing your boundaries.
This is definitely frustrating, but it’s also developmentally appropriate.
Sometimes it helps to buy or borrow a book or two about bath time.
You can look for one tailored to your toddler’s needs – something about how baths don’t have to be scary, for example, or something about how bath time can be fun. , Consider buying towels and washcloths in your child’s favorite color or sponges shaped like animals and cartoon characters.
And buy some toys! There are so many options now – rubber ducks, water guns, plastic toys, bath books, washable tub crayons – that it’s pretty easy to make bath time feel like play time. , In general, toddlers handle transitions more smoothly when they know what’s coming, so warn your child five or ten minutes in advance.
You can tailor this warning to suit your toddler’s particular reasons for avoiding bath time.
For a toddler who is genuinely frightened, you can offer reassurance: “We have to take a quick bath in a few minutes, but I will stay with you the whole time.” For a child who would rather keep playing or finds bath time boring, you can offer to make the bath more enjoyable: “We have to take a quick bath in a few minutes, but let’s make it fun! We can pretend you’re a mermaid or try your new tub crayons.” For toddlers who are testing boundaries, you can emphasize that baths are non-negotiable: “We have to a take a bath in a few minutes.
It’s okay that you don’t like bath time, but staying clean is important, so we don’t have a choice.” This validates your child’s feelings but makes bath time something he or she knows you can’t be talked out of. , Your toddler can help you decide how deep and how warm the water should be, how much bubble bath you should add, and which towel and washcloth you should use.
This strategy might help combat fears about water that’s too deep or too hot; it also helps an independence-seeking toddler feel more “in charge.” , To whatever extent your child is able, let him or her take charge of washing.
Offer to “help” with hair washing and back scrubbing.
This also gives your toddler more control.
Hair washing, in particular, is probably something you should try to handle yourself.
It’s best to carefully avoid getting soap or shampoo in your toddler’s eyes – this will only aggravate any negative feelings about bath time. , If you approach bath time as a grim, annoying chore, then your toddler will be unlikely to think of bathing as enjoyable.
Smile! Talk and sing with your child. , Use bath toys or crayons, read bath books, or pretend to be mermaids or pirates or fish.
Play with the soap bubbles, making beards and hats. , Otherwise, you or your partner can certainly bathe with your toddler.
Either way, your child may feel more secure and more entertained if he or she has company in the bath. , If all else fails, you can always offer to use the shower.
Some toddlers find showers less objectionable than baths.
For young toddlers, you will probably need to get in the shower too, for safety’s sake.
You don’t want your child to slip and fall. , Let your toddler help dry his body and hair, and apply lotion.
Praise your child if he or she has bathed without a fuss.
If you bathe your toddler in the evenings, try using lavender-scented lotion.
Some people think lavender relaxes children and makes it easier for them to fall asleep.
About the Author
Beverly Powell
Brings years of experience writing about organization and related subjects.
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