When Your Child Hates Bath Time
10 Tips to help when your child hates bath time! Solutions for kids who are afraid of the bath, afraid of getting water in their eyes, or who just don’t like bath time in general. Real solutions from real parents.
Does your child hate bath time? If you answered “yes”, you’re not alone! It’s one of the more common parenting challenges that my readers ask about.
While many kids love the bath, there are others who simply do not.
What’s to hate about bath time?
Often, it’s because kids are afraid of getting water in their eyes, or they hate having their hair washed. Perhaps they’ve slipped and accidentally gone underwater and that’s left them shaken. Sometimes all it takes is one bad experience in the tub to turn them off.
Whatever the reason, if your child hates bath time it can super-stressful for you and your little one, so I’ve called on my Facebook community for their tried and true solutions.
Hopefully, with these ideas, a little patience and a whole lot of love, your little one will be splashing happily in the tub in no time.
For your conviencience, this post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
10 Tips To Help When Your Child Hates Bath Time:
- Invest in a bath-time visor: This bath visor is a simple and inexpensive solution for kids who don’t like getting water in the eyes when they’re getting their hair washed.
- Goggles to keep bathwater out of their eyes: Let your child wear googles or even a swimsuit to make it more like “pool” time than “bath” time. These goggles are great because they stay put and they won’t get tangled in your child’s hair.
- Magic Wash Cloth: Buy a special washcloth – one that’s fun and that will appeal to your child. Keep it handy so your child can wipe away splashes when they need to and hold it over their eyes when you’re washing/rinsing their hair. You can find some fun washcloths here.
- Glow-bracelets for the bath tub: Drop several glow bracelets into the bath and dim the lights. This makes things so fun that your child may even start ASKING for a bath! (NOTE: Remain close to your child at bath time and especially so if the lighting is dim).
- Dolls in the tub: Kids LOVE giving their dolls a bath and washing their babies’ hair! Give them a small bottle of watered down shampoo, a baby wash-cloth and comb, and let your child give her own baby a bath. You’ll find some great dolls for the tub here.
- Blow bubbles in the bathtub! I’ve never met a child who isn’t fascinated by bubbles! They can be a great distraction for a child who doesn’t like being in the bath. Bonus: you won’t have to worry about spills because your child is already sitting in soapy water. These mini bubble wands and bottles all in one are great.
- Transition your child to the bath tub: Start by giving your child a sponge bath in the sink for a few weeks. Next, transition to a sponge bath in an empty bath tub (instead of a sink). Then, a few days later, add a minimal amount of water to the tub. Do this until they are comfortable sitting in the water. After a week or two, you will have transitioned to a “normal” bath.
- Change the time of bath time: If bath time normally takes place in the evening, before bed, your child might be more receptive to a daytime bath. Try a morning or afternoon splash.
- Add colour to your kids’ bath water: Make bath time extra-fun with a few drops of food colouring or with Crayola Bath-time Colour Tablets. Toss in a few coordinating toys (blue water with sea animals for example) for your child to play with too. You can switch up the colours and the toys with every bath.
- Make bath time “art time”: Crayola Fingerpaint Soap or Bathtub Crayons make bath time SO much fun! Kids may just forget about their fears and apprehensions if they’re allowed to draw on the walls.
And finally, you may want to consider, skipping the bath altogether; it’s possible that your child may enjoy a shower much more than taking a bath.
Books for Kids Who Hate the Bath:
More solutions to common parenting issues:
Jackie is a mom, wife, home daycare provider, and the creative spirit behind Happy Hooligans. She specializes in kids’ crafts and activities, easy recipes, and parenting. She began blogging in 2011, and today, Happy Hooligans inspires more than 2 million parents, caregivers and Early Years Professionals all over the globe.
