How to Survive Bath Time with a Screaming Toddler

For many parents bath time with your toddler is challenging. Bath time often ends with a flooded bathroom floor, your clothes drenched, and you thoroughly exhausted. How many of us end bath time with drenched socks and half washed toddler?

One day bath time may be perfectly fine and then the next day you have to wrestle your child to the floor and hog tie them to get them in the bath tub. This change of events is perfectly normal. Toddlers often develop a fear of the water. This fear is usually short lived and nothing to be concerned about.

Other toddlers may not have a problem with the bath itself, but with actually getting their face wet or their hair washed. This problem can easily be avoided. Make sure you always use tear free shampoo.

You can purchase a visor that is meant to keep the water off your child's face as you wash their hair. Another option is a special bath time cup with a little built in visor on it. You place the cup at the top of your child's forehead, at the hair line, and pour the water back of their head. This way the water does not drip down onto your child's face.

The key to surviving bath time with your toddler is to make it fun. Fill the tub with bubbles, add your toddler's favorite bath toys, and splash around with them in the bath tub.

If your child is still screaming during their bath time then get creative. Let them bring a few items from the kitchen in with them. Bring a big spoon and a small pot and let them pretend they are cooking you dinner. Turn the bath tub into a water ball pit. Dump a few dozen colorful balls into the bath tub . Make it a game, have your child try to find the blue ones.

Listen to your child and pay attention to what they are trying to communicate to you. Perhaps the bath was too hot or too cold at one point so now they are scared to get in. This would be an easy fix. Purchase a tub temperature toy and allow your toddler to feel the water with their hand before getting in.

Maybe your toddler is scared of the running water. In this case just fill the tub before your toddler comes into the bath room.

Some toddlers are scared of the faucet or drain in the tub. Simply cover the faucet with a soft bath toy and make sure you do not drain the water into your toddler is out of the bath room.

Be consistent. Your toddler may not like bath time, but it is one of those things that we cannot get around. Let your toddler know that you understand that they do not like bath time and reassure them that you are there for them.