How to Wash Your Child's Hair Without Tantrums

Washing a child's hair can be a bonding moment between parent and child. Hair-washing can also set off a deluge of tears and tantrums. I've emerged from hair-washing wetter (and probably cleaner) than the child. Here are tear-free hair washing tips for parents.

*Accept each child's own uniqueness. We have four children. The first three loved their baths and loved having their hair washed. The fourth child, not so much. My husband and I had to be careful not to communicate a "what's wrong with you, your siblings all loved their baths", message. We had to meet her where she was.

*Stay calm. Rattled, frustrated parents unnerve children. If you approach the child dressed in a gas mask with whip and chair in hand, good luck. Like a caged lion, your little bather will sense your nervousness and refuse to cooperate.

*Use tear-free shampoo and cream rinse. If children know that the soap will not sting their eyes, it helps. Just don't let them get hold of the wrong bottle with ouchie adult shampoo. Some children do not trust that the shampoo will not hurt their eyes. Other children, like our daughter, hate even the water on their face. No more tears shampoo helps, but it's not a one-size-fits-all solution.

*Use 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner combination. If your child hates having her hair washed, she isn't going to have the patience to endure a second creme rinse cycle. Suave makes inexpensive children's tear-free shampoo plus conditioner combos in fun fragrances. Let her choose the shampoo fragrance.

*Give the child a pair of swim goggles. Just a cheap pair from any dollar store will do. Wearing her goggles gave our daughter confidence that her eyes were safe from water and shampoo. She loved having her own personal pair of goggles. Dad always helped her into her "aviator goggles" as he called them.

*Install a hand-held shower head. Teach your hair washing hater to hold the shower head and rinse her own hair. Children love having control of the water. I know you may be thinking, "The bathroom is already flooded after bath time; you want me to install a sprinkler system, too?" I guarantee, you'll have less water on the floor than you would struggling with a slippery child to rinse her hair under the tap.

*Make auto-wash a privilege. However, if the hand-held shower head is used as a toy instead of a tool, inform your little firefighter that hose privileges can be revoked and the fire chief (mommy or daddy) will be the only one allowed to use it.

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