Is Your Child Afraid to Take a Bath?

Has your child ever gone through a stage where he or she was afraid of taking a bath? Until our third child came along, I hadn't encountered this particular fear in any of my children. Then we adopted an older child, one who was 5 years old. In his birth country, baths were an uncommon experience (even showers were a rare treat). When he was forced to take a bath, it was usually in cold water and was a rushed and very unpleasant experience. As a result, even going near a bathtub was a very scary experience for him. He had such a deep fear that he would scream whenever we tried to coax him into the bathroom or anywhere near the tub's water.

Fear of bathtubs and bathing - many babies and children may have this phobia or aversion

According to information found at the Child Development Institute website, here: childdevelopmentinfo.com a fear of taking a bath can be a perfectly normal experience for some children. Although the website info indicates that it is a typical or normal fear for one year olds, I've talked to plenty of friends who had older children who were afraid of taking baths, usually for short periods of time.

Some had accidentally seen a scary movie where a person was attacked in a bathroom. Other children were traumatized after having soap get into their eyes or by the sudden whooshing sound of water going down the drain. Some even worried that they would somehow get sucked into the drain!

Fear of taking baths - helping children to get past it

Whatever the reason for the aversion, there are ways to help babies, toddlers and children get past their fear of taking baths and learn to actually enjoy time in the tub again. Finding the right technique can take some experimentation, though. Within only a few weeks, we were able to help reassure our son that bath time could be enjoyable instead of traumatic.

Got a child who fears bathing? Consider starting with showers first

If your child doesn't like water anywhere near his head, this may not be the best technique - but it worked for us . We knew that our son was more used to showers than baths. He also didn't mind letting water splash over his head, as long as he was standing up and not sitting in a pool of water. He'd take a couple of plastic dinosaurs or some bath toys in the shower with him and manage to combine cleanliness with play time. We made sure a washcloth was nearby so he could put it over his eyes when he shampooed his hair. He enjoyed these times so much that he asked to take showers several times a day!

This tip is best for: children who fear sitting in bath water.

Fear of taking baths can be eased if a protective or soft bathtub liner is in the tub

Even with a protective plastic mat on the bottom of the tub, some children don't like the hard surfaces or sides of typical bathtubs. A bathtub liner may go a long way to ease those fears. While many varieties are available, the Tub-time Bumpers Deluxe Inflatable Bathtub Liner ($29.99) is our current favorite, available at Amazon and other sites. The product features a nicely cushioned padded surface that truly lines the interior of the average bath tub and includes a section that goes over one edge of the tub, making it easier to enter or exit the bathtub. Even active children won't get bumped heads!

This tip is best for: babies or children who are afraid to take baths because of the hard surfaces of tubs.

Decrease bath phobia risks by using kid-friendly shampoos

Having had two other children, I knew the risks of regular shampoos, the kind that left my kids wincing from the sting of soap in their eyes. So I was prepared and used a shampoo that advertised itself as kid-friendly. L'Oreal, Suave and Johnsons all make baby shampoos - or ones made especially for kids.

This tip is best for: babies or children who fear taking baths due to having soap get in their eyes.

Finding books that focused on bath fun helped our son get past his fear

I went in search of plastic or foam books that were waterproof and especially made for bath time. Although those same books aren't in print any more, an excellent substitute would be the book We eat Dinner in the Bathtub, written by Jacqueline Rogers. While not meant to take in the water, it could certainly be enjoyed just before a bathing session. Sometimes we'd read to our son while he was taking a bath, a distraction that often helped him forget his fear.

This tip is best for: babies and children who may get over a fear of taking baths if a parent reads to them while in the bath. Obviously, a baby or child needs to be able to pay attention to a book for this to work.

As silly as it might sound, my husband and I encouraged our son to play in an empty tub, with our supervision

A bathtub without water in it may be less frightening to a child. That was certainly the case for our son. We'd encourage him to play in the tub and let him paint on the walls with vanilla, chocolate and strawberry pudding. Other times, he'd take some bath toys in the tub and play with them without any water in the tub. Sound silly? Maybe, but it did the trick. Eventually, he worked up his courage and actually asked us to add water to the tub, although he only wanted about an inch or two in there...at first. Still, it was progress. Within a short while, he was taking regular baths again.

This tip is best for: kids who aren't familiar with tubs and have a fear of water.

The right bath toys ease or eliminate bathing fears or phobias

I nearly jumped up and down with joy the day my son actually took a bath without a single protest or moment of fear. I have to give credit to some marvelous bath toys in helping to distract him. We used everything from soap crayons to floating Sesame Street figures. When he was busy playing, he started to relax and enjoy himself. Dora the Explorer is currently popular with some children and a friend uses Munchkin Dora the Explorer Bath Squirters ($7.99) with her child (available at Amazon and some toy stores). Floating bath toys and water soluble crayons are fun additions to bathing time. Target and Walmart also have excellent selections of bath toys.

This tip is best for: nearly any child with a fear of taking baths. Bath toys add fun and pleasure to bathing.

I used a radio to help sooth my child's anxieties while he was in the tub

My son loved music so this was a natural choice. Of course, safety has to come first so I made sure to use a battery-operated radio and kept it far from the tub. Also, I was always in he room so there was no danger that the radio would fall in the water. I used popular songs, from Disney tunes to programs playing on kids' radio stations, and could see my son visibly relax as soon as the music started. The music could also drown out the noise of water whooshing down the drain.

This tip is best for: children who love music and hate the sound of water going down the drain.

We put our son in charge of his own shampoos - up to a point

As noted before, some kids fear shampoos, even if you use a shampoo product that isn't likely to sting. Some children - and our son was no exception - simply hate the sensation of water pouring over their faces during a shampoo. Others have had shampoo or water get into their eyes or noses. By giving our son a washcloth to hold over his eyes and pouring the water from a pitcher or jug over his head, he felt in control - and stopped screaming when it came time to get his hair shampooed. He'd tell us when he was ready for his shampoo.

This tip is best for: kids who fear taking a bath because of shampoo time.