20 Oct 5 Things to Do When Your Child Refuses to Take Baths
Children can be unreasonable regarding many things, but when there’s a problem as serious as this one, you shouldn’t take it lightly. If they don’t deal with their bath-related issues now, that can cause a whole set of hygiene problems when they grow up.
So, you should take things slowly, try several different solutions and try to determine the cause of your child’s anxiety. Their insecurities and fears about baths may sound unrealistic to you, but you need to start looking at this problem from their perspective in order to solve it.
Start by Talking It Out
It’s very important that your child feels engaged, which is why you need to allow them to have at least some control over their baths. So, if you have a bath problem, you need to talk it out first. Try to find out what it is that they hate so much about bath time, but do it calmly and gently, so your child feels that it’s safe to tell you everything.
It might be something you consider irrelevant – like the scent of shampoo, feeling cold when they get out of the tub, or insecurities about slipping or sliding. Whatever it is, you should find a way to address it. You should also try taking them shopping with you, so your child can selects a shampoo they like – this can make a significant difference.
Go with a Different Routine
Perhaps expecting the whole bathing process is the core of the problem. You’ll be able to determine whether or not that’s the issue by simply changing the whole bath-eating-sleep routine – just try a different order of things.
Once again, talk to your child about what they consider to be the right order. You’ll be surprised with the set of reasons they are able to tell you if you just ask them. Besides, you don’t have to insist on them taking a bath every day – every other day is completely fine.
Try with Bubbles
Considering the fact that baths are the source of your child’s anxiety, you should do something to draw their attention from it. The solution here can be quite simple – is there a child in the world that doesn’t enjoy bubbles?
So, the very next time your child needs to take a bath, draw them a bubbly bath and see how that goes. Just remember to get a product which won’t hurt their eyes, which might be exactly the reason why they don’t like taking a bath.
Throw in Some Toys
Who says that bathing can’t be fun? Instead of trying to speed up the whole process, maybe you should do the opposite and make bath time playtime as well. So, throw in everything – squirts, floating toys, cups and balls, and I’m sure it will go well.
It’s a great idea to include bath paints into this project, too. Just make sure that you don’t overwhelm your child with all of these things at once. You should try one thing at a time, and stick to the one that turns out to be most successful when it comes to drawing their attention away from anxiety.
Be Ready for Compromises
As I already mentioned – taking a bath each day isn’t a must at all. If your child has serious problems with this process, you should take things slowly and be ready for compromises.
For example, instead of taking a long bath, you should go with a quick shower, so the two of you can spend less time in the bathroom. If this is too much, you should start with a soaped-up washcloth and let them clean themselves.
It’s important to be patient about this issue, because screaming and yelling won’t be of much use to you. I know it can be difficult to comprehend at times, but if it’s important to your child it should be important to you. If nothing mentioned above seems to be working, you should consult a child therapist and ask for professional advice, so you can sort out this problem before it turns into something bigger.
