[Alexdur85]

Emily, for the most part, loves to take a bath. Except when it's time to wash her hair. To keep from her screaming I let her wet her own hair. Takes a lifetime I tell you but it keeps her from throwing a fit. When I start putting in the shampoo she starts to stomp her feet and cry because she knows I have to wash it out. I let her do most of the rinsing (taking ANOTHER lifetime) but then I have to go in myself to make sure that all the soap is out and she ends up stomping and crying and moving around the tub (we have the ones with the doors so it's not always easy just to chase her around them). The soap I have is tear free (I've tested it), I will let her put a towl on her face but she still screams, I've tried telling her to lean her head back, just another fit. I bought one of those cups with the curved top to prevent it from going into her face but it molded and was gross and she didn't like something touching her head, she'd pull away from it (gosh, she's high maintenence!)

I'm really just at my wits end. She doesn't like showers or let me wash her hair with the shower head. She won't stick her head under the facuet. It's become so stressful to give her a bath that I've noticed I've been uh.. avoiding it.. and letting the time between bath's go just a little too far.

I'm going crazy.

[sar1]

Alex, we were in the same battle a few months ago. We had to force DD to let us show her how to hold her head back so no water got on her face. She hates it running over her ears, too. DH had to somewhat forcefully lift her chin while I poured the water very carefully so that not a single drop touched her face to really prove to her that if she would "look way up high in the sky" her face wouldn't get wet. It took many, many times of doing this to get the point across though and the first few times I used barely any shampoo to make the process go faster. If any water did drip down we would grab the washcloth really fast and say "oh, let's catch the drips!" and make a big deal about how we weren't going to let any drips get her. We use the "catching the drips on her face" time to wash her face and she doesn't realize it. When she finally got through a hair washing w/no tears or tantrums we made a big deal out of what a big girl she was and even though she still doesn't always like it she is usually fine and after we're finished rinsing she'll almost always say "I didn't cry!"

If water does get in her ears a little she has sometimes kept a finger in her ear all the way through getting pj's on, reading books, and being tucked in. She has never once had an ear infection but she acts like those 2 drops of water are going to destroy her. The only way to get her to take her finger out is if I ask "should I put some medicine on it?" and she says yes and I fake putting on some neosporin or hydrocortisone and she knows from past experience w/these that you can't touch the medicine or it won't work. So after I fake putting it in her ear she says "don't touch the medicine" and she keeps her finger out and she says her ear feels better. Um, yeah, I bet it does feel better to not have your finger jammed in there!

The fact that they even make those curved head rinsing gadgets makes me realize this must be a really common thing. We always thought that if we just always poured the water over and she got used to it running down her face as a baby she'd never get like this but it didn't matter. Still happened.

[Alexdur85]

I will have to try that...

I feel like I'm starting potty training all over!!

I might have her stick her fingers in her ears so none of the water gets in. That would probably help her. She won't lay down in the bath because it gets in her ears.

As always!! Thanks!

[fsc]

Try putting a washcloth over her eyes to catch any of the drips falling down her face. That is the only way my kids used to let me wash their hair. The have control over it and can tell me when it is getting wet. Then we stop, dry it out and go on.

[4my5kds]

Don't think I am a nutcase or anything-but try a childrens scuba/underwater mask. One of the twins used to have a major meltdown getting her hairwashed/conditioned. When we got our pool, I got them all underwater masks on clearance at Target I think. Well one night i went up to do their hair and she was already spraying it down with the hand-held shower nozzle-with her pool mask on. I know it sounds crazy, but it beats fighting anyday. Eventually she stopped using it and now shes fine.

[tinkerbell82]

my 4 yr old dd trys to act like that and i have to tell her if she wants the bath she has to get clean! i would tell her head back and she would not and the best thing i found was telling her to look at the ceiling and that works great! the only time it does not work is when she just wants to play she trys throwing a fit and tells me i don't like this or i hate getting clean and i will always tell her well if you dont get clean then there is no point to taking a bath! i get the body washed and the hair clean before the real playing begins and then when she's good about it she gets to stay in longer to play! she ends up taking a hour long bath which gets very old fast but i guess if thats what it takes! pluse when she's playing i try to use that time to brush my teeth or clean my face do something that i dont always get time for

[sar1]

Originally Posted by 4my5kds

Don't think I am a nutcase or anything-but try a childrens scuba/underwater mask. One of the twins used to have a major meltdown getting her hairwashed/conditioned. When we got our pool, I got them all underwater masks on clearance at Target I think. Well one night i went up to do their hair and she was already spraying it down with the hand-held shower nozzle-with her pool mask on. I know it sounds crazy, but it beats fighting anyday. Eventually she stopped using it and now shes fine.

I don't think that's crazy - if it got my DD to like using the hand sprayer (a huge fear for her right now) I'd do it in a second! I hope you have pictures of her wearing a pool mask in the shower. Great memory!

[sar1]

tinkerbell82 - you're STILL pregnant!?!? When are you scheduled for?

[Maggiew]

Originally Posted by 4my5kds

Don't think I am a nutcase or anything-but try a childrens scuba/underwater mask. One of the twins used to have a major meltdown getting her hairwashed/conditioned. When we got our pool, I got them all underwater masks on clearance at Target I think. Well one night i went up to do their hair and she was already spraying it down with the hand-held shower nozzle-with her pool mask on. I know it sounds crazy, but it beats fighting anyday. Eventually she stopped using it and now shes fine.

What a cool idea!

[Alexdur85]

Originally Posted by 4my5kds

Don't think I am a nutcase or anything-but try a childrens scuba/underwater mask. One of the twins used to have a major meltdown getting her hairwashed/conditioned. When we got our pool, I got them all underwater masks on clearance at Target I think. Well one night i went up to do their hair and she was already spraying it down with the hand-held shower nozzle-with her pool mask on. I know it sounds crazy, but it beats fighting anyday. Eventually she stopped using it and now shes fine.

What a good idea! She's got goggles around here somehwere.

[qrazy]

They also make visors that look like tennis visors just for this purpose. To keep the water out of their eyes when washing hair. It will get better over time. My girls are 9 and 10 and shower now and wash their own hair. It does get easier as they get older.

[timmsa]

For a long time my 3 yr old would throw a fit when i would wash his hair, he would scream like i was torturing the child. i would calmly tell him, I am not hurting you. you need to have your hair washed.
And like you I would let him go longer that I should between hair washing. But then all of a sudden he would let me wash his hair as long as he has a wash cloth over his eyes, and I let him do the first washing.
So now he doesn't fight me or cry.
I just talk to him through the whole thing.

[Cadnil]

If you squeeze your eyes shut, they'll leak and let shampoo in. If you barely close them (just enough to make it dark), they won't leak.

[lexco86]

Sounds like you need the bear in the ceiling to come to live at your house..Mine used to have the same fits and then I got to telling him about the Bear that lived in the corner of the bathroom ceiling..of course he had to look up to see if he could see the bear.. A long line of creative stories came about..I wasnt sure if he even \remembered the bear (he is 13) but when he hurt his arm I had to wash his hair and he reminded me about the bear..LOL

[sar1]

Originally Posted by lexco86

Sounds like you need the bear in the ceiling to come to live at your house..Mine used to have the same fits and then I got to telling him about the Bear that lived in the corner of the bathroom ceiling..of course he had to look up to see if he could see the bear.. A long line of creative stories came about..I wasnt sure if he even \remembered the bear (he is 13) but when he hurt his arm I had to wash his hair and he reminded me about the bear..LOL

That's a cute story. Just my luck it would make DD afraid to ever enter the tub again b/c of the bear in there. You never know!

[Cadnil]

Paint a friendly-looking bear on the ceiling!

[xxnellie146xx]

Would you be able to get a removable shower head. The one I bought was around $20 it has different settings and it was much easier to just spray the shampoo and conditioner out of their head.

[Alexdur85]

Originally Posted by xxnellie146xx

Would you be able to get a removable shower head. The one I bought was around $20 it has different settings and it was much easier to just spray the shampoo and conditioner out of their head.

We have a removable shower head. That's a no go as well. She will scream if I dare take it off it's hook.

I intend on trying the water in the ears and the scuba gear thing. I've been seeing swim suits so scuba gear can't be very far behind!

[MidlandsMomma]

my son used cheap goggles from the Target dollar bin. It helped him see the cool water and he stopped fighting so much. My DD just learned from watching him and doesn't mind it at all.

[lpeacock]

DD has an older brother who has dumped water on her since she was little. I thankfully don't have this problem but have many others w/ dd. Girls are way high maintenance

[Alexdur85]

I tried to tell emily to stick her fingers in her ears, even showed her and she won't do it..

But I've solved the problem. Daddy can do it

[tcsmom]

My mom would wash my hair by letting me lie flat on my back on the kitchen counter and hang my head over the edge of the sink (she'd give me a towel for my neck) then she'd wash my hair and rinse it with a cup of water. I remember it feeling really good and would occasionally ask her to wash my hair like that. I did this to break in my own kids for washing in the bath tub but at least they see what's going to happen.

This seems like a real pain but I never minded. I wanted my kids to want to take a bath and use good hygiene (and they certainly do now and aren't afraid of the shower) and it's was so much less stressful for me to not argue and fight about it.

[velviita]

I dont give any of the kids bathes... that is Daddy's job! I don't even do it right now. My daughter screams when I was her hair. I just don't have the patience so I am always rushed. They sit there and play forever!

[McEngle]

My son lets me but he always yells, "Tow-WELL" and we give him a dry cloth to wipe his face off with. Swim classes helped him tolerate getting his face wet, he still doesn't like it, but he will let me wash his hair.

[mommyslh]

try putting her in the shower and hold her head back a tiny bit and use a cup to pour the water over the back of her head. her feet being on the ground might help. my youngest always had this battle she is now 6 and no longer does. one day she was playing with an ariel doll in the tub and started screaming and jumped up on the side of the tub when i asked what was wrong she said she thinks they're sharks in here. i said do what? there are no sharks in here. she says well there's mermaids so there must be sharks. so don't worry it gets better.