How can I get my 3 yr old to take a bath without a fight? He used to love the bath but now he is dead set?

against it.. kicking and screaming. And if I can get him in he flips out if I try to wash his hair or use any soap even baby wash.Any ideas on how to make it easier would be GREAT!!How can I get my 3 yr old to take a bath without a fight? He used to love the bath but now he is dead set?
I get in with mine sometimes when they just don't feel like it and it works.How can I get my 3 yr old to take a bath without a fight? He used to love the bath but now he is dead set?
Toys lots of toys, especially ones that light up and he can see through the bubbles. Also, let him hold a wash cloth in front of his eyes when you pour the water on his head. This calms them and lets them think they can control the water in the eyes thing. They also make character sponge's like a Lighting McQueen sponge so he can wash his own arm pits and stuff. It's all about making it fun again, the goal is not to clean the kid the goal is to let him play and have fun, being clean is a side effect. I have also found that body soap is soooooo much better for bubbles than any bubble stuff on the market. Just put a big squirt in at the beginning when the water first starts. It helps if this is a ';daddy soap';, a soap that smells manly, not like a girl. Good Luck!!!
I have a hard time washing my 2.5 yo and 1yo's hair. I do it at the very end of the bath. I put the baby wash on the crown and use the suds to wash the entire head. When it is time to rinse, I use a small cup and tilt their heads back so that they are looking at the ceiling. I hold my hand at the forehead to make sure that the doesn't run into the face. I sometimes tilt their heads back, put the back of their head under faucet and let the tap water run over their hair too.


I use a large rubbermaid tub because the bathtub is too big (and slippery)and the babybath is too small. Is it possible that he is afraid that he is going to sucked down the drain with the water? You could try to show him that he is too big to fit down the drain by pointing out that his tub toys won't fit and he is bigger than his tub toys.
Hi,





I think all mother's feel your pain..brings back memories.





Trying him in the shower is a great idea. Much easier for him to control the water flow on his body, but it can get a bit messy since obviously at his age you'd still need to help.





My son, at that age took to the shower just great, would stick his head out of the shower so I could soap it up and then duck back in to rinse.





My grandson, on the other hand, wanted no part of the shower. What we found worked with him was letting him play in the tub and before he got out, we used a hand held sprayer to rinse the shampoo out of his hair. We'd tell him to look up to where we had taken it down to make sure the pipe didn't move before we got a chance to put it back.





Another alternative, and luckily the summer items are now on the shelves, would be to get a pair on swim goggles and let him wear those in the tub when you wash his hair. I can remember that was the only way my Mom could get my sister's hair washed.





Good Luck and just remember ';this too will pass';
my grandma actually told me that when i was younger i hated getting in the bath! but what she did was she would take a big tub outside and let me get in my bathing suit and pretend we were playing instead of actually making me get in the bath. she did it only twice a week so i wouldn't get used to JUST bathing outside. eventually i warmed up to the idea of taking baths(thank god lol.) just let him/her wear their bathing suits in the actual tub as well so it may seem like they're ';swimming'; instead of bathing. i'm no expert but that's how my family did it :)
I think its a boy thing. They hate being clean. My son is the same way, he's 3 also. I will say ok bath time, he looks at me and says are you going to wash my hair. When I say yes, he says nope don't need a bath today. We finally get in there. I give my kids one in the morning. If we're going anywhere even outside, they can't go unless they're all clean(that's what I tell them). Also my tub is FULL of toys when they're in there. I use a flower water can to do my son's hair it isn't as bad as trying to lay him down or using a cup. Also I'll say ok I'm going to wash you're hair in a minute, would you like to wet your hair first. Most of the time he gets it in his face, which isn't so bad if I accidently let some water drip down his face when I start making sure its all wet. I also let him hold a dry rag over his eyes and forehead while I'm washing it keeps the water away from his eyes
My son went through a similar phase. Hairwashing was always trouble. He now LOVES taking a shower. It's so much easier to handle the hairwashing as well because he's ok with his hair and face getting wet as he's completely in control of it. I suds up his hair a little and he washes it out when he's ready. If anything gets in his eyes (water or shampoo), he knows where the towel is (at the edge of the shower) and he knows how to wipe his eyes off. Try this a few times, it may work. If he's not into it right away, invite him to shower WITH you or your husband (great way to make sure YOU get a shower too!). ;)
My 2 year old (and my older son when he was younger) hated to get his hair washed so I purchased a plastic visor from the dollar store. He wears it when I rinse so the soap doesn't get in his eyes.





Food coloring in the water can make it a whole lot of fun too. They sell cool fizzy tabs that make the water different colors. I let my kids pick what ones to use while I get the bath ready. He feels in charge because he picks them out.





Good Luck. I feel your pain!


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My 3 year old does the same. He use to love baths and now screams when his hair is wet. I let my son play in the bath and when it comes time to wash his hair I get a dry washcloth and tell him he has a bug in his hair and he has to look up and place the washcloth over his eyes. It worked for my son .
My daughter loves to take baths b/c I put lots of bubble bath in it and I also got her these foam pictures that she can play w/ on the wall when they get wet. Have you tried letting him pick out some bubble bath and/or bath toys?
i got my nephew 2 pretend that he was in the swimming pool. also i now let him wash himself.
Try letting him pick out bath/pool toys to use in the tub.
try letting him give a shower a whirl by talking him into playing in a big sprinkler