It’s a tale as old as time.
You have the assortment of bath toys, the best bubble bath, the sweet bedtime routine all in place and your toddler is loving every second of bathtime. You’ve nailed it.
Suddenly, they now hate it. A quick switch that appears to come from nowhere and leads to tantrums and frustration as you beg your little one to please, remember the joys of splashing in the bath. Please.
Well, according to parenting expert Dr Becky Kennedy, there is actually potentially a way to get your kids back on board with bathing.
Listeners of Dr Becky’s podcast Good Inside with Dr. Becky, explained that until very recently in their toddler’s life, she had loved baths and even seen them as a treat. The parents added: “That stopped one day, ten days ago. Screaming, crying, will not get in the bath.
“This coincided with her generally learning how to tantrum, but this seems very specific and the other tantrums seem random.”
The parents went on to say that they had tried different bath times, getting into the bath with her and they’ve even tried showering her.
However, they said, the toddler will only settle for what they call a ‘bird bath’; a washcloth getting her wet and a little bit of soap. The toddler doesn’t like having water poured on her, and doesn’t like being in the bath.
Whew.
The expert advised saying something along the lines of: “You know what? There’s something about the bath that you don’t like. I believe you.”
Dr Becky admitted that she doesn’t know why the toddler has started to hate bathtime, but she said that leading with validation and believing, even when you don’t understand is “an insanely powerful intervention.”
Apparently, just this acknowledgement can help toddlers budge just a little bit. The doctor advises going from there with the toddler and following their guts.
If this doesn’t work, Dr Becky advises bathing kids less often for a while, just while they’re finding bathtime so uncomfortable, and instead sticking to the ‘bird bath’.
Good luck!
