Jessie was nine months old when she joined our family. We were already caring for another little girl who was 27 days older. After our experiences with the first girl, we thought the two would be able to take a bath together and have a good time.
We put both little girls in the tub. Jessie wasn’t having any of it. We were not expecting that. We thought that maybe the bathtub was too big and she needed the blowup duckie tubby instead. We got out the other tub and blew it up. We filled it with water that was not too hot and added lots of bubbles. She didn’t care for that either. We ended up bathing Jessie in the kitchen sink. We had to be fast about it too because she really hated the experience.
Something changed in Jessie when we stayed with my parents for Thanksgiving after she turned one. Jessie loved Grandma’s deep tub and the new toys that Grandma bought for her.
Even with her new love of the tubby, she’s never liked getting her hair washed. I’ve bought a number of things that are supposed to make rinsing easier on the child, but she doesn’t like them. I end up just rinsing her hair despite her protests.
I know this is something that she will grow out of. I know that she will come to understand about keeping her head back and eyes closed. Hair washing is just a drama-filled moment right now. Never once have I even considered punishing her for her reactions to any part of bathing.
A Texas man had different ideas when it came to his girlfriend’s daughter. The two-year-old did not like having her hair washed so the boyfriend put the toddler in a hot clothes dryer. The little girl suffered second and third degree burns.
What do you do to calm your child when she throws a fit at bath time?