Grandson hates baths

My GS was, and still is, the same Treetops; he absolutely hates having a bath and still won't at almost 5. When he was little, his parents got round it by getting into the shower with him. Now he's a bit older he has a shower on his own (obviously with a parent in the bathroom). He's not keen on the swimming pool either!

Kitchen sink? It's much smaller so he might feel safer

My GS hated baths until he was more than 10. My DiL used to sit him in the walk in shower on a towel with a toy while she took a shower. He was washed with a flannel, including his hair. He wouldn't sit directly under the shower but so long as he had something to distract him he would behave. We never really understood why he hated it and played up so much, he didn't seem to mind the flannel wash or the drops that fell on him in the shower. When he was older he didn't mind having his hair done at the hair salon and was quite happy going to the barber with his Dad. Anyway, he eventually grew out of it but it was hard work for a while.

How about mum and dad going in the bath with him?
Or more to the point - without him?
There's nothing like not allowing something for a toddler to want to do it.

My brother as a baby was the same. Oddly, he was Ok if his little vest was left on while he was in the bath, so maybe a nurse had been a bit rough taking it off for a bath in the hospital (those were the days before mothers were expected to hit the ground running the moment the umbilical cord was cut) The vest could be removed, sopping wet, once he was into the bath and intent on splashing the water about. He did grow out of it, and his wife hasn't complained that he avoids baths and showers.

could be what's called sensory issues.
try doing it with underwear on, or swimming togs and goggles.

If he is upset by baths, just wash him all over while he sits on a towel. As Welbeck says, he could have sensory issues, or irrational fears, but what he needs i sfor people to not make an issue of it but just adjust to what he prefers.

My oldest DN would tolerate the bath and hair washing if we put him in the bath inside a plastic laundry basket with his toys - the smaller basket sitting in the bath seems to make him feel more secure. I have no idea how SIL came up with it, but it worked! Also bought one of those visor things for hair washing to keep water away from his face. Good luck!

Twin GS hated the bath and screamed all the time but absolutely love the shower. One of them only needed to suspect anyone was having a shower and he stripped off!
When DD was first born she screamed if she was naked - OK in the bath then screamed again until I got a vest on her. I often wondered if someone was a bit rough while we were in hospital.

Just wipe him down for the time being. Add in lots of "water play" - buckets in the garden, kitchen sink full of bubbles etc. If he likes lots of bubbles in the sink then after a few weeks suggest even more bubbles in the bath. Give him time to forget he doesn't like baths, trying too often will just keep his dislike in his memory for longer.

If he does like washing up bubbles in the sink you can try sticking some on dad's head to look funny, then his, then give his hair a bit of a rub etc.

What about one of the hair wash shields for children that sit on the hair line but stop the soap going in his eyes, and like others have said either a wash down with a flannel at the sink or sit in the shower but away from the spray. Will he wash his hands at the sink? Perhaps just start with that then work up to doing feet adding something different every week. Let him feel as if he has control of the situation if he wants to stop Just stop. Just looked on Amazon and the hair wash shields are under £10.00.

I’d go for the wiping down with a flannel option for now. You can do his hair that way and keep it reasonably clear of food fragments etc. Then water play, as others suggest. Hopefully, he’ll grow out of it.

Re vests and bathing, I've read that some babies don’t like the feel of air on their tummy/chest, they feel unsafe. A warm flannel on their chest as you put them into a bath can help. It worked for my youngest.

My two yr old granddaughter refuses to sit in the bath and quite happily gets a shower.

He has become scared of bathrooms full stop, won't even walk in, and our showers are both over the baths...

yes, kitchen sink, thats where mine were bathed when small.. sit him on the draining board end with his feet in... stand him up and wash him down.......lay him on draining board to wash his hair.

When you say we need the help, could it be a case of a few people being involved at bath time and that could also be upsetting him? If so, try to let it be only one person with him, his Mum to bathe him, as if there's well intentioned help from others possibly looming over and grabbing at him, offering suggestions and maybe reacting to his cries, he could be feeding from this energy which is making things worse.

Another thing Mum can try is to keep the lights a little lower in the bathroom, obviously so she can see and everyone's safe but that might help baby feel calmer and less stimulated.

I know it can be hard but if Mum can try to stay as calm as she can and not make a big deal if she can't get to all of him, that's fine. Forget the idea of perfection for now, even his hair can be done with a warm damp cloth with a little shampoo on and then wiped over again with a couple of clean damp cloths, the trick is to not use much shampoo and dilute it before dipping the cloth in.

I'm sure he will grow out of it and in a few short years, she won't be able to keep him out of the bathroom!

Thanks all, we've been concentrating on flannels, but he is at the age he gets dirtier every day, but we'll try everything suggested, thankyou x

It is normally my daughter, but she asked me to try alone this weekend - he was fine playing tippie toes in a baby bath etc, but as soon as we went to the bathroom for 'more bubbles' he screamed

Aw, poor little guy. Assuming he is not potty trained, is he getting his bum cleaned with a water and cloth?

Maybe let him play with a basin of water and some small containers out in the garden so he gets over his fear of water, then splash water over his arms and tummy while he is playing, then maybe ask him to put his feet in.

I know my GS when through a phase of screaming, but that was just for his hair washing. His parents added a hand held spray hose to the bath, so it was gentler than laying him down in the water, and not so dramatic as the shower.

My son screamed throughout his baths when very small and nothing seemed to work. We thought he was frightened of water and bought a paddling pool and climbed in despite the water being cold; he joined us happily, and then a brainwave: I wondered if the bathwater was too hot.
I ran an almost cold bath; he went in happily and I discovered he had a sensitive skin and warm water was most uncomfortable for him. No more problems after that apart for the guilt I felt.

Treetops05

It is normally my daughter, but she asked me to try alone this weekend - he was fine playing tippie toes in a baby bath etc, but as soon as we went to the bathroom for 'more bubbles' he screamed

So maybe that's the problem, something about bathrooms that upsets him. Maybe your daughter could try bathing him elsewhere in something he can tolerate like a baby bath or something that'll fit him for size, maybe improvise, that'll get the job done for now until he's verbal and can either express his fears or he grows out of whatever's scaring him.

Two out of three of my grandsons went through a stage, when the bath became a no no for them.

I advised both sets of parents to just flannel wash and not to force the issue.
As luck would have it, bath avoidance by both children was very short lived.

Another 'stage' was waiting on the wings to take over

DD went through this at the same age. It’s a common toddler problem. We bought a blow up ‘duck bath’ and filled it halfway up in the living room (lots of towels underneath) with favourite TV show on and let her just stand in it whilst we have her a quick wash. Then gradually encouraged her to sit. After a few weeks she was fine having a bath like this and then we moved it into the bathroom and she was fine.

Hair washing - basically swaddle in a big towel, one person holds over the sink, the other washes hair. She screamed a bit the first time but got used to it, just had to make sure water wasn’t near her eyes or ears.

Bath we used - www.amazon.co.uk/Munchkin-White-Hot-Inflatable-Duck/dp/B000066665/ref=asc_df_B000066665/?hvlocphy=9045499&linkCode=df0&hvptwo&psc=1&psc=1&hvnetw=g&hvadid=310569029981&hvpone&hvlocint&th=1&hvpos&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl&hvqmt&tag=gransnetforum-21&hvtargid=pla-365326647059&hvrand=16737690841614791364

My grandson always loved his bath until he slipped one evening and banged his head (only slightly). After that, for a while, he was reluctant to bath.
I found that by putting a towel in the bath for him to sit on, and showing him that it wouldn’t slip, he soon enjoyed bath time again.