Dealing With a Toddler's Fear of Baths

Your kid used to love splishing and splashing around in the bath and then all of a sudden he started screaming bloody murder the minute you turned on the faucet. Sound familiar? A toddler's fear of baths is a totally normal developmental stage that a lot of young kids go through. As kids grow, so do their imaginations and thus their fears. It's important to take your kid's fear seriously, and unfortch, this is something you typically just have to wait out. If you try to force your kid into the bath or redicule his fear, it'll just make things worse. That said, there are a few things you can do to try to get him back in the water:

• Let him play in the tub while it's empty. Give him some fun toys and let him spend some time getting used to the bathtub sans water.
• Fill the tub with water, get in yourself and let your kid stand outside the bath and stick his fingers in the water. He might be tempted to join you!
• Fill the tub and get in there with your kid. He might feel safer with Mama holding him. Plus you can show him how fun it is playing with his rubber duckie (never mind that you'd rather be soaking with a book and come candles!).
• Let your kid get in with a teensy bit of water and slowly add more each night.

If you can't handle how dirty your kid is getting due to his bath strike, take a warm washcloth and just quickly sponge him down. He might not like it, but you'll be happy he's not covered in dirt and poop and yogurt and snot and (you get the picture!) anymore!

Wanna read more? Check out our bathtime page!