How do you wash your DC hair?

[June Mommy]

My DS is 15 months, and we have a really hard time washing his hair in the tub. Well, rinsing, to be specific. He will not sit down, only stands, so leaning him back does not work. We usually just pour a cup of water over his hair, but it gets all in his face and he cries. (I try to shield his eyes, but not very successful.) The shower or running water scares him, so can't do that either. Is there a trick I'm missing here?

[Wife_and_mommy]

DD has been standing in the tub since about 10/11 months. I just shield and push the h2o back as I pour it on her head. It helps to get the shampoo out. She does get some in her eyes sometimes. If she gets upset, I just tell her it's water and Mommy's washing her hair. It seems to calm her but she only gets really upset if the water is *poured* on her face which doesn't happen often.

Hth.

ETA: You didn't ask but there's a mat that covers the entire bottom of the tub that is WONDERFUL. It's called the Ulti-Mat. It can be had at Bed, Bath & Beyond and has been a lifesaver for our wanting-to-stand toddler. If your DS won't sit and you need a solution, this is the *best* and it's worked wonders after trying several other methods.



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[MarisaSF]

Not sure if this will work for you (my DD has very short hair), but we just use a damp washcloth to kind of sponge off her head.

We made a rule that she's not allowed to stand. If she stands, the bath's over. Since she loves the tub, the rule seems to work so far.

FWIW, I've seen for sale visors designed to shield the eyes during hair washing...
Like this: http://www.onestepahead.com/product/85201/128/117.html

[erosenst]

Abby stands most of the time, too. The rule is no toys if she's standing, so it's a quick bath when she chooses that.

I use a big cup to pour water over her head to get the shampoo out. Fortunately, she loves water. The shampoo never bothers her eyes. We use Suave for curly hair - not sure if switching brands might help, or if it's the water that's an issue for him.

Good luck -

[ykc]

You can try a bath visor--if your son will keep it on, it works great for keeping the water out of his face. They're available at One Step Ahead; our old one is nicer, but I can't remember where I got it. You can also put a folded washcloth over his forehead while you pour water over his head. This is hard to do if one of your hands is already busy keeping him steady o his feet.

When the visor doesn't work (most of the time for us), we howl at the moon like wolves, or look at the lights in the ceiling. When that doesn't work--sucks to be the kid.... :)

We also have a no-standing-in-the-bathtub rule, but it doesn't really help the rinsing problem, since you can't really lean a resisting 15 mo old back without a lot of work and effort (not to mention strain on your back and danger to his head when he flips himself out of your hands!).

Ah, the joys of bathtime!

[mudder17]

One thing about the showerhead. Is it a handheld showerhead? It never occurred to us to use ours until this summer when I got a hose with an attachment that allows you to get mist, shower, jet, complete, etc. It turns out Kaya LOVES playing with the hose in her wading pool and likes playing with the spraying water and trying to drink out of it. Even if your DS doesn't like you spraying the water on him, can you get him to help you water the flowers, lawn, etc., to get him used to the showerhead type spray? Then you could have him stand outside your bathtub and help spray the bathtub to clean it. Basically just getting him used to the sound and feel of the spray?


Eileen

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