ideas to get them clean! we need baths!

oh my!! the kids are really balking at bathing right now. am pretty sure it's been 4 full days since my dd has bathed... and my son went 3 days but thankfully I convinced him to take a shower/bath tonight!

so, any ideas??

my dd will say "i'm tired"... and go to bed.

tonight I praised my ds for getting the bath, and even "rewarded" him with their favorite vitamins and let him do storytime with me in my bed. my dd didn't want a story or vitamins bad enough to come bathe... though she put up a HUGE fuss and cried for 5 min! I will grant that she was very tired b/c she got in her PJs all by herself and crawled in bed with no fussing.

anyway, how many days can we keep this up? she really is starting to STINK!

 

Can you give them baths eariler in the day? I've given mine baths early in the morning and they loved starting off their day that way. I even dried their hair with a blow dryer and styled it.

 

Would she have a bath/shower in the morning instead?

 

Umm give her a bath. This sounds more like a power struggle than anything. Take control and get them on a schedule for the baths

 

I agree. Cleanliness isn't an option as annoying as she might be during the process.

 

yeah, I've tried the morning option... no such luck.

sometimes the power struggle of forcing her to bathe seems worse than just letting her be dirty! UGH! bad mommy!

there are so many other decisions that she does great with, that I guess I just keep hoping if I praise her for the other little things that she'll want to bathe too... at least she gets showers on the weekends with us!

I have to find a better time for a bath. I like the idea of earlier. Maybe an afternoon bath before dinner??

 

We really don't give them any choice. Just plop them in and wash them in one minute if needed. We only do them every 2 days though still.

 

One of my boys sometimes puts up a fuss but he has to have a bath. So sometimes we get him in and he gets distracted with the toys or bubbles and is fine other times he cries and we wash him quickly and get him out. But he is at least clean.

 

Have you tried some new toys? My boys never really liked the bath until I got beyond the squirty toys and the water cups. They love to have a bath now with their new bath toys. We bought "Color My Bath" dye tablets to color their bath water (of course, the twins have to throw the tablets in and pick the color), some foam "stickers" for the bath wall, and a fishing game. Of course, bubbles are a must too. I got everything form Amazon. I also give them some crazy splash time by drawing the shower curtain and letting them go at it. I really feel your pain with you on this one. It was such a struggle and at the end of the day, the patience is gone. Some other things we tried that are not long term solutions but got the job done... bathed them in the kiddie pool outside, in a big tote on the kitchen floor or on the deck, in the kitchen sink, shower (not much luck there), and we've even done it while washing cars. Thankfully, there is not much of a struggle now!!! Good luck to you!!!

 

I agree. If she cries or fusses, I'd ignore her and basically tell her that this is something she has to do for own health. It does sound like a power struggle to me as well. Good luck!

 

We have had phases of that too and I agree with PPs. It is not optional. We have had success with dad doing bath-time at least if he is home already. He never used to bathe them and they think it is a special treat. DH does not enjoy it but he seems to think it is worse to hear them screaming while I enforce the bath. So maybe just changing the routine a bit, offering them some kind of choice (e.g. mom or dad, bath or shower)?

GL, I hate these phases.

 

What about a bubble bath or scented shower gel? My SIL was having trouble getting one of my nieces to take a bath and my mom got some scented bath and a sponge to go with it, and now she takes a bath without an argument.

 

I'm gonna ditto the power struggle thing, although we only bath every 2-3 nights here (unless it's spaghetti night, that's auto-bath night!), it's still non-negotiable. Rylee went through a phase where she didn't want to be washed, or didn't want water on her head, but she didn't have a choice. She's finally gotten better about it.

 

I agree that it is a non-negotiable thing. Sometimes they don't want to, but then they get put in the tub and washed up immediately and miss out on playing in the bathtub.

 

well... it is what it is. I'm going to try to be a bit more creative with the bath toys (though we always do bubbles, foam dolls/clothes, other toys)... so maybe I need some new ones there like the bath crayons. and maybe an afternoon fun time instead of a cranky time bath/shower struggle...

yeah, in the end they do just need to obey, it's just the in most everything they are great! I mean they are potty trained - which seems to be a huge power struggle with most kids, they pick out their clothes and dress themselves and on and on... so maybe this is just her main power struggle!

thanks for the ideas ladies.

 

Make it a game. She can be a mermaid or a dolphin. My kids still like to go in the tub just for fun. They put on their bathing suits and "go to the beach".

 

How about family shower time? Where u all have a shower together? If I am extra tired one night and in need of a shower as well, then we all shower together- mine love it!

 

I'm glad we aren't the only ones with 2.5 year old twins who still only bathe them every 2 or 3 nights! LOL It's more often 3 days between baths, unless they just get flat out dirty. But I swear by Mustela Physiobebe rinseless cleanser which I discovered when they were about 2 months old (when they only got one bath a week until they were 1!). That stuff is awesome and smells divine, but its a very light scent and not overpowering. I keep a bottle beside the changing station and one on the kitchen table for squirting on a wipe to clean their face and hands after meals. And their little bums are always fresh thanks to that Mustela. We are lucky though that neither of our boys fight their baths when it is time. I'm taking note of the suggestions like toys in case our boys ever get defiant like the OP's

 

They bath more in the summer time if we are playing outside, but honestly, by the end of the day, I'm tired!! :laughing: Unless they are dirty, I don't worry about bathing them all the time! My 9 yr old showers every night, my 5 yr old showers or baths every 2 nights, and the twins are every 2-3 nights for now.

 

My three year olds usually balk at the baths, too. I generally try to do something silly - I'll usually swing them (gently) around the bathroom a little bit before plopping them in the bath. They are usually laughing at being swung around the bathroom that by the time they get to the water, they don't mind. Sometimes they are only in there for a minute or two and sometimes I have to drag them out.

When DH is home, we also sometimes split them up for baths (we have two bathtubs). They like getting special one on one time with mommy or daddy...

 

yeah, it works so much better when DH is around for bathtime... but that doesn't coincide very often... :-(

and enticing with family shower time doesn't help much either... though we do do that on the weekends quite a bit.