Scared of the bathtub?

The last 3 nights everytime I say "bathtime" one of my boys starts to cry like he is scared. When I do get him in the tub, he stands up and says up up up and then crys if I don't pick him up ( I mean a real "I'm scared" cry). He doesn't have a whole lot of words, so he can't really tell me what is wrong. We haven't changed the routine at all, his brother does just fine, the water temp is okay... so what is the big idea? Anyone ever had anything like this happen?

 

we have this happen when one of them has a little bit of a diaper rash..sometime I don't even realize they have it until I really take a good look. Or I've found that they are just so overtired that they just want their binkies and blankies (which of course they cannot have in the tub). Who knows.

 

I have heard of babies going through a point of being afraid in the tub ... I dn't remember the specifics of it ... something like they fear they can go down the drain ... or they fear the confinement ... or fears of the water ...

Mine are adamant about wanting to stand all the time and they will slip sometimes and I will catch them, but it still scares them (AND ME!) ... so aren't digging the tub right now either. One went through the screaming every time we put her in there for a while ... but she does a little better now ... though her tolerance for it is much greater when whe is alone in there without her sister ... ?? Maybe try to bathe him alone ... who knows? What has also helped me is that I blow bubbles while they are in there and I have gotten them some tub toys they really like ... so that has helped to distract them from the fussing a little ...

I also agree with pp, sometimes if they are overtired ... they just scream ... and also, if they want their blankies and I take them away to put them in the tub ... yeah, they aren't fans of that at all!

Good luck and hopefully it is just another one of those oh so wonderful developmental things ...

 

my DD did this a while ago for about 4 days
we just kept putting her in the tub, we just washed her very quick and than took her right out.
one day we were showing her toys and she was playing and it went back to normal.
weird. hope it passes soon

 

One of my girls just started doing the same thing. The other night I put her sister in the tub and then waited for her to come in when she was ready. She still stood up the entire time, and cried when I washed her, but it wasn't a screamfest like it has been. Hopefully this is just a phase for both of us! :hug99:

 

I noticed one of my girls started getting scared the other night at bathtime also. The only time she is scared though is when the water is running to fill up the tub. After I shut the water off she is fine. They do both try to stand up in the tub and that scares me. I always tell them to sit back down and they do. I think they like to see the water splash when they plop back down.

 

I went through the same thing with Luke for awhile. It lasted about a month or just a bit more. I just tried to make his baths as quick and painless as possible & he did outgrow it. Now he is the first one in the bathroom trying to climb in the tub when I say bath time.