Hates the shower

[Charlyfrog]

My almost 3year old absolutely hates the shower!! She will ask to have one, like tonight for example, and then as soon as she steps in it's all over!!!

She still hates water on her face and seems to be afraid of the water falling/splashing/making the noise it does?!?!?! I've no idea!!!!! :( But it really seems to scare her) I put her toys in the shower, I point the shower head towards the wall, I have even had showers with her and held her either away from the water or just let it go on her back, but she just asks to get out the whole time.

My DH has played games in the bath of letting her tip water on his face and then they take it in turns.....well they are supposed to! Trying to wash her hair in the bath is also tricky as we try to lay her back and she gets all upset.....almost as though she is panicking about water on her face before it happens.

We try so desperately hard to reassure her, make a game of it, praise her up when she lets us without crying. Thankfully, she won't squirm or fight us but she just gets so upset.....................

[aussienic]

My middle Son Isaac was like this. He just hated the shower and would scream every time he had to have one. My other son hated showers or baths at other peoples places.. they both just stopped doing it one day

with Isaac we just got on with showering him and ignored the screaming. All the other attempts to calm him didn't work and just got me frustrated. so the quicker it was over the better. so basically we didn't acknowledge him when he carried on.

Has anything happened to her around water? With Isaac he fell into some water last year when we were on holidays and it scared him for ages.. Not so much of the shower but of pools infact he still won't get off the steps in the pool..

[JoMarie]

My DD was like this at 3 as well. She hated the shower and hated having her hair washed. I bought one of things you put around their heads to stop the water from going into her eyes so that I didn't have to lay her down to wash it out and this helped a bit. I also gave her a flannel to put over her face. She is now 7 and loves the shower (I had to put a timer in there so that she will get out!), but still doesn't like the water in her eyes. Sometimes, she wears goggles in the shower to wash her hair! Maybe you could try those? Also, has she had any problems with her ears? A friends DD wouldn't go under any water for years as it hurt her ears, she constantly had ear infections and ended up with grommets, but still doesn't like the water near her ears.

[Charlyfrog]

I can't think of anytime that DD had a bad moment involving water....we even used to deliberately put water on her face in her 1st 12 months and she loved it!! (have pics to prove that one!! ) But am with you on the frustration point aussienic!

JoMarie - thinking about the ear thing - whilst she has never indicated soreness, your comment made me wonder whether she doesn't like the sound under water iykwim?? Am clutching at straws here...........

But am definitely going to look for one of those shower caps AS WELL AS goggles - what a great idea!!....................then if that doesn't work.....snorkle as well!!

I really do appreciate your thoughts and it's so nice to know that I'm not alone on this one, thank you so much ladies!!