Bella is not to bad but she also prefers to stand - so now I have a bath with her and fill the bath up nice and high and she either sits in my lap or she stands between my legs so I have a noce grip on her and she is 3/4 covered by water and she can still have a splash around - its a really fun time of night for us! She laughs and laughs and I can washe her hair and get her clean while she plays.
We went through this struggle and triumphed, but it was a long road and consistently saying "sit down, sit down, sit down" and then sticking our son back on his bum when he wouldn't listen. We never made a big deal of it on the basis that he could just be seeking attention, so if he didn't sit when we said, we would physically put him down again and ignore any protest. It took a couple of weeks at least, but now he's a champ and never stands.
The key was just persistence and consistency, and staying calm. When I would get frustrated, it helped me to remember that kids test boundaries to make sure the boundary is still there, because boundaries make them feel safe. So I didn't see it as naughtyness (despite the cheeky smile), but as 'seeking reassurance'!
I am quite sure this is just a phase. Now that she can stand so well she is most likely enjoying practising this skill whenever she can. It's actually much easier to wash a standing child and you can just use a container to rinse her. May mean baths are a little shorter but I would try not to make a big deal out of it and let her stand if she wants - she'll get sick of it soon enough and will be back to sitting and paddling in no time.
ETA - you could try some new and interesting bath toys as she might wish to sit and examine them. Bubbles work a treat in the bath too ("sit down and I'll blow you some bubbles")
everytime Mia stands up, we get her out. She has learnt now that she will only stand when she wants to get out. Its the only thing that has worked for us. The first 2 times we did, she didnt like it coz she did want to stay in the bath.. but now, she sits unless she wants to get out.
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