Washing hair

We have been going through this with our 1 yo for the last hmm 1-2 months! No real advice other than distraction (which often ends in tears anyway...).

Am keen to hear what responses you get... I've taken to using wipes to clean her hair or just getting it over and done with but I don't want to end up traumatising her by doing this and then her not wanting a bath at all!

Yes, I've have noticed DD is exactly the same as me - hate water on the face. We got one of those jugs with the rubber bit that you put on the forehead and stops water going on the face but no go. Hated that too.

Dp has said, don't wash it all the time, but she does mash food in her hair at this stage so hence the wipes.

We got a watering can and cups and have been playing with them fine, will try the goggles though can't imagine them staying on!

Daniel mashed food through his hair but I still didn't shampoo it, just let him have fun with water which got alot of it out.

Make a game out of it. Yeah the googles won't stay on for a great amount of time in the beginning but it makes it fun! We would give him a flannel and play peek a boo with it on his face etc to clean him without realising it and played splashy games to get water splashed on him without scrubbing. Its amazing what will come off with just a little bit of water and no products or scrubbing.

Daniel loves bath time now because we made it fun rather than just a cleaning mission. He will pour water over his head and dunk his whole head under the water laughing. He doesn't like bathing at my mums house when he stays the night because she is a clean freak who gets a flannel out for any sign of food or dirt on him and he hates that.

Yes i wouldnt worry to much. My dd hates it also.

I never wash her hair, maybe every 2 weeks or unless it gets heaps of food in it

I was also told not to push there heads back because that can make them more scared of the water. My swim instructor said you tell them you are doing it, maybe countdown and they should learn to close there eyes etc

Jake always hated it too, but now he lies back in the bath to get it wet, then we both put the shampoo on, then he lies back and I gently help rinse it off. We started at first by getting him to just look up at me and I put water on it with a flannel, and eventually he trusted me that water wasn't going to go in his eyes. Then in a smallish bath he lay on his back so some of his hair was in the water (covers his ears) - now he thinks hes clever doing it himself!

Morgan still hates it and screams, and won't lie back so I just do it as fast as possible with a flannel (trying to get her to look up, unsuccessfully!)

I wash their hair once a week too.

My son hated this toos, but is OK with it now. He used to jump straight up to lclimb out of the bath if he got water poured over his head. I just started using what we learned in baby swim classes for when they're about to put their head under the water - "One, Two, Three... Eyes Under!" and then I pour a bit of water over his head on the last bit.
I started off just using a tiny bit of soap so that it didn't need much water and put my hand above his eyes to limit how much got on his face. He didn't like it at first but the warning helped so that he at least stayed put, and now he's absolutely fine with it. I only wash his hair occassionally anyway as it doesn't get all that dirty.

So my advice is really just about counting down so there's some warning, and starting off with small amounts of water/soap. Hope it helps!

DD (3 and a half) sits up in the bath and likes a folded up facecloth across her eyes when I'm shampooing her hair. She uses both hands to keep it in place. When I rinse her hair I tell her to lift her chin up and this keeps the water away from her face. Good luck.

We had some success with this too, after a long time of DD hating it. She helped out this time, so I got her to fill up the container with water and she 'helped' tip it on her head. Then she 'helped' to wash her hair

lol.. We just do it. he hates it, he needs to be clean. End of story. I dont want sand / paint/ gunge all thru the bed at night (comes home filthy from preschool).