15 Month Old Scared of the Bath All of a Sudden!

As everyone has said already...it is normal.
My son went through a no bath phase but also he refused to eat as well. He would scream and run out of the bathroom as soon as I turned the water on.
I found that a lot of the issue was really ME!
I realized that he was refusing to do things because he felt like he had no say in the situation.
Once I started to give him the choice to take a bath (or eat certain foods)instead of expecting him to do it "because I said so!"the stress and struggle went away.
Also your daughter is at an age where she can understand, if you explain it to her simply, she needs to take a bath because she is dirty. Children don't need a bath every night and as long as my son wasn't filthy dirty I didn't worry about it. I would also give him the choice of a bath or a washing with a washcloth to get the dirty parts clean. He usually went with the bath if I gave him that choice but if he wasn't really dirty I would just ask him if he wanted a bath and if he said no I left the issue alone.
As another poster said... Do what makes it easier on you but keep in mind that your daughter probably feels like she is very limited by her world, with what she can and can't do, and to give her choices such as what to wear, if she wants to take a bath, what she wants for a snack etc..will help with struggles in the future because you will be giving her some sense of independence and accomplishment.

Good luck and congratulations on the pregnancy.

I dont think I can help much but I did wanna say my son went thru the same thing around then. From the min I turn water on he went crazy, He would cover his ears like it was too loud(but in his corner he does this with alot of things). He would keep asking me to not let it get to high. It was so weird becuz when I would turn water off he would get a little better but still didnt like baths.I would try to ask him why he was acting this way,Asking him if it was the water or maybe the noise, of course I never firgured out...maybe some kids just go thru that stage, I have no clue. He is not like that today(not scared), he is almost 5 now.

My child did this too. We realized that she didn't like us dumping the water on her hair to get the soap out. We got one of those scoop things with a handle on it from the Target baby section and it worked wonders. It has this soft piece of plastic that fits snugly on her head so that water doesn't get in her eyes. She LOVES bath time now and the water scooper only cost $6!

My daughter did the same thing around that age. I figured out that she was scared of the loud noise when the faucet turned on and started to fill the tub. What I did was start the water with her out of the bathroom. Then I'd go back in and turn it off after it was full, and then bring her in. She was fine after that.

My daughter, now 21 mos, has done this occasionally. First I got in the bath with her and the other thing we did was switched up who was giving her the bath. Sometimes it worked but her "fear" never lasted more than a week. We also would try getting her to stand in the tub while wiping her off quickly, or giving her less frequent baths, or just using a warm washcloth on the changing table. Maybe even getting some new bath toys. The reasons for our daughters fears as far as we could determine was one night we think the water was too warm and it scared her, another time we think she had to go to the bathroom (#2) right as we were starting the bath and it created a negative association. It may also be a way of exerting control. Hopefully it will pass - just don't put too much pressure on having to take a bath and maybe she'll relax too.

Both of my kids have done this around the same age. They just grew out of it on their own. I chalk it up to kids going through weird phases. Good luck.

hi amy, kids do go through weird phases, don't they? this was around the same time my elder boy developed a pathological terror of mudpuddles and zippers! (yes, he outgrew both fairly soon.)
i wouldn't even stress over it. sponge bathe her, or take her in the shower with you, or whatever makes it easy on YOU. take bubbly baths yourself and let her see how much fun they are. she'll soon work it out for herself and be splashing happily with her rubber ducky.
:) khairete
S.

Hi there! I have two girls (ages 2 1/2 and 4). They both went through a similar stage around the same time. I just kept giving them baths and telling them that they were OK and they both "got over it" in a short amount of time. They are now little fishes in the bathtub!
If I have to speculate the reason, I would think it had something to do with the fact that this happened around the same time that they became really good walkers with fluid movements and that the bathtub now made them feel "unsafe" as far as controlling the movements of their own bodies. But they got over it with a little love and time. I would not suggest avoiding the tub as it would justify the fear. Hope this helps!

We had this with our son when he was around the same age -- maybe younger. What really helped was a Snug Tub. It is an inflatable tub that fits inside your regular bathtub. It feels smaller, cozier, and less overwhelming. Our son found this to be a much calmer experience. And it saves a lot of water!

I do agree on the frequency thing -- at that age, they only need a bath a few times a week tops (except in really hot weather).

Since you are pregnant, I thought I would share that with our second child we learned from our earlier experiences. From the time she was a baby, we alternated between showers and baths, were more free with the water running in the tub and letting the water run down her face more than we did with our son.

Good luck!