Tips for Washing Your Child’s Hair
Help your child enjoy hair washing, not hate it.
Hey there! You’re listening to the Mighty Mommy with some Quick and Dirty Tips for Practical Parenting.
Tina from New York called in to ask about washing her daughter’s hair. Tina’s daughter loves bath time, but doesn’t enjoy having her hair washed and Tina wants to know what she can do to help her little girl enjoy her bath from the tip of her toes all the way to the top of her head.
Offer a Distraction
I have to admit that both of my children love the bath and I’ve never actually had any problems with the hair washing portion of bath time, so I had to gather some information from other sources. One of the tips I heard frequently was to give your child a toy to play with to distract her. That seems simple, but probably would not work in the case of Tina’s daughter, since she seems pretty focused on not enjoying herself. I think the key here might be in the toy itself however. My suggestion is to give her a doll of her own with washable hair. She can wash her doll’s hair before her own or at the same time. Maybe even let her use her doll to show you how she’d like you to wash her own hair.
Cover those Eyes
For a lot of children, the idea of water streaming down their faces is not a pleasant one and can cause frustration and tears. Keep a dry washcloth or small towel to the side until hair washing time. This way, when it’s time to start washing up there, you can hand your child her dry towel to cover her eyes. That provides a distraction and lets your child keep her eyes dry during the process. If you can convince your child to look up while you are rinsing, that will also help keep the water out of her eyes. I’m very lucky that my son doesn’t mind the water in his face; he will look up, then just as I start to rinse, he will get excited and looks down again. Thankfully, a face full of water doesn’t bother him in the least. Some people have recommended bath time visors that help water stay out of your little one’s eyes. You can buy them in almost any baby department of a department store or in baby product stores. If your child likes wearing
hats, or thinks wearing the visor is a fun idea when you explain how it works, it could be worth the investment to try one out.
The Relaxation Technique
Another suggestion I’ve heard and actually used myself–just because my kids enjoy it–is to have your child lie down in the tub. Make sure the water is shallow enough and your child can relax and lie back into the water. It’s similar to floating in the pool, only there’s no actual floating involved. While she’s lying down you can easily wash and rinse out her hair. If you are going to use this method, you might want to wash her hair early on and before you add bubbles, unless you plan to rinse using clear water afterward. That is one of the easier ways to have your child help with the washing too. Since most kids enjoy doing things themselves once they get older, letting your child wash her own hair may encourage her to enjoy it more as well.
Finally, remember that this phase, just like all others, will pass. She will eventually be just fine with having her hair washed, even if she absolutely hates it today. Just try to work quickly and get it over with as soon as possible. If she cries about that part of the bath only, try getting that part out of the way first so that she can move on and enjoy the rest. At least that way she’ll be able to relax, knowing that part is done, and then make the most of the remaining bubbles!
That’s it for now.
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