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Everybody has to be taught how to do something before they are able to do it. Taking a bath, while easy to adults, is hard for children to understand and do until they are shown how and told why.
1. A good age to start showing a child how to bathe themselves is at about age 2, (but don’t leave them alone in the tub at this age), or when they show interest, and you get many of the stubborn “I want to do it” statements. Independence is a good thing with children. A child who is able to do things for themselves, such as taking a bath, will have a greater self-esteem knowing that they can do it by themselves and don’t need help.
2. Before your child actually is in the tub (alone or with supervision), make sure that they know the things that they need to get ready for their bath. A child (just like an adult) needs to have their soap and a washcloth ready, a towel to dry off with, and clothes to dress in after the bath is over. Help them to know that it is a good idea to have your shampoo on the edge of the tub ready to use, that way there is less chance of falling. If it is necessary to stand to get the shampoo, then there is also a greater chance of falling and getting hurt. Also have them put a mat down before they get into the tub. Bathmats are usually made of rubber, or a similar material, and they provide traction so that falling is not as likely.
3. Tell little ones about the nasties. Children love the “little kid approach”. The nasties (germs) live on our hands, behind our ears, between our toes, and so on. If adults try to go into to much of an explanation about the different kinds of germs on our hands, wax in our ears, germs and dead skin behind the ears, and that “stuff” between our toes...it will confuse the child. A child’s brain can’t handle that much information; they just learned to talk not to long ago! They may look at you funny and wonder what you are talking about. So don’t get too scientific, you may want to think about starting simple. The “nasties” approach is simple, or you can come up with a good one of your own.
4. A baby doll is a very good way to teach children to bathe. Explain to them where the nasties live behind the baby doll’s ears, gently wipe under the baby’s eyes, clean between the toes, show them how to bathe the baby’s bottom and so on. When showing a child how to wash his or her hair, it is good to have them hold their heads back when rinsing so that the shampoo does not get into their eyes. Use a tearless shampoo if at all possible.
5. Another good way to show a child how to bathe is to have an older same sex sibling assist in the teaching. Little ones love older little ones to show them stuff. They usually think that “big brothers” or “big sisters” are the neatest thing in the world next to mom and dad. A little child is probably trying to imitate their older sibling already anyway, and it is kind of a reward to a younger child to be able to do what the older child is already able to do.
6. It would probably be good to run their bath water for them until they are older and know how to adjust the water temperature. Instruct them not to play with the faucets while they are bathing (or before or after bathing), because they could get burnt. (Water should really not be above 120 degrees when children are in a house)
7. Be sure to praise and even applaud your new bather after they are all done. When a child knows that they have done good, and they have gotten a positive response from their parent, they will then want to repeat the experience, and that is part of staying clean and starting good bathing habits.
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