Toddler Hates Washing Hair – 13 Genuine Tips To Help

Do you avoid washing your child’s hair because they despise it so much and act out whenever you try to do so? Learn these easy methods to aid and understand why toddler hates washing hair.

“I was stressing over taking a bath the night before the school picture day. Every time I tried to wash my 3-year-matted’s hair during the past few months, she would go into fits. My daughter displayed tantrums and tears that were on par with my level of aggravation, which dwindled my patience. Why was this so difficult, and what was wrong with me?

I was under extreme stress trying to convince my toddler to wash her hair. and can still feel the guilt I felt for not giving my daughter a good hair wash. I was unable even to get my child’s hair clean, much less combed and styled, while other young girls had their hair in pigtails and bows. Even without the continual battle with bath time, getting ready for bed was difficult, and I felt hopeless and defeated about why toddler hates washing hair.

Toddler Hates Washing Hair

Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of that word; everyone has sensory preferences and seeks out or avoids particular feelings to maintain equilibrium and a sense of reality. The same is true for youngsters, albeit most don’t yet have the tools to articulate or even deal with their demands, especially when they encounter a challenging situation like, toddler hates washing hair. You may relax knowing your youngster isn’t acting bad, rebellious, or attention-seeking.

But, their sensory system is probably overprocessing the sensations they feel while washing their hair. Children with autism (ASD) or sensory processing disorder (SPD) diagnosis experience this quite frequently, while it can happen to any youngster. Along with toddler hates washing hair, children with sensory issues may also have trouble with nail trimming, teeth brushing, and hair brushing. It’s crucial to determine the sensations your child is sensitive to, as there are several during the hair-washing process:

1. Your Child Reacts Badly When Tipped Backwards.

The fact that it is so simple to miss makes this one of the most common reasons why toddler hates washing hair. Although you might not even be aware of the issue, it occurs more frequently than you might imagine. Although not a normal response, children with vestibular sensitivity occasionally exhibit this behavior.

A vestibular sensitivity is likely at least partially to blame for toddler hates washing hair if they become agitated or frightened when you tip their head back to rinse off the shampoo or if they cling to your hands as you tip them backward. You can also use other easy strategies to prevent this position until your child is comfortable with it. Do you avoid washing your children’s hair because they detest it so much and become completely out of control when you try? Discover the reasons behind toddler hates washing hair and pick up some easy tips to assist!

2. The Sensation Of Shampoo Or Having Their Head Scrubbed Bothers Your Child.

The most frequent cause of toddler hates washing hair is probably this. While some people have a general sensitivity to tactile or touch experiences, others enjoy particular kinds of touches. This indicates that while soft, gentle touches irritate some children, they need to be caressed with hard pressure. The forceful, vigorous scrubbing can occasionally be very uncomfortable.

In any case, it’s a tactile sensitivity that is quite real and can even be regarded as painful by some kids! Fortunately, it is possible to desensitize this sensitivity, and suggestion #1 below offers an effective answer to toddler hates washing hair.

3. Your Child Reacts Negatively When Water Is Poured On Their Face Or Body.

This also belongs to the tactile sensitivity group. Some children find that having water drip down their face and neck to be overly stimulating to their tactile sensory systems or that it makes them feel as though they are not breathing. Many children naturally grow out of this with a little patience and the help of some of the techniques listed below.

4. The Scent Of The Shampoo Bothers Your Child.

This is not as often and, though not always, is frequently simple to understand. It may be difficult for toddlers in particular to express how they feel about a particular scent. It would be worthwhile to try an unscented shampoo or purposefully choose relaxing scents that your child could enjoy. Even before you buy, you can both smell the shampoo together at the store!

Remember that your child may be exhibiting tantrum-like behavior when it’s time to wash their hair for one or more of the aforementioned reasons. Finding out why toddler hates washing hair may need some investigation, but once you do, you can start working on solutions. Let’s now discuss some methods for toddler hates washing hair.

Toddler Hates Washing Hair: 13 Ways To Support Them.

Do you fear having to wash your child’s hair since toddler hates washing hair and frequently throw a fit whenever you try to do it? See these straightforward fixes while comprehending why the hell they can’t bear it in the first place:

–Choose a few (or more!) of the strategies listed below to try with your child based on what you believe to be the underlying reason for toddler hates washing hair.

–Before giving up on any of the advice, I’d advise repeating it numerous times because these kids are accustomed to finding hair washing uncomfortable and it can take them some time to get used to it. Put your concerns aside; you can do this.

1. Discuss It

Sound easy? It is, yet we frequently neglect to attempt it.

Ask why toddler hates washing hair and what they believe might help them cope with getting their hair washed when the time comes (or perhaps prior if their anxiety is through the roof in the middle of the bath).

2. Raise A Mirror

You might require assistance if your youngster is too little to complete this task by themselves. Although children may only feel what is happening, it can be incredibly useful for them to see it. Some kids can become obsessed with creating amusing shampoo hairstyles.

Making a video of my kid performing each step and having her view it again helped her overcome her hair-washing challenges. This is a simple action that can help your youngster feel more at ease because kids love to see themselves on a phone.

3. Hold Their Shoulder. 

This is a terrific sensory trick, even though it may sound a little strange. Their proprioceptive input is slightly increased when you wash their hair with one of your hands while using the other to tip them backward. This can help them relax and temporarily lessen their tactile sensitivity. The same benefits can be obtained by leaning on the tub’s back or side. To provide their body with even more relaxing input before the bath, another alternative is to apply deep pressure on the top of their heads.

4. Check Out A Social Story.

Social stories, which present an issue like toddler hates washing hair in the form of a picture book and working through it step by step, can have a profound impact on children. Even a fictional story can encourage children to overcome their sensitivity. If you’d like to attempt this straightforward method with your child, view this social narrative on hair washing. A child may find it helpful to see videos of other kids washing their hair since they can help them grasp the procedure and make it seem much less frightening.

5. Tipbacking Versus Dumping

Tipping back or dumping could be difficult for people with sensory sensitivity, as you can see from the paragraph above. You should experiment (and ask your youngster) to see which is preferable. Also, it could alter daily.

6.  A Shower Visor

Have you seen these visors that kids can wear while they wash their hair? They don’t have to be tipped back, and the water stays out of their face! It helps a lot to laugh and be silly to defuse a stressful situation like toddler hates washing hair.

7. Wash Only Lightly

Although we frequently wash the hair of our children, do you need to expect this? Take a step back and determine how long your youngster can go without washing their hair again. Every three to four days, or even once a week, might be appropriate for toddler hates washing hair.

8. Divided It Up Into Manageable Step

Even if it can be challenging to face this conflict of toddler hates washing hair constantly, by adopting simple, regular measures to establish a routine and deconstruct the task, it is possible to reduce the pressure to always win the battle. Regularly, maybe daily, concentrate on baby steps. Even if shampooing doesn’t happen, will my child allow the back of their hair to get wet? See that as a triumph.

9. Practice Frequently!

This may seem obvious and even at odds with the advice to wash only sometimes that was previously given. But, toddlers in particular are known to be capricious creatures, so being constant in offering them chances to succeed and catching them on a compliant or flexible day can make all the difference for gradually developing tolerance. Make hair washing less of a hassle for your child, and you might discover that they suddenly accept it as a usual task. Consistency is important in life, as in many other areas.

 10. Use Tear-Free Soap

No-tear shampoo compositions might be a lifesaver for children who worry about getting soap in their eyes.

11. Act As If!

To pretend to wash other people’s hair, and gather dolls and/or animals during or after bath time. This could assist in making a positive connection with the unpleasant event that it was! Do you avoid washing your child’s hair because they despise it so much and act out whenever you try to do so? Learn these easy methods to aid and understand why your child detests washing their hair!

12. Provide Them With A Visual!

For kids, tipping the head back can be the fundamental issue, as we’ve already discussed, and moving in this direction can be perplexing and frightening to them. To help your child focus their attention as you wet their hair, try sticking a sticker or picture on the shower wall or ceiling. Giving them a different sensory stimulus, in this example visual input, can divert them and lower their level of tension. “Grounding” is the name of the technique, which is particularly useful for reducing anxiety.

13. Allow Time.

Without having her hair washed, my daughter’s picture day came and went.

However, guess what? Good enough.

A little grace and time will go a long way as you and your child learn to tolerate having their hair washed.

As much as we would like to, solving problems overnight is rarely possible. Bath time can be stress-free if you make several tiny, persistent efforts to assist your child acclimate.

Additionally

Engage in calming sensory activities before taking a bath. This is an advanced tactic, but it can help, especially if you’ve already tried some of the other suggestions. The objective is to provide them with a sensory activity that can help them decompress or balance their sensory system. The best activity for each child will vary, but it might be anything from bouncing on the bed or a little trampoline to swinging, racing up and down the stairs, spending some quiet time, etc. This is the basic idea behind a sensory diet. That’s a total of 14 distinct pointers and techniques,