Toddler bath time is not an easy time. Jessie wants to splash and make a huge mess. When it’s time to wash she fights. Trying to wash her hair is next to impossible because she will not hold still to get the shampoo rinsed. Things go very badly when she wants to stand and do other dangerous maneuvers in the bathtub. Bath should be an enjoyable time for everyone but usually ends in tears.
I thought I had solved the bath issue by having the toddler shower with me at night. She would still get hysterical with washing and rinsing, but at least it was a faster effort. While we both would still end up struggling with each other and getting far too upset, at least I ended up clean in the end and the water stayed inside the shower.
As soon as the baby was able to sit up reliably well on her own, I’d put the baby and Jessie in the tub together. I used to do this last year with Giggles and it worked out great. Jessie was not excited about sharing her baths with E, so I had to stop that for the time being. Now I ask Jess if she wants to take a tubby with the baby and she does.
Somehow we had a pleasant bath the other night. We got everything clean and did not get water all over the bathroom. I managed to stay cheerful and Jessie managed to be agreeable. I’ve tried this method before but it doesn’t always work. This time it did. I asked Jessie to swim. I asked her to swim on her tummy and then her back. I got all the soap cleaned off without stressing out either of us and we had fun in the process.