r/girlmom • u/Haileylynn920 • Mar 05 '26

At what age did you have your daughter take showers instead of baths?

My oldest daughter just turned 6 a few weeks ago. She has always LOVED to take baths. Recently I’ve been having her take showers more often than baths and this seems to really upset her. I feel like a shower is more hygienic, with her being in school and playing outside. Any time I have her take a shower she has a huge tantrum and I’m having to fight to wash her hair. Should I just let her take baths like she wants?

4 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

2

u/HappyCoconutty Mar 05 '26

4 years old. We got her a little cap for her face. It’s a walking shower so it’s easier.

1

u/McBee99 Mar 05 '26

May I ask what kind of cap did you get? I've tried the visor and she hates that. Is what you use something different? Thanks!

2

u/kls987 Mar 05 '26

My almost 7 year old /can/ take showers. She still prefers baths, and unless there's a reason she needs to take a shower (like last weekend when she got a bloody nose and even her feet were covered), she can take a bath. We've had to do a lot of work to get to the point where showers are tolerated, however, and in the process I learned I have adult friends who have sensory issues with showers. It's not that uncommon, actually.

For my kid, the part that was hard was water on her face. It's been a problem since she was born. At two or three, she figured out some unique ways to go up the stairs on the equipment at the kiddie pool so that she wouldn't get sprayed in the face or have water dripped on her, even though that's kinda the point and what all the other kids like.

To desensitize, we did a couple of things. I take her to the pool 3-4 days a week in the summer, and whenever possible, use the showers afterwards. Sprinklers in the yard are also great for this, or even watering the garden, if you can make it a game and spray them. Hot days are great. :) There are plenty of times when we're traveling and the hotel only has a shower, or even at one of her grandparent's houses there's only a shower. You can work on it, basically. And just like when they go through those toddler phases where water is poison and baths are the worst punishment ever, you can make it fun (for baths: bathtub paint, toys, those tabs that color the bath water), like letting her wear her swimsuit or have a bonus popsicle after dinner... And there's always the "big kids take showers" angle if you really need to push it, but I'd go the fun angle first personally.

1

u/Maury_Springer Mar 05 '26

Mine started at 3. She gets a choice. Sometimes she wants a bath, sometimes she prefers a shower.

1

u/puppermonster23 Mar 05 '26

My 5 almost 6 yo takes showers occasionally. But it’s up to her.

1

u/Mercenarian Mar 05 '26

Probably like 1-2 years old…

1

u/FabulousIce1400 Mar 06 '26

My girl is 7 and just started showering on her own.

0

u/RockStarNinja7 Mar 05 '26

My daughter is also 6 and just asked to take a shower, but she also still wants to play in the bath. To be fair after the bath I've always made sure to wash her once the tub is drained because you aren't really getting clean sitting in bath water. But now I got a hook to hold the shower head lower so once the bath is done she can stand up and wash by "taking a shower". Basically instead of me doing all the washing, she's doing it. I'm still helping wash her hair to make sure the shampoo is on all of it and completely rinsed out, but it's just getting her in the habit of her own washing.