any tips on washing DD's hair?

[Jean]

Hi, are there any tips to wash DD’s (about 3yo) hair without her
screaming throughout the whole process? In standing position, I have
her head facing downward and hands covering face. Are there any better
methods? Thanks in advance!

Jean

[Kevin Karplus]

In article >, Jean wrote:
> Hi, are there any tips to wash DD’s (about 3yo) hair without her
> screaming throughout the whole process? In standing position, I have
> her head facing downward and hands covering face. Are there any better
> methods? Thanks in advance!

We've had similar problems for years with washing my son's hair. The
best we came up with was to pour water over his head while he was in
the bath, after letting him check the temperature with his hand and by
having some poured on his back. Having him look up at the ceiling
while we rinsed avoided most of the problems with water or shampoo
running into his eyes. We use a "baby bath" detergent rather than a
normal shampoo to minimize the eye irritation if any does get in his
eyes.

Don't give up on washing the hair. We tried just rinsing for a few
weeks, and he got some scaly skin that required dandruff shampoo to
remove---worse than just washing on a regular basis with a milder
shampoo.

Sometimes you just have to put up with the screams, but try asking her
for suggestions on things you could do differently that would still
let you wash the hair.

--
Kevin Karplus http://www.soe.ucsc.edu/~karplus
life member (LAB, Adventure Cycling, American Youth Hostels)
Effective Cycling Instructor #218-ck (lapsed)
Professor of Computer Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz
Undergraduate and Graduate Director, Bioinformatics
Affiliations for identification only.

[Scott Lindstrom]

Jean wrote:
> Hi, are there any tips to wash DD’s (about 3yo) hair without her
> screaming throughout the whole process? In standing position, I have
> her head facing downward and hands covering face. Are there any better
> methods? Thanks in advance!

This was also a problem with DS, until he learned to swim.
Now he just dunks his head under water in the bath to wet
and to rinse. Or, he grew out of the screaming and it
was unrelated to swimming. ;)

I did find it helped to put a washcloth over their eyes
and have them lean back.

Scott DD 9.98 and DS 7.4

[Beeswing]

Jean wrote:

>Hi, are there any tips to wash DD_s (about 3yo) hair without her
>screaming throughout the whole process? In standing position, I have
>her head facing downward and hands covering face. Are there any better
>methods? Thanks in advance!

My daughter, at that age, did better if she could hold a washcloth across her
eyes and face rather than just cover them with her hands. Good luck. :)

beeswing

[LFortier]

Jean wrote:

>Hi, are there any tips to wash DD’s (about 3yo) hair without her
>screaming throughout the whole process? In standing position, I have
>her head facing downward and hands covering face. Are there any better
>methods? Thanks in advance!
>
>Jean
>
>
>
My girls always took baths at that age, so they would be sitting,
looking up at the ceiling. We keep one of those huge fast food plastic
drink cups in the tub for rinsing.

They hated water and shampoo running in their faces; could that be
what's bothering your dd?

Lesley

[KD]

I have my dd (3.5yo) lie on the kitchen counter on her back with her
head at the edge of the sink (you'll need a fairly good size counter
though). I can get her hair wet with my hands from the faucet (which
involves much less screaming than if I pour a cup of water on her
hair), soap her up without much protesting and can usually rinse her
hair with water from my hands too. It's quicker to use a cup of
water, but sometimes she won't go for that and screams. Usually
she'll tolerate me using my hands to rinse. This way she never
(almost never) gets water in her ears or eyes which she hates.

On Tue, 1 Jul 2003 00:38:26 EDT, (Jean) wrote:

>Hi, are there any tips to wash DD’s (about 3yo) hair without her
>screaming throughout the whole process? In standing position, I have
>her head facing downward and hands covering face. Are there any better
>methods? Thanks in advance!
>
>Jean

[Karen G]

We use the foaming baby wash (baby magic comes with a pump on the top).
The foam already has some water mixed in, so it makes lathering the hair
much easier. Then we have them look up to rinse. Recently I started
having them lay down in the bathtub and bringing water up around the
front of their face with my hands. Either way, washing little kids hair
is a pain.

Karen

[me again]

Both of my DS's hold a pair of swimming goggles over their eyes and also lie
back in the bath while I do it. DS#1 is beginning to prefer showers now
anyway so he does it himself in the shower sometimes.

Jane
"Jean" > wrote in message
m...
> Hi, are there any tips to wash DD’s (about 3yo) hair without her
> screaming throughout the whole process? In standing position, I have
> her head facing downward and hands covering face. Are there any better
> methods? Thanks in advance!
>
> Jean
>

[Ann Porter]

"Jean" > wrote in message
m...
> Hi, are there any tips to wash DD’s (about 3yo) hair without her
> screaming throughout the whole process? In standing position, I have
> her head facing downward and hands covering face. Are there any better
> methods? Thanks in advance!

I have my little boy look up at the ceiling and shield his eyes as if
blocking the sun; and I always have a towel handy. I dry his face after
about every third rinsing.

He is a little older (almost 4), and it's easier to get his cooperation now
than it was six months ago.

Best,
Ann

[Peggy Rogers]

"KD" > wrote:

> I have my dd (3.5yo) lie on the kitchen counter on her back with her
> head at the edge of the sink (you'll need a fairly good size counter
> though). I

This was the system I used when my children were small. One other thing I
did was to put a large pan upside-down in the sink (covered by a washcloth
to make it softer) so that there would be something to rest their head on.
My sink has a sprayer, which was okay to use if the pressure wasn't too
high. Also, a washcloth to hold over the eyes was a Good Thing.

Peggy

[chiam margalit]

"me again" > wrote in message >...
> Both of my DS's hold a pair of swimming goggles over their eyes and also lie
> back in the bath while I do it. DS#1 is beginning to prefer showers now
> anyway so he does it himself in the shower sometimes.

We also did swimming goggles when my kids were little, and they worked
great. In fact, I bought scuba masks for them, which was fabulous
because they could snorkle in the bathtub and find stuff I dropped in
there. Very very fun addition to the bath. Then, when they were about
4 they discovered the joy of showers, and still with swimming goggles
they learned how to wash their hair themselves. Goggles disappeared by
the time they were 5 and were experienced showerers. Too bad they
seemed to have forgotten how to take showers now that they're
'tweeners'.

Marjorie

>
> Jane
> "Jean" > wrote in message
> m...
> > Hi, are there any tips to wash DD’s (about 3yo) hair without her
> > screaming throughout the whole process? In standing position, I have
> > her head facing downward and hands covering face. Are there any better
> > methods? Thanks in advance!
> >
> > Jean
> >

[David desJardins]

Jean writes:
> Hi, are there any tips to wash DD's (about 3yo) hair without her
> screaming throughout the whole process? In standing position, I have
> her head facing downward and hands covering face. Are there any better
> methods? Thanks in advance!

I have my kids tip their heads back, so that water and shampoo don't get
into their eyes. When rinsing, I use my hand to prevent water from
running forward onto their faces. I don't understand why you would have
their heads "facing downward"; wouldn't that mean that the water and
shampoo from their hair would run down their face and into their eyes?

David desJardins

[C. Gregory]

i have an almost 2 year old who hates having water on his face, one thing we
use is an empty clean shampoo bottle, you can squirt water from it and its
easier to controll the stream of water than any other way that we tried
(cups, detatchable shower head various other containers etc..) just have her
look up and you can squirt the suds away!!!

when we just really need to douse his head we make a game out of it (one,
two, three, SPLASH!!!!, or use a washcloth, we'll get it sopping wet then
lay it over his head and say hat!! he absolutely loves hats, so this is a
winner with him!) that helps sometimes, gives him a chance to get ready for
it and also it makes it less scary and more fun.

also, baby shampoo is a must.

Celeste
"Jean" > wrote in message
m...
> Hi, are there any tips to wash DD’s (about 3yo) hair without her
> screaming throughout the whole process? In standing position, I have
> her head facing downward and hands covering face. Are there any better
> methods? Thanks in advance!
>
> Jean
>
>

[Barbara]

(Jean) wrote in message >...
> Hi, are there any tips to wash DD’s (about 3yo) hair without her
> screaming throughout the whole process? In standing position, I have
> her head facing downward and hands covering face. Are there any better
> methods? Thanks in advance!
>
> Jean

If she's in the tub, sitting, have her lay back, almost like a
backfloat in a pool. You'll support her neck with one hand (so she
doesn't go under, and to give her confidence). Then have her sit up ,
shampoo, and lay back again for the rinse.

If you're going to continue using a standing position, have her look
up at the ceiling rather than down, so that most of the water will run
down her back.

Barbara

[E]

"Beeswing" > wrote in message
...
> Jean wrote:
>
> >Hi, are there any tips to wash DD_s (about 3yo) hair without her
> >screaming throughout the whole process? In standing position, I have
> >her head facing downward and hands covering face. Are there any better
> >methods? Thanks in advance!
>
> My daughter, at that age, did better if she could hold a washcloth across
her
> eyes and face rather than just cover them with her hands. Good luck. :)
>
> beeswing
>
>
I did that as a kid...now I still hate to get water in my face unless
swimming. my kids are used to getting their faces wet and seem to enjoy it.
I guess we just started out slowly, looking up.
FWIW, my DH rinses his hair looking down. I have done that too when it was
short (waist length now). it usually does not go in eyes or ears that way,
whereas looking up water has potential to go in ears a little more.
Edith