From Tears to Laughter at Hair Washing Time

FROM TEARS TO LAUGHTER AT HAIR WASHING TIME My little nephew Ethan went through a period of hating having his hair washed at bath time. This is the story of how introducing a great white shark to the bath and change of shampoo solved the problem. Yes...a great white shark! By Kay Marham

Why Do Some Babies Hate Getting Their Hair Washed?

Try to imagine it from a baby’s perspective: the pressure of the water on their heads, their eyes being forced closed with the water (or irritation from the shampoo or its smell) and their lack of experience in how to breathe comfortably when deluged with water. Couple all this stress on a baby with their inability to ask you for help and to rescue them and it’s suddenly easy to see why hair washing can be extremely frightening for a baby. It explains why some babies and toddlers will scream, cry, cling onto you and become hysterical with fear at the suggestion of a hair wash. When my nephew Ethan was a baby, I helped out sometimes, as I lived next door to the family. Hair washing was quickly identified as a pressure point for 20 month-old Ethan and the solution came by making bath time yet another opportunity for play, rather than something that felt functional or stressful.

A Change of Strategy...and a Great White Shark

Ethan was asked to choose some toys that he thought should have a bath and he picked a toy jellyfish, a plastic cow, toy tea cups, lightweight plastic blocks and Sid the Shark, a little rubber great white shark.

While he was busy giving the toys a bath (his new job) he was getting one too, but with just a gentle stroking of his hair with a wet hand. He didn’t mind this. Now that he was more comfortable in the bath,

‘Operation Hair Wash’ stepped up a gear by introducing a new combined baby shampoo and conditioner that he didn’t recognise. Ethan loved playing a bath game where he defeated Sid the Shark when he wanted to come and bite his toes. I put on a silly ‘shark voice’ saying: “I’m hungry and I’m looking for somebody’s toes for lunch!” Ethan would have great fun using the little plastic cups to pour water on Sid the Shark, throw blocks at him, and joyfully kick and splash the shark away. I was doing the silly shark voice, saying things like: “Oh no! Ethan is scaring me away!” to his absolute delight. While Ethan was happily occupied, I used a wet hand with a little of the new shampoo-conditioner on it, and gently slicked back his hair in a backwards motion. As I ‘rinsed’ in the same gentle way, while continuing my shark talking voice for the game, he continued not to notice, as no water was going in his eyes, nor did he feel any sensation of lots of water being poured onto his head. When the hair washing was finished, with no mention made of it at all, Sid the Shark would announce: “Oh no, Ethan won the game and I’m not hungry anymore!” Ethan loved defeating the shark and in doing so, his stress over having his hair washed was also defeated. Taking the stress completely out of hair washing is very important. Do try to imagine the process from the little one’s point of view...and perhaps invest in a great white shark!