How to Give a Toddler a Shower

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By Melody
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I dread bath time. It’s always a hassle to get the kiddies to the bathroom, get their clothes off, and coerce them into the tub. Then after struggling to wash squirming bodies and keep water out of eyes when rinsing shampoo, they don’t want to get out of the tub. I have learned to condense the struggle and chaos into five minutes by giving my three-year-old and five-year-old showers instead of baths. Here’s how:

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Works best with a shower/tub combo
Hand-held showerhead
Heater
Shampoo
Disposable washcloths with soap pre-applied
Big fuzzy towel

Step 1

The first thing to do is install a hand-held showerhead. All you have to do is unscrew the old one and screw on the new. You can find a hand-held showerhead at home improvement stores and most discount stores.
Step 2

Turn up the heat in the bathroom. Your kid is not going to be sitting in a tub of warm water, so they will complain about being cold during the shower. I always know it’s warm enough when I can only stand being in there myself dressed in a tank and shorts.
Step 3

Begin the actual shower by rinsing the hair to shampoo. Have your kid stand and face whatever direction is comfortable for you. I have my kids tilt their head back to look up high at a brightly colored bath sponge hanging on a hook to help keep water out of their eyes. Be careful not to aim the shower spray outside of the tub. While shampooing, have child hold the showerhead with water spraying on their body. My daughter holds it on her shoulder so water is pouring down her back and keeps her warm. Take the showerhead when you’re finished shampooing and rinse. This is so much quicker than dipping bathwater out of the tub with a plastic cup.
Step 4

The goal of this entire exercise is to get the bathing over as quick as possible, so save time by using disposable washcloths with the soap already applied. Just run the washcloth under the water and start bathing your kid, it lathers right up. Have your child readjust how they’re holding the showerhead so they don’t rinse all the soap out of the washcloth. Finish up by rinsing off the suds.