2 Year Old Son Won't Sit in the Bath Because He Is Afraid of Peeing

Updated on September 30, 2008
N.S. asks from La Jolla, CA
4 answers

So, I'm getting desperate here and wanted to know if any of you mothers out there with 2 year old boys have experienced this same thing. Our son has been getting a bath every night before bedtime since he was a newborn -- it's part of his nighttime routine. But recently, he throws tantrums in the bath and refuses to sit down and holds his groin and says he doesn't want to pee in the bath. So, we thought maybe he could pee on a potty first (he's not potty trained yet, not ready yet either). But he will sit on the potty for up to half an hour if we let him throwing tantrums when we take him off to put him in the bath.

So, have any of you mamas out there had this same thing happen? When we finally get him to sit he whimpers and cries and holds his groin. It's heart breaking! He says he doesn't want to pee in the bath and we tell him it's okay, it's not a big deal. But he still freaks out. Advice from moms who have gone through this would be grrreat! (We really don't need to hear "get rid of the bath" because that's not an option. We want our son to get over this fear and move on, so any advice but that would be very helpful!!)

Thanks!!

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So What Happened?

Thanks for the suggestions you guys!! We tried most of them without great results (doesn't mean it won't work for someone else) but we just kind of stuck with it, kept things the same and he's pretty much over it now. We got a timer that goes off when it's time to get off the potty and we ignored his crying and whining (literally, we didn't react and I think that helped a lot). So, problem solved, mostly. Thanks for all your help!!

More Answers

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

It's a phase. Main thing is to not turn it into a control problem and then exacerbate his "fear." No need to "punish" him for it either... since he is not really doing anything "naughty" on purpose.

Give him a shower instead. That might be a good middle ground.
If he pees, it goes down the drain. No problem.

They can't always control their body functions in the bath... even if they do pee beforehand.

My kids like showers too. Both my kids at that age went through a "fear" of the bath. It passes.

Good luck,
Susan

1 mom found this helpful
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L.G.

answers from Los Angeles on

I didn't have this problem with my sons. But just a thought.
He could wear those swimmer diapees in the bath. Until he grows a little more to be comfortable with himself.

Also I found out from my son, (who's 9 yrs) that too warm water causes him to feel burned. Not that the water is hot, but too warm for that sensitive area.

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J.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

Try making the bath fun again to take his mind off of it. Have your tried new bath toys or the tabs that change the water color? Perhaps get some not skid stickers for your shower and let him shower for a little bit. I know it's harder to bathe that way but may help calm his fear. It's definitely no big deal to pee in a shower drain.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi N.,
I definitely have not had the exact same issue, but here is something that I "accidentally" discovered and used for about a year with my older son (now 2 1/2 and not yet potty-trained) and hope to use soon with my 9-month-old: I get the tub ready full of water for the bath, undress the child, then sit him on the edge of the sink to do a "pre-wash" of the privates before getting into the tub (don't want any "floaties" in the tub)...as soon as I splash some warm water on the groin area, bingo! he goes wee-wee. Funny. The other strategy that works to get my older son to go before a bath is to just put him in the shower (we have the detachable shower head that he can hold on himself) to do a "pre-wash" before filling the tub for bath, and he inevitably goes wee-wee then too.
I hope that helps!

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