Ugh! My daughter is just about 18 months old and is suddenly terrified of bath time. She sounds like I’m murdering her when I try to wash her hair. Usually she’s bathed every other day unless she’s done something to get dirty or sweaty (which is more often now that summer is here) But I don’t wash her hair every time she is bathed unless it needs washed. I’ve tried making bath time fun with toys, songs, cups and crayons but it’s not working. I think she doesn’t like the water going over her face but she’s not old enough comprehend me telling her to put her head back so it doesn’t get in her face. At a loss and bath time has become super annoying. More or less I’m just venting. But any advice would be cool too.
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Give her a wash cloth! Wet or dry, doesn’t really matter, to cover her face
Had to do it with my nephews. Worked like a charm
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I went through this with my little one. Its a phase 
it will pass.
She’s plenty old enough to understand to put her head back. Tell her to look up at you and hold your hand against her forehead and dump water slowly, only do it when her head is up and your hand is there
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Mine does that too, all 4 of them do/did. I just let them fuss, they got over it by 5ish
I use to lay my kids on the counter in kitchen and use a cup. They will outgrow this phase.
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My little guy started hating bath time. So I turned on the shower, he loves it!!! A few inches of water in the tub with the shower head on!!
Teach her to lay down in the tub and rinse that way
Make it fun. Bring a baby in have her clean the baby while you do her hair. Works great and not so much screams
2 of mine went through a phase where they wore swimming goggles in the bath tub. Might help?
Was her hair with a thick washcloth. Takes a little longer, but it won’t traumatize her.
My son is 18 months too and was the exact same way until a few weeks ago. I started taking baths with him and running his head under the shower really quickly and going “yeeeeahhhh” so he would think of it as a game. And now he actually wants to have his head under the water cause he thinks it’s a game. I know not all kids are the same but you can definitely give it a shot
I push my daughters head back & use my hand as a guard with a dry cloth close by…try placing ur finger under the chin while explaining to hold ur head back so water dont get in ur eyes…my daughter understood by this age…when it did get in her eyes I explained to her…see that’s what happens when u dont hold ur head back…she caught on quick but she does so with most everything
I wash there heads by laying them on their back. On the kitchen counter on a towel ,head in sink. Hand the kid a wash cloth to hold over eyes. Have a plastic cup for rinising. Use baby no tears shampoo , and no water in eyes .put towell on there head have them sit up, and help them off the counter.Ran a comb through the hair and send then for a bath. No tears!
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Cold cream around the hair line will redirect any drips from getting into her eyes.
She’s old enough to lay down in the tub to get her hair wet and rinse it off.
She might be afraid at first but make a game out of it
Put a sticker on the ceiling?
Get her to lay down in the tub and then just use ypur hand to splash water up to rinse it… My cousin is 5 now but did the same thing when she was younger… I woule habe her lay down like shes floating and use my spare hand to splash water into her hair to rinse it
My 2 year old son is terrified of baths now. He pooped in it last week and now freaking out about poop in the tub and asks like a shark is attacking him …hang in there we will all get through this
I never let the water run over my kids face. I always made them lay back with my hand under their neck for support and used a cup and my other hand to rinse their hair.
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She is old enough to comprehend what you are telling her to do. Put your hand on the top of her forehead and lean her head back, then say put your head back and rinse her head. If you do it a few times she will get it.
My niece went through the same thing when we bathed her. Put one hand behind her back and lean her backwards and use the other hand to scoop water on her head. Worked great for us! Hope this helps 
My daughter has been the same way. I ended up giving her a cup and a washcloth and let her help and it’s been a lot better.
Try to put a wash cloth over her face when you rinse her hair
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Get a hair hat to keep water out of face
Have her checked for autism my son loved bath time then when he turned a year/ 18 months he became terrified of water it’s an early sign other than lack of eye contact, delayed speech, etc.
That’s my experience it was like a light switch went off for my son.
Have you tried shower time, pretending the shower head is “raining”?
My son has always preferred the shower and hates the bath. Like hates it. We have a detachable shower head that has a weaker setting and it’s raining.
Goes way better
Only put a few inches of water in at the beginning of bath and have her lay back. Then it’s to shallow to even get in her eyes or face, and give her a wash cloth to put over her eyes. Might try this method and see if it helps.
Alissa Sue. That happened with my son also I just got him in the tub washed him up fast and got him out Was like he was being hurt
I went thru this with my grand daughter when she was this age. I finally told her to look up and try to see the beautiful sunshine and she would do that. Then I would hold little dollies up over her and tell her that they were calling her name to to look up at them and talk to them. It worked.
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Just get the water bath visors. I used them for my kids always. They sell them on amazon
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I put my hand on my little ones forehead and use a cup to pour the water over his head to rinse shampoo out and l use a wash cloth to get his hair wet count 1 2 3 and go my little one doe not like water in his face at all hope this helps good luck momma
The shampoo rinse cup works wonders. The flexible rubber piece fits onto their forehead and doesn’t let water trickle into their face
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Have her lay on the counter and wash it at the sink.
My son was always good with bath time but when it came to washing his hair he woupd give me hell all the way up until he was about 4. Omg it was bad. Would sound like i was torturing the poor kid. Nothing changed it until we cut all his hair off lol
My girls both went through that, at about the same age… lasted 2 years for my 10.5 yr old and 1 year with my 5 yr old…
We ended up having to lay them on the kitchen counter and washing their hair in the kitchen sink. .
The ‘fun’ aspect helped. .
My kids all did this for some reason. I tried putting a little more water instead of less and it helped. Good luck!
My daughter just moved out of this phase recently. Somehow bath became a fun time when her grandmas gave it to her. I also started washing her hair in the shower, which is a little less drama. Someone suggested bubble bath to me and that seemed to help too. Good luck!
My nephew did the same thing. I gave him a dry wash cloth to put over his eyes and tell him okay let’s count to see how fast we can be and it fixed that problem.
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I put a dry wash cloth over my kids’ faces and it helps!
I have my girl lay back. If she doesn’t I just say “ok time to rinse your hair” and lay her back and use a wash rag and my hands to rinse as I lay her back…
My son is 1.5 too (19 months old) and he knows what I mean when I say put your head back, but he only does it when he wants to. Which is rarely ever lol. So either I encourage him to put his head back with lightly pushing his forehead lol or I just hold my hand on his forehead, pour water on, and push the water away from his eyes. He still yells at me about it but gotta do it to get his hair washed lol
Play with them make it fun good luck mama
My oldest son was the same way it was murder to wash his head😱
They make stuff for this so the water don’t get in the face
Got 2 2yr old grandsons. One can’t wait to get in the water, the other you would think I was killing him. I’m confused
I always had my babies lay down in the tub and I keep them calm while wrong their hair and it doesn’t ever get in their face this way. It’s how I’ve done it with all five kids and it’s always worked for me but it helps to get them used to it early on
My daughter does that. Been going on for about 6 months.
My kid showers 2 times a day since birth. She poops and pees so that should be a reason to bathe the kid daily…ewwww
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Try metal spoons and cups. . .to mk bthtime fun again dif amounts of water make different sounds captivating…
Tip her head back and try washing hair with a washcloth…it works …just keep washing towards the back as head is tipped …try it
My son started flipping out when it came bathtime when I washed his hair. Even when I just got it wet to start watching it. Now I give him a dry rag and he holds it over his eyes every time I poor water. It’s a security thing. Even if I dont get anything even close to his face, he has to have that rag
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I used to put my kids in the tub on their backs with just enough water to wash them in try that
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This may help avoid water in her face
Go in the tub with them.
Can she lay back to get her hair wet ?/washed/rinsed? It helps to have it go by quickly too.
Welcome to the club! Lol. My daughter has done better since she’s had a friend in the tub that she holds when I wash her hair. It’s better but sometimes she still cries. I can’t win! Hope the neighbors don’t think I’m killing her. 
Got a 4 year old who is so bad even loses it when I run a shower for myself. I hear ya
My kids always showered. I had c sections so I just bathed them with me. I would put my hand over their forehead to help stop the water from getting in their eyes. Or I would use a wash clothe.
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When my daughter was about 2 my neighbor heard her screams and came to check on her. I was just washing her hair! I think he suspected abuse!
Ear plugs and a wash cloth is what I used with my older two kids. It’s crazy but I couldn’t figure out any other way to stop the panic. My son had to be locked into the bathroom not to run out butt naked in the front yard. Thankfully at 6 he outgrew the washcloth thing but still has to have ear plugs. Oldest daughter just decided at 4 that being a big sister was more important than the wash cloth and ear plugs. They are still offered she refuses them. Good luck
When I was little I was terrified of water laying don in it so my mom used a cup of water to wash my hair I did not Luke laying my head back in the water see if this helps
They make a Baby bath visor…Amazon has them…tried to share a picture but couldn’t…
Try taking her in the shower with you. My boys loved being in the shower with me at that age. They would sit on the floor and have a few toys.
Maybe try doing her hair with one of those sprayers. You can get ones that go on the bathtub spigot.
Normal.
Showers help, showering together… the sounds of an exorcism being performed are less…
My daughter did the same thing she was fine, then was scared, and now she is fine. I think it’s just a faze they go through
Baby bath visor I had them when mine were little. Never had a problem.
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I use to lay my kids on the kitchen counter, hold their heads over the sink and use a cup for water.
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Mine son is 16mnth old and he use to luv bath time and water flowing down on him but now when I wash his hair he tries to stand up and get out if tub if I just set him in there with toys and just watch him he fine but anything else and bam he wants out but when I stop he sits back down Idk
Both my kids went through brief stages like this. Just try to keep it positive and make baths as quick as you can. If she starts calming down, try introducing some toys then.
I used a wash cloth over their eyes, got a large cup & held their head back as far as I could & kept reassuring them it was o.k. Or I have a large enough vanity or the kitchen counter/sink & just laid them on that & held them & washed their hair that way.
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I never let the water go over face, use a washcloth as a deterant, talk and tell her exactly what is going on
I showered with both my kids it was like it was raining I made a game of it
Have her hold a wash cloth over her face while to rinse her head
Try a sun visor hat with the sponge on it to hold sweat. I used those for my kids. They screamed too when it was time for hair rinsing
Have her wear goggles
My son is 5 and he JUST stopped freaking out over his hair. He just panics and asks if all the soap is out yet then he has to dry his face immediately after. Up until like 2 weeks ago he would scream and fight it.
When I was a foster mom I had two toddlers that came back after a weekend home visit and screamed when it was bath time. Previously they were fine and happy I put them in their swim suits and all was well. perhaps it would help with your little one
Play games in water- any where lakes pool river- where you swim and use a type of cup. Poor it over you dad, other fam members, and call it a waterfall or something fun you can come up with. Let her poor it over your head too after doing it to yourself andcrwally put emphasis on how fun it is.
She’ll want to play that way in the tub too if she likes doing that during swimming.
My oldest had some tub anxiety too until another pretty awesome mom gave me those tips. Goid luck
My 2 1/2 yr old does it also started aboit 2 months back he hates the washing but enjoys the playing after i wash his hair i give towel for his face/eyes and then hes fine. Its annoying because he pouts and fusses till the washingnis done, but i pour water over his foot and he giggles so it just the washing his hair that he hates