How do I get my toddler dried and dressed after the bath calmly?

Question

My toddler loves bathtime, and he loves running around naked afterwards. But this is the trouble! He runs away from me whilst I'm trying to put his cream on, PJs on. Once we are upstairs with milk/story, he is absolutely fine. It's the 10 mins of madness between bath and bed that feels out of control! Any ideas on how to calm him in this time?

Answer 1

I have a 2yo and she does something similar.

I try to minimize the opportunity for escape by closing doors and preparing everything beforehand, and then I lure her by encouraging to help me. I offer her the cream and ask her where she wants to put it on.

They're usually really interested in helping, so framing it as something fun and exciting to help with is likely to motivate them to come.

I generally avoid chasing in any kind of excited way. It makes it into a game and I want bedtime to be calming and not super excitable. Instead I will lure them over or contain them to a single room. On the really bad days I've literally closed us in the bathroom and just done the entire get dressed bit standing up in the bathroom. Or carried her directly from the bath to her bedroom.

Answer 2

A common reason why a child may get overly excited, run around, and otherwise misbehave is due to lack of sleep. Try monitoring the total sleep time in hours (nighttime plus daytime), compare it to the recommended sleep time, and ensure that this common root cause of many problems is eliminated.

REFERENCES:

We can watch a child’s behavior during the day closely to see if he seems excessively sleepy or cranky, but the symptoms of insufficient sleep in a young child can be very subtle. If your two-year-old sleeps only eight hours at night but seems happy and functions well during the day, it is tempting to assume he doesn’t need more sleep. But eight hours is rarely enough sleep for a two-year-old. If you can find out why he sleeps so little and make appropriate changes, he will probably sleep an hour or two longer every night. You may begin to notice an improvement in his general behavior, and only then will you be aware of the more subtle symptoms of inadequate sleep that were actually present before you adjusted his sleep schedule. Your child will probably be happier in the daytime, a bit less irritable, more able to concentrate at play, and less inclined to have tantrums, accidents, and arguments.

(p. 48)

(p. 49)

Ferber, Richard. (2006) "Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems: New, Revised, and Expanded Edition" New York, NY: Fireside: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0743201639/

Answer 3

Depending on how old said toddler is, I would try to give him some time during the weekdays to run around, to get that excess energy out.

Aside from that I recommend closing and locking the bathroom door until you’ve applied the cream or maybe grab the book and the bottle and keep it with you so that he understands its time to relax.

Answer 4

I don't give my toddler the opportunity to run around naked after bath time. If he does it's really cute, but usually I wrap him comfortingly in his towel, carry him to the changing table and give him a toy or toothbrush to play with while I dress him.