You know when you have one of those ideas that seems like a good idea at the time? Mike and I had one of those yesterday. Annie was just bouncing-off-the-walls-crazy, so we loaded her into the car for a drive. We needed gas, so we pulled into a station that also happened to have a car wash attached. I mentioned to Mike that I’d never been in a drive-thru car wash before (Mike: You haven’t?! How did you wash your car?! Me: Um, with a hose?), and a good-idea-at-the-time was born.
“Hey Annie! Do you want to go through the car wash?” She looked at us blankly. “Um…it’s a bath for the car!”
“A…car bath? Yeah!” She got a look of understanding on her face.
I texted my mom, “Taking Annie through a drive-thru car wash!” She replied, “Oh, she’ll love it! Get video, I want to see.”
It all started innocently enough…
In case you were wondering, I had to do some serious contortions to get into that back seat.
{ 75 comments… read them below or add one }
Poor Annie! I am 41 and am still terrified of the blow dryer portion of the car wash. :/
I tried bringing our dog in the car with me through the “car bath,” and it wasn’t pretty.
Lynn from For Love or Funny´s last [type] ..My husband pants for my body…
Heather, we had the same exact experience when we brought our daughter (now 4)! Here I was thinking, oh she’ll love it and she was terrified! I venture to say she was about Annie’s age when we went. Have not tried since! The video is priceless.
Even I fink car bath is scawy
Poor Annie..that was totally adorable though!
Oh no! We went through the same thing with my son, total excitement on our end and we turned around to see complete terror on his end. I love how she kept her cool at the end, she must have been thinking, “Do I want to do it again? Are they serious?” Great video!
OOHh little dolly!!! She is sooo cute & I LOVE the way she calls you Mama. So SWEET!!!! BTW – You look GREAT Heather!!! Thanks for sharing the “Car Bath”!
so cute! I love how the clip goes from just Annie to you sitting in the back with her. “Car Bath….Scary…..Mama” awwww!
I took our daughter through the “car bath” when she was 9 months old thinking, “Wow, she is going to LOVE this!” ummmm, nope! There was a LOTTA crying in that car during our ‘car bath’!
Oh my goodness, the cute. I love how she describes the car bath at the beginning of the video. Poor thing.
Lisa´s last [type] ..Night and Day
We had the same reaction with our kids!! She’s absolutely adorable and you definitely get the award for getting into the back seat with her!!!
Poor Annie! I love how she tried to turn her head and hide, smart girl.
I always hated drive-thru car washes. My mom pulled the same thing on us once, and it ended with my brother and I in tears in the backseat. And it’s not like you can stop and get out, either–super fun for all of us!
(P.S. I’m still afraid of them and I’m 32. Scarred for life!)
Courtney´s last [type] ..my new mantra
I am SO with you! I was terrified of them as a kid and I can go through them now, but only with deep breathing exercises! I can even remember one time that I got out of the car and waited at the other end of the car wash just to avoid going through. (Someone else was driving.) My own kids have been spared my phobia though- they’ve been through and thought nothing of it!
Man, is she cute! I love going to the car wash, manual or otherwise. However, when my niece was younger, she thought the drive thru car wash was a monster trying to eat the car. Not a good time for anyone.
Yeah, car wash experiences with my girls under the age of 4 was always more like an exorcism.
Amanda´s last [type] ..Getaway. Check.
HAHAAHAHAHAH……sorry but that is TOO much cute for a Friday AM at 7:40. She is so sweet. I love your family (I know, creepy, I don’t know you at all. But you guys are so cute and fun!!)
I hope you have a relaxing and stress-free weekend!
From a stranger-friend in the Mpls.
Hi. I just have to tell you that my youngest son was terrified of the “car bath”. He was always very sensitive to noise and would break down crying if we even considered using the drive-thru car wash. Where we live there is actually a place where you get out and watch your car go through the car wash, it was the only place we could go. He is 12 now and just last week we went through a car wash with him and asked if he remembered being scared of them. He did.
Too much cute. I love listening to her talk, her tiny sweet voice is precious!
This reminds of when I took my daughter to the carwash for the first time. She was about 2 like Annie. It didn’t go well. It’s a good thing my windshield already had a crack in it because she would have cracked it with the decibel level of her screaming. BUT! She got a lollipop after.
Heather, I guess I can forgive you for thinking this would be a good idea with Annie, as you had not ever been through one of those things before. But I’m now 31 years old and remember my mom having to twist around to hold both my hand and my sister’s hand while we went through those things. I’m not exactly sure what about the dumb thing that makes it so scary for kids, but MAN, it sure is! On the up-side, I’m sure she’d love to help wash the car with the hose. And don’t worry, my sister and I turned out just fine, not scarred for life!
Aww my nephew had the same reaction. We also thought he would love it but we were WRONG. Someone else who hates it? My dog. Freaks out when he’s with us!! Now that he’s older we won’t take him because we’re afraid it will give him a heart attack.
My mom used to have to stand outside on the road with me while my dad took the car through the car wash. I was terrified! Annie is SUCH a sweetheart. And you’re a great mama.
Awww, poor thing! Although, in all honesty, I was expecting a total freakout – she handled it pretty well for being less than pleased with the whole experience! My son just complains that it’s too loud, and covers his ears the whole time. So much for a fun diversion, huh?
Kristin´s last [type] ..Back in the Saddle Again…
I had no idea they were so scary until my friend mentioned that her 3 year old is terrified of the car wash.
K has always loved going through the car wash with me and she’s got a long list of things she found scary. I’m glad I didn’t have to learn this lesson the hard way with her!
My question is. . . How do you stop yourself from pinching those cheeks 24 hours a day? Adorable!
That’s cute, imagine if it was one with the big brushes going around hitting you like the old ones. You should of given her Goldfish, that would of totally changed the outcome, have you seen that commercial? haha, Happy Friday!!
From about 1:16 to 1:20, where you seem to be assessing the damage Heather, is hilarious. Annie is so adorable. No more car bath!!!!
Hilarious. Thanks for sharing! I love how you edited it.
Oh how I wish we had video of our daughters 1st car bath! lol… It ended much the same only my mother in law was already in back with her. When I was Annie’s age on the way to have my picture taken my mom went through my 1st car bath… pictures did not happen that day!
I love the look she gave you when it was over! hehe
My 1 and 3 year olds are scared of the car wash too. They cry and scream. I would wash the car at home, but we live in Colorado, which means the car gets filthy dirty with the snow and road junk in the winter, and the weather doesn’t get warm enough to wash the car by hand. I have tried everything with my kids, turning up the music load to drown out the sound of the wash, sitting in the back with them (while the husband is driving, of course.) They just HATE the car wash, I am hoping they grow out of it soon!
You can stand with them outside the car wash while your husband drives thru it. No need to put them through it, the darn thing still scares me and I’m in my 30′s.
Brings back memories of taking my twins through the car wash. They were around a year old, I think. My oldest daughter has always loved the car wash so it was a surprise when the twins started screaming hysterically. It. Was. Awful. I think we’ve gone once since & they were frightened, but not screaming. It’s a good excuse to not get the car washed, right?
Love Annie’s interview. She talks so clear! Or maybe it’s because I hear toddlerease all day long.
My sister used to be terrified of car washes when she was Annie’s age. It has become a family joke and we still laugh at it 30 years later.
Yee-ah. I have a very tomboy, let’s-go-hiking kind of girl, and when she was three, we thought it would be fun to take her and her older brother to Bodie as an extension of our camping trip. Well, “ghost town” to a 3-year-old translates to “town where ghosts are walking down the street.”
Just so you know.
Our daughter is just a couple weeks younger. We had this idea about a month ago. She flipped OUT. I was shocked. Her older sister thought it was awesome, though, and she tends to be the one who is scared of things. So maybe it’s something about the 2-year-old brain.
Wallydraigle´s last [type] ..Stinker
Best Annie video ever. She is seriously the cutest thing ever. The interview was awesome!
Heather, my son Elias was the same way. We thought he’d love it. Instead he LOST.HIS.SH!T. It was awful! He truly was terrified crying and screaming thinking the car bath (we told him the same thing!) was going to get him. He acted traumatized for days. This was when he was about 2 1/2. He’s 4 1/2 now and STILL tells me the car wash is scary when I suggest we go through! Guess he’ll be washing his car the good old fashion way when he’s older! Tell Annie she has a friend who feels her pain!
My son had the same reaction at that age. Now, he loves it so much, I’m not allowed to go to the car wash without him.
Nancy at Spinning My Plates´s last [type] ..Making the tough decision
My kids love, love, love the car bath. I mean, really, they would live in that thing. But before I had kids, I had dogs and after picking them up from the groomer one day, I thought I’d wash the car too……never ever again. They were so afraid. Freaking out dogs in a small car is not a pretty sight. One dog tried to crawl up into my uterus and the other dog tried to fit himself between the floor and under the front seat………..They were both 60 pound dogs.
Rebecca´s last [type] ..Fragmented Folly
Thanks for the subtitles. Adorable video!
You have GOT to do more videos in this format. Your interview with Annie is beyond adorable, and she will love watching them when she gets older.
I’m with Annie on this one. Still scared of these. My husband has driven through these a few times and it freaks me out.
she is so stinkin cute I can hardly stand it! Her description of car bath is adorable!
she is too freakin cute!!!!
I was terrified of the car wash when I was younger, to the point where if we went to the car wash my parents would let me get out and meet them at the other end. Maybe that’s one reason I don’t wash my car nearly enough now….
OMG she is too cute!! Her words and sentences are really fantastic for her age.
Car washes can still freak me out and I’m 33 so little miss is not alone in this.
My 3 year old loves them as long as they have the rainbow tri-color soap if not she gets upset on me.
I loved that video! I took my daughter when she was about 2 thru the “car bath” and at first she liked it, then the screaming began. Now she is 4 and is fine with it. My question is: YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN THRU A CAR WASH BEFORE?? Really? That is the only way mine have ever had a bath, that and the rain. I’m not sure why people wash their cars by hand, just baffling to me.
awww… hahahaha. she’s so darn cute!
LOL I feel bad for laughing, but …
And I can relate — I used to crawl down to the floorboard during car washes. Scared the crap out of me.
Pattie´s last [type] ..Today Coraline Is a Big Cousin
My littlest doesn’t like the car bath. Actually, she doesn’t mind the touch less ones but hates the ones with the rollers and stuff.
Annie is so cute. It kills me.
Pretty Sure she couldn’t be more adorable!
Great video !! Annie is absolutely adorable as she tries to hide from watching what she has decided is scary. She is very brave.
Don’t blame her one bit for not liking it. I am still scared wittless every time I go through one as I try to keep my mind on the prize of a clean car.
I still remember being afraid of the “car bath” as a kid. I loved the interview you did with her at the beginning. Would love to see more of those on Fridays as she gets older.
There should be a warning outside the car wash. “Dear Parent about to take your young child through for a FUN car bath. Back the car up. Now. This is going to go VERY badly. The Management.” Why should every parent have to discover this by terrifying a child? I will never forget doing that with my daughter. I was alone and couldn’t have crawled in the back anyway. The screaming! OMG! The tears! Anyway. Now you know and it is both funny and sad at the same time, and of those stories that you can tell Annie for years to come. PS Kudos to you for getting over the seat and back there with her!!!
That is my FAVORITE Annie video EVERRRRRR!!!!! Not because she was scared but because she could tell you after how she felt! Car bath..scared…mama! Love that girl!
We have a cat who acts like a dog. He loves riding in cars, so we thought that we’d take him through the car wash one day. He wound up wrapped in a blanket in my arms wailing hysterically. We decided never to do that again….however…one day my husband completely forgot cat was in the car with him. Husband comes strolling into the kitchen, no cat. I ask him where cat is, he responds with an oh crap….it took me a good 10 minutes to untangle kitty from the bottom of the seat where he had wedged himself in among the springs. Poor little guy…I’m pretty sure he’s traumatised for life
OMG! That was awesomely cute!
I laughed for real when you were asking if she wants to do it again. Reason 39876 why it’s a good thing I don’t have kids. Love it!
Mike and Heather,
Hope this helps….even just a little, on the tough days.
hurting http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/395428_10150564305158141_14524668140_9172344_1372415157_n.jpg
“No. No. No. No. No.” So cute and sad and sweet!
Elizabeth :: Bebe Suisse´s last [type] ..How to have one of those days.
That’s so funny, my son (20 mos) did the same thing. Unfortunately the first time was when my hubby took him by himself, so my little guy was terrified and had no one to comfort him. We went again a couple weeks later when I was there and even though he started to freak out, I was able to calm him down. Now he likes them and asks for Caw Washes!
Mary´s last [type] ..1 Week
OMG the interview kills me. I love how she tosses her hair and says mmmmm right before describing the horror.
I remember being kind of terrified of these things. But she was a trooper. I love her expression at the very end like “What, are you people CRAZY???!?!?!”
What a pitiful little face! When my kids were little my son begged for months to go through the car wash so one day we decided to try it out. Both of my kids screamed hysterically the entire time. All I could do was laugh! We were stuck! It’s 6 years later and I’ve never taken them in one again!
Oh Annie, you are the cutest! Thing! Ever!
And I guess I’m the odd woman out here, because I LOVED “car baths” when I was a kid. It was like the best thing of all time to my kid brain!
P.S. – It seems like Annie’s vocabulary and articulation have really taken off this past month! I don’t remember her speaking like this before. She is really growing up before our very internet eyes!
Good God you have an ADORABLE daughter!
How hilarious. Tell Annie I feel the same way!
Oh man, that is funny. “Scary, crying, mama” classic!
I feel for little Annie!! They freak me out, too! I keep wanting to slam on the brakes when the car starts moving!!
I laughed. I cried. I laughed so hard, I cried. Is there an Oscar for best blog video? Because this deserves one.
Also, the clutching onto your arm was so, so sweet. And the furrowed brow at the end of the ordeal– I could feel the disapproval vibrating through my computer screen. Annie was not amused!
I can’t stop watching this video! “Scary…..crying….mama!” Absolutely adorable!
I’m 40 and we still refer to car washes as “the monster carwash” because that’s what my little brother called it growing up. He was terrified, as were my two boys! Judging by all the comments, fear of carwashes is a very common thing among the little folks!
I’m sold. I’m taking my kids to the Car Bath tonight.
katrina @ They All Call Me Mom´s last [type] ..waaaay too many photos for one post!
I love Annie’s Car Bath commentary. I think that video should win an oscar for best short film tonight.
oh MAN. Her face is so CONCERNED at the end in the car. Poor Annie.
Jen´s last [type] ..eight days, no kids, lots of sunshine: WIN.
Well… Hate to admit it, but I am over a certain age and I still do not like a car bath. Something about being closed in like that feels creepy.
Car bath is scary a crying a mama.
That is my most favourite video in the universe. Off to watch a bajillion times over.
She is gorgeous …. she is a female Rocco. We must keep them separated at all times.
Love your respectives selves, Spohrs XXXX
Aww! I remember being freaked out by the car wash as a kid, too. And as always, Annie is too adorable.
Meg´s last [type] ..Book review: ‘Compulsively Mr. Darcy’ by Nina Benneton