Visit your local drugstore to get your child excited about picking out her first hair product. Let her smell the options, and then pick one. (Make sure it’s a children’s shampoo and thus “tear free.”)

Give the clean hair lots of press. Make sure you mention how good it smells and how good it feels.

Teach your child how to tip her head back to avoid getting water in her eyes. Showing what happens first to a doll who doesn’t tip her head back can help get the message across.

Let your child choose, as much as possible, how the hair washing will happen: “Do you want to use this shampoo or that one?” “Do you want to use a cup or a bowl to rinse the soap out?” “Do you want to wash your hair quickly or slowly?”

Let your child do it herself—with your assistance, of course. Give her a small amount of shampoo, teach her to rub it in and work up a lather, and help her rinse the soap out herself.