my sons have two main phrases... one is "shower!" "showwwweeeeer!" the other one is "side" "siiiiddddddeeeee!" both of these are crazy sing-songy requests, hyper-exaggerated questions-- show-er? with the "er" and "side" going up in a higher and higher voice....
if they don't go outside, then they want to go to the shower. if we don't take our shower (bath) after dinner, they just keep asking.
i think they are now at the point of understanding "not now, later"
"not tonight" but they still take way too many baths, especially my little one who has eczema and isn't suppose to take so many baths.
My son has eczema, too, so I can sympathize. I don't suppose they'd accept playing with water in the sink (like giving a doll a bath) as a substitute. "Tonight it's dolly's turn for a shower".
Good luck with everything.
i did start letting my "eczema" son play in the sink with a few coins or something to keep him busy. it kind of bothers me a little though because it seems like he has a water obsession, when we play in our backyard, he is obsessed with any flowing water, filling up his cup with water from the garden hose, his water play table... it's all about the water, forget playing with anyone ... my older son has moved from watering with the hose to riding his big wheel down the hill, which is okay if he stays in the backyard... but he keeps trying to sneak to the front where we have an extremely dangerous driveway, ending on a hill, ending on a busy street... ugh!If water is an obsession, it sounds like sensory-seeking behavior. It could be visual -- water catches light in an unusual way and distorts how things look. Or it could be tactile, or auditory, or a combination.
Have you tried the sensory issues checklist? If not, here's the link:
http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/sensory-processin g-disorder-checklist.html
Again, good luck.