As parents, part of your daily responsibilities is bathing your kids. After all, other than nutrition, exercise, and sleep, cleanliness is also vital for optimal health and wellbeing. But sometimes, not all kids are very open-minded when it comes to bathing, especially if they’ve had some awful bathing experiences before, like getting soap in their eyes or accidentally drinking water from the tub. Or even if they don’t have any bad experiences, some are just finding more excuses to skip bath time like finishing their block tower, coloring their books, or playing with their dog.
Whether your kids have a love-and-hate relationship with bathing, this will always be part of your routine as a parent, so you might as well make the most of it while you still can, or better yet, help your kids to enjoy and have fun in every bathing session. So, here are six savvy bath time tips for kids to help you and your child have a safe and enjoyable time during bath times.
In This Article
Never Leave Your Kids Alone
The moment you bring your kid inside the bathroom, you must never leave them alone. Even if you just want to get out and pick something you left or answer the phone or the door, you mustn’t leave your child alone, even for a few minutes or seconds. Drowning and slipping accidents can happen quietly and very quickly, and leaving them briefly unsupervised will only put them at risk of such accidents.
To minimize your chances of leaving your child for something else, it’s best to have everything ready before you even take them for a bath. For example, make sure everything’s within your reach, such as the shampoo, hairbrush, clean nappies, clothes, and the Bursali towels or other soft and comfy towels your child may prefer. When you’re 100% sure that everything you need is within your reach, that’s when you can take your child inside the bathroom.
Avoid Bringing Your Phone Inside
Bringing your phone with you during bath time will only be a huge distraction and make it harder for you to focus on bathing your child. When it rings, you might feel the urge to pick it right away, forgetting for a second that your child’s still in the tub filled with water. So, leave your phone somewhere else and keep your eyes on your child for maximum safety. Remember, bath times with your kids are not something you’ll get to do for the rest of your life, so make sure to make the most of it.
Check The Water Temperature
One of the reasons some kids hate bath time is because the water can be too cold or too hot for them. To make the water more welcoming for them, make it a habit to check the water temperature before bringing them in. Don’t worry; you don’t need to use a thermometer for this one, just your own senses. Dip your arms into the water and see if it’s comfortable enough. But just make sure you’re not basing it on your own preferences.
If possible, you can also let your child check the temperature with you. Let them dip their hands or fingers and ask if the temperature’s good enough for them. If they approve, then take note of how the water temperature feels and keep it that way every time. Besides the water temperature, you can also make the bathroom temperature nice and warm, like opening the bathroom windows if they want the sunlight shining inside the bathroom.
Let Their Colorful Toys Join The Bath
Kids like it best when they get to bring their favorite toys in the water. With the bath toys you’ve prepared for them, you can also let them bring their toys as long as it’s not a choking hazard, doesn’t have batteries, and is not made of cloth or cotton (e.g., teddy bears). Seeing toys around them will make the bath time more enjoyable as they would think that bath time can also be a form of playtime.
Besides their toys, you can also get creative by adding other items such as plastic cups, empty water bottles, or plastic bowls, which they can use to play with water. Furthermore, rotate their toys every day or week to keep them interested.
Incorporate More Fun Elements
You can add other things to make their bath time sessions more fun and make them look forward to more bath times in the future. For instance, you can invest in a bubble machine or bubble-making toys as the bubbles will calm them down, especially if they’re starting to cry or scream. You can also add foam noodles and let these things float around them. If you’re bathing your child at night, you can make use of dim lights, then add glow-in-the-dark stickers around the walls or use glow-in-the-dark soap paint.
Play Some Kid’s Bath Time Songs
Another way to calm them down and enjoy the bath is by playing some kid’s bath time songs. This can be effective, especially if your child loves music. You can bring in a waterproof speaker inside the bathroom, or if you’re feeling creative, you can invent your own bath time songs.
Have A Fun Bath Time Session With Your Kids
Your kid’s bath time doesn’t have to feel like a chore for you or a punishment for the kid. So, let these tips guide you towards making your kid’s bath time sessions a safe, fun, and enjoyable experience.
