How to Make Bathtime the Best Time
By Kelly Bryant
Bathtime means bonding time between you and your little one. It’s also a great opportunity to teach your captive audience a new skill or simply play a silly, fun game. Here, moms reveal their favorite ways to create bathtime fun and sneak in a little lesson here and there.
Get Set Before They Get Wet
“I always make sure I have everything in there before I get my girls in the tub. I won’t leave them unattended. The mental checklist: clothes, diapers, lotion, comb, towel, etc.” - Cheryl C.
Keep ‘Em Warm and Cozy
“At first we were so scared that we were making the bath too hot, that we were actually making it too cold and my son Lucas hated it. We started making the water a bit warmer and also putting a warm wash cloth on his tummy to keep him cozy during bath time.” - Chenoa S.
Bust Out the Bubbles
“Bubbles in the tub are a must for us. My son David’s first word was actually ‘bubble!’” - Lindsay A.
Try for Tiny Teachable Moments
“I’ll give my littlest daughter the wash cloth and say, ‘Wash your belly, now wash your hands.’ She learns her body parts and she thinks she’s helping. We also float in the tub as I rinse her hair, relaxing in the water to help when we do it in the pool.” - Cheryl C.
Don’t Shy Away From the Squirty
“We love squirt toys. It’s so much fun to get the kids wet and they laugh when they get me wet.” - Lacey M.
Wow With Water
“I usually put her in her little tub inside the bath tub, then fill up her tub and place the shower head in there so that it looks like a water fountain shooting up. She loves the streams of water and tries to grab and kick at them.” - Kris S.
Invite Some Friends to the Party
“Ceana has these bath toys that are of a fish, crab and Winnie the Pooh. We make up little songs for each of the characters.” - Julie N.
Toss and Learn
“My son loves to throw his bath toys out of the tub and then wants me to toss them back in. So I’ll count them off as he throws them out and then count as I pitch them back into the tub to help him learn his numbers.”
- Katie B.
Move to the Music
“I do ‘The Wheels on the Bus’ with my son in the tub. When the horn goes beep, we splash. When the wipers swish, I use the wash cloth to get him clean.” - Tara R.
Follow the Leader
“Sometimes my older son, who is five, will take a bath with my youngest. Lucas thinks it’s the best thing ever and Gabe agrees with whatever Lucas thinks.” - Meridith D.
Color Your World
“The Crayola color drops for the bath are so much fun and we use them to try to teach our little guy about colors. We’ll drop a blue one in the bath and then point out all of the other things in the bathroom that we can see that are blue, then switch to a different color the next day.” - Kari S.
Get the Whole Family Involved
“Well, with two kids it’s certainly easy to have all of us there. I wash, my husband dries… we set up an assembly line for our kids!” - Emily C.
