How To Make Bath Time Fun For Toddlers And Babies
photo by: @thewarrenhaus
After a long day of eating and playing, a bath is a must for your baby. But as important as bath time is for getting clean, it’s so much more than just washing away the day. Over time, you’ll find that bath time becomes an important daily ritual that adds more fun to your day and creates a lasting connection between you and your baby.
In this guide, we focus on how to connect with your baby and have a good time with fun bath ideas for toddlers and babies.
But as with all things related to baby care, it’s essential that you think of safety first. This means maintaining the water temperature at a safe and comfortable level, using a tub with a non-slip surface, and never leaving your baby alone in the water. The 4moms Cleanwater™ Tub checks all the boxes, plus it has a unique design that provides a constant flow of clean water and a built-in color-coded digital thermometer that constantly monitors the water temperature for you.
Why is Bath Time Fun Important?
Babies learn through play—and bath time fun is a great time for your baby to play, learn, and bond with you.
In fact, fun bath activities can help with your little one’s cognitive and emotional development. Like other engaging sensory activities for babies, baby bathtub games engage all your little one's senses and helps them learn about the world around them—and as they’re splashing and popping bubbles, they’re starting to piece together what water feels like on their skin, how water flows from one cup to another, and all the other sensations that come with bath time.
But it’s not all just fun and games. Regular physical touch is extremely important for your baby’s healthy development—in fact, studies have shown that touch may be the most important sense in early infancy. And bath time, with all its snuggling and caressing, is built on physical touch so it can calm your baby and help them get to know your touch, voice, sight, and smell.
So fill your Cleanwater™ Tub and get ready for some fun bath ideas!
What to Do if Baby Cries During Bath?
Some babies take to the water right away, while some are a little more unsure. If your baby is resistant to bath time, there are things you can do to make bath time fun.
- Start by choosing the right toys. Although the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says young infants don’t need bath toys, once your baby is old enough for the tub, cups, floaties and other playthings become key to baby bath fun. Give them containers that they can use to fill with water and dump out, floating toys that bob on the water, shatterproof mirrors, and other sensory items that make bath time more fun and help them explore their environment.
- Keep bath time safe and comfortable by making sure the water is the right temperature. With its built-in color-coded digital thermometer, the Cleanwater™ Tub makes it easy to ensure water is always at a comfortable temperature so it’s never too hot or too cold for your baby. Plus it’s designed to grow with your baby so they’re always safely positioned and supported.
- Experiment with different textures and sensations to see how your baby reacts. Introduce fun bath ideas that use sponges, towels, and toys made of a variety of materials for your baby to touch and feel, and encourage them to reach out to feel the flow of clean water coming from the spigot or through the Cleanwater™ Tub.
How Can I Make My Baby's Bath Time Enjoyable?
As your baby grows, you’ll need new ideas to make bath time fun. Try these fun bath ideas for toddlers make bath time the best part of the day:
Play Interactive Baby Bathtub Games: Unleash your baby’s inner Picasso with bath crayons and finger paints that let them get a little messy before they get clean. And the best part of this fun bath idea? With the Cleanwater™ Tub, once they’re done playing, the dirty water drains right away so you can rinse your baby in clean water and get ready for bed.
Choose Your Own “Soap” Opera: Let your imagination go wild every bath time with a continuing saga that you and your toddler make up together. Create a story using the bath toys as characters and add to the story every time they take a bath.
Race Around the Tub: Who said cars are only for dry land? Toss a few of their favorite toy cars into the water and transform your tub into a race track.
Splish Splash Together: Create some real bonding moments as you make the bath fun for toddlers by hopping into the tub together to play, sing, splash, and have some fun.
Musical Moments: Everyone’s a singer in the bathtub, right? Have a nightly singalong where you belt out your favorite tunes—or maybe make up some songs of your own.
How to Make Bath Time Fun and Safe
Bath time can be fun—but it can also be dangerous, so make sure you follow basic safety precautions each and every time your baby takes a bath.
- Never leave your baby unattended, not even for a second.
- Gather together everything you need – towels, toys, soaps, wash cloths—before you start the bath.
- Put your cell phone on mute so you are not distracted mid-bath.
- Keep one hand on your baby at all times to make sure there are no accidental slips into the water; you may also want to add non-skid decals to the tub to make it less slippery.
- Keep the water at a safe temperature, around 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
It’s Time for Bath Time Fun
When you follow these tips for how to make bath time fun and safe and use the 4moms Cleanwater™ Tub as part of your nightly bath ritual, bath time can be easier and less stressful—and just plain old good. clean fun for you both.
