Bath time can be one of the most stressful times for parents. I know my first-born was almost two by the time I felt confident enough to bathe him by myself. It was such a bigger ordeal than it had to be. With a little time and more experience, I started incorporating these four simple practices into our bath time routine. Now I can get two little ones in and out of the tub in 20 minutes or less by myself. Another great thing about these hacks are that they are inexpensive and relatively easy to find.
- Bathing Caddy
First things first, gather all your bathing supplies before doing anything else. The last thing you want is to have your baby in the tub when you realize you’ve forgotten something, or something is just out of reach. You want to invest in a caddy that will fit all the basics, baby wash, baby shampoo, baby lotion, a baby towel, and a washcloth. I would recommend getting one of the larger caddies from the cleaning supply section at the store, that way you can fit everything, including a handful of bath toys. And once your little one is clean and dressed, the bathing caddy can be put away, reducing bathtub clutter.
- Hard Toys Only!
I know those little rubber duckies are super cute, or your baby loves the little frog that squirts water, but the truth is that those toys get water in them and there is no way to get them dry and clean. The last thing you want in your baby’s bath is something spewing mold and mildew. Toss those out right now! Try using hard toys that will easily dry. If you have mega blocks, toss some of those in, or even things like plastic cups or measuring cups would be entertaining. I remember whenever I would visit my grandmother for the summer, she would save the caps from her hairspray for me to play with at bath time. It could be something so basic, just nothing that will hold water. Another thing to keep in mind is less is more. Keep it simple with just two or three toys. I know I have found myself many times wanted to have a nice soak in the tub and spending at least ten minutes rounding up the bath toys.
- Plastic Laundry Basket
I feel like I need to stress this before I go on. No matter what you choose to bathe your child in, never ever walk away from them. Not even for a second. Nothing is 100% safe. After a while your little one is gets too big for that little baby bath. When my daughter was about six months, I invested in a bath chair. The two problems I was running into was 1) our tub is textured, so those suction cups used to anchor the chair in place wouldn’t stick, and 2) the way the chair positioned her, she couldn’t really play in the water unless she leaned over, and it was only a matter of time until she tipped the chair over. This is kind of an old school hack but put a plastic laundry basket in the bathtub. This will give the baby a more secure bath space, but also give them a little space to explore. Make sure to use a thicker, sturdier laundry basket. I strongly suggest this laundry basket be used for bath time only! You could also add suction cups to the bottom of the basket if you want to add more stability. I would also like to stress that I didn’t start using this method until she was a good sitter.
- Bathing Visor/ Shower Hat
This is just a great, simple invention. This might be a little harder to find in the store, but it is available online from several major stores, and usually costs under $10. When my son was younger, he was very prone to ear infections and once he had tubes put in his ears, my husband and I were very paranoid about water getting in them. He was also a bit dramatic when it came to water in his eyes. This handy little visor helps keep your baby’s eyes free of soap and their ears free of water. This is something I would swear by.
Bath time should be a fun bonding time, where your baby gets to play and explore, and hopefully get a little tired. By implementing these four simple, inexpensive hacks, bath time will be a fun, stress-free experience for everyone involved. If you found this helpful or have tried some of these hacks before, please leave a comment and share. For more parenting adventures, be sure to follow me at sarahnemo.com and look for Adventures in Creating Little Humans on Facebook and Twitter.