Photo: frielp
A regular reader emailed me asking what we did at bath time and for any tips that I might have making these part of the day easier.
As with all topics I discuss on the blog, I can relate what has worked for us. Families are unique creations, so what works for us, may not for others, but I always find it beneficial to hear what others do. Parts that I like I will test out and if they work will adapt to our daily life.
So with that said, this is what we do to make bath time a happy time!
Part of the daily routine
I know that children don’t need necessarily to have a bath every day, but for my small children routine is like a warm security blanket. They know that after we have finished dinner, we make our way to the bath. For the older two (who have short showers) they can organise this themselves.
Fun Toys
The majority of toys in the basket in the bathroom are not actually proper bath toys! They are old soap pump packs, shampoo bottles, a tea set and a container of plastic daisies (not sure of the real name but they are a disc shape toy that they connect together and make things out of).
These toys actually allow the children to experiment with basic mathematical concepts, like empty and full, heavy and light and practice motor skills with pouring water, pushing the pump action, squeezing the bottles and connecting the daisies.
Expectations
I have firm expectations that water must stay in the bath. If there is (excessive) water on the floor then the children have to clean up the mess after they have had their bath.
Not too long
I find that if the children are in the bath for more than 10 minutes then that is when niggling and complaining starts. In about 10 minutes they have enough time to play and relax and clean themselves.
Puppet Face Washers
I find that these are a great way to encourage children to clean themselves. We have a dinosaur and a duck and were lucky enough to receive them as gifts, but they can be picked up quite cheaply where ever you can buy towels.
Attitude
I keep my attitude towards bath time positive and talk about it as a nice way to relax at the end of their day.
If you have tips on how to make bath time easier, I would love it if you could leave them in the comments. The more information my reader has on the subject, will give her more choice on what to apply for her family. Thanks for your help!
Also if you have any questions you would like to see me answer on the blog, please feel free to send them through and I will work my way through them. 
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I love this list. I do have a few additions.
Get a few special washclothes for the kids. The Dollar Tree usually has many designs that are compact and “Grow” in the water.
Cups are a wonderful addition to bath toys.
Use pump bottles for soap and shampoo to make life a bit easier for whomever is doing the washing.
Have the other adult in the house warm the towels in the dryer for a few minutes to make getting out of the bath a comfy, cozy experience.
Hope these additions help.
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You can also add a smidge of food colour to water to make another colour. We don’t do this often and summer mainly when the bath is used to cool off! But it can be a great way to get a reluctant child in. Bath bombs are another popular one, they like the fizz. (Both special treats though)
Thanks so much for sharing these tips. My youngest is the only one that I have bath time issues. But my 3 and 4 year old would stay in the tub and play all day if I let them.
Re bath time tips.
When my 7 year old is tired and cranky and not wanting a bath or quick shower i also make the fun suggestion of having a coloured bath and to this day she loves it. We did this alot when they where younger – great way of learning colours and mixing them to see what happens etc. To change the colour of the bath just had food colouring. (the same you use in cakes!!!) It has never stained the bath or the children!!! Tip for mum – don’t leave food colour in reach of the child. My little one once got hold of the bottle and had a very very nice deep blue bath – but again no stained child or bath – enjoy
bath time should be happy experience for both children and parents alike