How to make bathtime the best time of the day

Bathtime can be a beautiful, bonding occasion for you and your child/children.

There is something calming about water and this combined with the skin-on-skin nature of the experience, makes it the perfect time to make loving and caring connections with your children.

This article will provide you with some tips on how to make bathtime the best time of the day. It will outline some practical ideas and daily rituals for you to try with your young baby.

Bath Equipment Required

You will need:

Changing mat or sheepskin
Baby towel
2 x wash cloths
Baby body wash
Cotton buds
Clean nappy (and wipes in case there is a surprise inside)
PJs
Bath/tub/sink

With a little bubba it’s nice to have a baby bath designed especially for their small bodies.

I recently tried out the above inflatable bath mattress that I got from www.babytoolbox.co.nz.

It has a mesh fabric in the middle which allows the baby to be emerged in the water.

It was so lovely, as my baby was safe and secure, enjoying the sensation of the water and I had my hands free to clean all of the tricky areas.

Pre-bath Set Up

Set up your equipment so that everything is ready to go. You don’t want to be reaching for things once baby is in the bath, as you will need to keep your eye on him at all times.

Have your change mat or sheepskin in the bathroom with the towel laid on top.

Clean nappy, wipes and PJs next to the mat.

Have your bath run (check the temperature with the inside of your wrist or your elbow – it should feel warm, if it’s not, alter accordingly).

Squirt some baby bodywash in the bath, swish it around.

If you have an inflatable bath (as above) pop it in.

Have the wash cloth and cotton buds on the edge of the bath ready to go.

Sing your Bathtime Song

Choose a bathtime song that you like, sing it to your baby before every bath, it will let her know what is coming up and since babies love to hear their parent’s sing it will help her look forward to the experience.

The song could be “Splish splash I was taking a bath…” or “Rubber Ducky you’re the one…”.

I changed the words of a familiar song and sing this to my babies before bathtime:

“It’s bath time, it’s time to wash your body

It’s bath time, our special time of day

It’s bath time, just you and me together

It’s time to splish and splash and play and wash our body…. Yay!”

Undress your Baby

Undress your baby. Tell him what you are doing before every stage e.g. “I am just going to take your nappy off”. He will love hearing your voice and it will make him feel more comfortable about being undressed.

Wash Your Baby’s Face

Wrap baby up in the towel but leave her face free.

Hold baby under in one arm (like a rugby ball, but more gently), dip a cotton bud in the water and then squeeze, use it to wash baby’s face.

Begin with the eyes, then the nose, mouth, ears, under the chin and around the neck.

Use a bit of baby wash to wash your baby’s hair and rinse off with the wash cloth.

Tilt your baby back a bit so the water runs into the bath and away from her eyes.

Wash Your Baby’s Body

Pop baby back on the changing mat or sheepskin and remove the towel.

Tell baby you are going to put her in the bath now and then gently place baby into the water.

If you are don’t have the inflatable bath mattress, then put your non-dominant hand under baby’s body and hold the arm away from you with your thumb and forefinger. This helps baby stay secure, but she can still feel the floating sensation of the water.

If baby is crying, pop a wash cloth over her body – it will help her feel less exposed.

Let baby float and kick for a while until she gets used to the water.

Use another wash cloth to wash the body from the neck down. I like to sing another song while I am doing this. As your baby gets older she will begin to join in with the song.

“When I point to myself, what do I see?

I see my arm, now wash it with me,

arm, arm,

Splishy, splashy, sploshy, sploo,

That’s what I wash in the bath here with you”

(Repeat each verse for a new body part until your baby’s whole body is clean, and yes do say penis or vagina)

Get Baby Dressed

Once baby clean and has had enough playtime, tell baby you are going to take him out of the bath and then pop him back onto the mat (covered in towel) and wrap him up so he feels nice and secure.

Tell baby you are going to get him dressed and commentate each part of the process.

Ensure to smile and kiss your baby, raspberries on the tummy are always a hit too.

As Your Baby Gets Older

Once your baby is sitting unassisted then you can sit them up in the bath.

You can continue with the songs and rituals, as above, except by now your baby might be able to join in.

Give them the second wash cloth so they can learn to wash their own body too.

They will soon learn how to name all their body parts.

You may like to sing other songs with your older baby, such as:

“I had a little turtle,

His name was Tiny Tim,

I put him in the bathtub,

To see if he could swim.

He drank up all the water,

He ate up all the soap,

And now he’s lying sick in bed,

With bubbles in his throat.

Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles,

Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles, Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles,

POP!”

Another thing older children love to play with in the bath, are watering cans and different sized cups and containers. They enjoy pouring water and in doing so they are developing their working theories about volume, capacity and gravity as well as developing their fine motor skills.

Final Words

I hope this article has provided you with some ideas for developing family bathtime routines and rituals. I hope you will look forward to bathing your bubba, I know I do.

Finally, try to be mindful when you bath your baby. This is such a special time for you both and your child is eager for your full attention. Have fun!

Love to your little people