Tips to Make Bathtime Fun

We’re all about making bathtime fun here at Cuddledry, so this week we’re sharing our top tips with you. Let us know in the comments what your child’s favourite bathtime actives are too!

 

Ideas for babies

Bathtime is such a wonderful sensory experience for babies, and a great opportunity for them to learn more too. Bathtime is also a great opportunity for babies to practise their fine motor skills, learn valuable communication skills and strengthen their bond with you too.

So, how to make bathtime fun for babies?

Age appropriate bath toys 

Make sure the first bath toys you choose for baby are age appropriate and safe to use. Avoid toys with holes and squeakers ( read this post to find out why some bath toys collect mould inside)- always opt for toys that are designed for your baby’s age range.

The Cuddleduck

The Cuddleduck has won many awards and makes a great bathtime companion for babies. Our cheeky little fellas were designed in one solid piece so they have no hole, and they’re made from100% natural materials so are safe to chew too. Lots of parents tell us they use them as teether toys both in and out of the tub!

Age appropriate activities

Remember that when your baby is very young, bathtime is likely to be very short and sweet. Keep activities focused and relevant to your baby’s abilities.

Sing songs

It really doesn’t matter what songs you sing or whether or not you’re in tune- bathroom acoustics make this activity a winner every time!

Play music

Enhance the sensory experience with relaxing bathtime music. Bliss!

Baby safe mirrors

Baby mirrors are a great way for your little one to explore the world at bathtime. Mirror play is an excellent way to help baby to focus their eyes, follow images and learn new words. It’s also a great way for your baby to explore blinking, smiling, and other facial expressions!

Pouring water

Gently pouring water over your baby and into the bath tub is another easy bathtime activity that babies enjoy.

Sponges

Use a natural sea sponge and encourage your baby to hold it, explore the texture and learn how to squeeze water from it.

Ideas for toddlers

When your baby gets a little older, there are even more bathtime activities for them to enjoy. 

Sensory play

The aim of sensory play is to engage the five senses- sight, smell, touch, taste and hearing- through play. Quite often as adults, we forget how important these elements are- but to your toddler, every new experience is amazing!

Sensory play helps to build essential problem solving skills, develop language & communication skills, and is a great way for toddlers to practise fine motor skills. Sensory play at bathtime also helps to develop mathematical, scientific and creative thinking too.

Here are some of our favourite ideas for bathtime sensory play:

Let them paint

If paintbrushes and all the paraphernelia that goes with it sends shivers down your spine, why not bring it into the bath instead? You can buy specific bath crayons and paints, or you can bring small pots of washable paint into the bathroom instead- it depends how brave you are! The best thing about this activity is that your little one gets to express themselves, and you get to them him down afterwards!

Play sink or float.

Let your little one help you to find waterproof objects and take turns to guess which ones will sink and which will float.

Make paper boats

- and sail them. Simple fun!

Add some ice! 

Add a few drops of food colouring to the water before you freeze it, then pop them into the bath or the little ones to chase! Once melted, the water will change colour- and you can have a chat about why the ice melted too.

Bubbles

Have fun creating bubble beards, or blowing bubbles in the tub- such a fun way to expolore and learn through play!

Bath books

We love reading in the bath- so why chances are your toddler will too! Bath books are a great way to develop vocabulary and communication skills.

Car wash

Make a game out of washing and servicing toy cars in the tub- this activity can keep little ones occupied for ages!

Dolly wash

Encourage independence with role play by bringing dollies into the bath for a wash. This activity is also great if your toddler hates hair washes, as you can use this as an opportunity to explain the process and (hopefully) make it a little less scary.

Create a colour themed bath

This can be as simple or as extravagant as you like. Colours are a great way to add a fun element to bath time, and all you need is to collect toys of the same colour, add a few drops of food colouring to the bath and you’re set!

Make the water glow!

Submersible lights are a wonderful way to transform any bath tub. You can buy various types quite cheaply and the colour changing versions make for a rather magical experience. If you can, close the blinds and turn out the lights too so that your little one can enjoy the experience to its full potential.

Cook up a storm!

Kitchen utensils such as wooden spoons, colanders and whisks don’t need to be restricted to the kitchen. Encourage imaginative play and introduce them to bath time instead. Perhaps your little one will create a bubbly feast for a king? Or a magical potion for fairies? The possibilities are endless.

All of the above can be done during the usual bath time if you prefer, but if you know that your little one needs extra wind downtime after activities like this, then you might want to choose a different time instead. As always, make sure you supervise little ones at all times, and don’t forget to wrap them up warm in their Cuddledry towels afterwards!