Tips for a Positive Bath Experience for Kids
September 23, 2015With a 2-year-old and 4-year-old, I have given my kids quite a few baths in the past four years. Some days, they’re excited to get wet and play in the water. Other days, it is a struggle to get them in the bath and have a successful (and happy) bath time experience. I have learned a few tricks to make bath time a pleasant and enjoyable experience for them- and for me, too! After all, bath time is a daily occurrence, so making it a positive experience is a worthwhile goal!
Tips for a Positive Bath Experience for Kids
1. Organize your gear: Since children cannot be left alone in water for any amount of time (even in shallow water levels), it is imperative to take some time before the bath to collect all your bath time gear. You could also store everything you might need right next to the bath tub to avoid this step entirely. (I can’t tell you how many times I put my kid in the bath, and then had to take them right back out once I realized I forgot something in the other room!) Take a few moments beforehand to make sure you’re all set! Some stuff that you might need include towels, toys and fresh clothes!
2. Get the water temperature right: For obvious reasons, it’s super important to make sure that the water is not too hot for your kids. If you own your house and can control the temperature of the water heater, adjust it so that the water temp is no higher than 125 degrees. This gives you (and your child) plenty of time to react to hot water before any burns can happen! And always, make sure you test the temperature of the water with your hand and arm before placing a child in the water!
3. Bring toys in the water: If your child is a little hesitant to go in the water, consider making bath-time a time to play! And you’re not limited to only rubber duckies, either! We’ve brought all kinds of fun toys into the bath, including plastic blocks, plastic figurines and plastic books. Even a set of plastic cups, baskets and funnels make fun pouring toys in the water! Always make sure to drain and dry the toys once bath time is over. And of course, don’t bring into the water any electronic toys, fabric toys or metal toys.
4. Let kids participate: One thing that I’ve found always gets my kids excited for bath time is when I tell them they can help to wash themselves! I recently had the opportunity to experience the new Body Wash Infused Animal Sponges by Spongellé! These things are so cool, because they are sponges that have a built-in body wash. This makes getting clean in the bath a fun and effortless experience for kids. They are available in 4 fun animal shapes: yellow duck, green dog, pink butterfly and orange fish. We got to try the pink butterfly!
What I’m absolutely loving about this product is that the body wash is infused in the sponge, so there’s less mess and less waste! If I give a bottle of body wash to my kids, the whole bottle will be emptied out in a matter of minutes! (This has happened several times now- I should learn my lesson!) I also love that the Spongellé sponges are hypoallergenic, sulfate-free, paraben-free & dermatologist-tested! Oh, and the scent is absolutely amazing – it smells like a sweet, delicious fruit!
All you have to do is immerse the sponge in water and squeeze it to release the lather!
This sponge creates such a rich, luxurious and full lather! The kids absolutely had a blast with it!
Spongellé has been selling luxurious, infused bath products since 2003 and is 100% USA-made! Their sponges are designed to pamper and beautify the skin. And the texture helps to gently exfoliate and whisk away dry skin cells!
And if you’ve followed this blog for some time, you’ll know I love to repurpose stuff! Since this sponge is the shape of a butterfly, it would make an adorable homemade stamp- similar to how I made these foam stamps or these pumpkin stamps! All you would need to do is dip the sponge into a tray of acrylic paint and stamp away! So fun! You could create a custom butterfly wrapping paper or just a whimsical wall artwork! My sponge is still full of body wash so I won’t be dipping it in paint just yet! But once I have used up all the body wash, I will post about my butterfly sponge repurposed into a homemade butterfly stamp!
So, are you interested to try out these sponges for yourself and your kids? Be sure to use code BBLOGGER20, which is good for 20% off through October 19th! And check out the selection at Spongellé and tell me which animal your child would love to play with the most!
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Spongellé, but all opinions are mine alone.
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Great tips! It’s always important to have all your gear together because leaving the bathroom is not an option while bathing young children. My husband and I would take turns giving the kids their baths when they were small. It was not one of my favorite chores. 🙂
It can definitely feel like a chore sometimes! 🙂
But with a little prep and the right products, it can be fun for everyone involved. Thanks for your comment, Alli!
Oh yeah, tub toys are big with my boys. They could sit there and play in the water all night if I would let them.
Yes, bath toys are an easy way to make bath time play time!
Thanks for stopping by, Robin!
What a lovely product! Does it have to be JUST for the kiddos? LOL I would use the Spongellé as well! Love the shape and how foamy they get!
Not just for the kids! They have products for adults, too! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, Joely!!
I love your first tip. Organizing your gear is so important because you need to be right there for your children. All towels and products need to be in arm’s reach.
Yes if you’re organized then you can focus on other aspects of bath time more easily! Thanks for visiting, Kerri!
I actually do all the stuff you recommend and my kid loves bath time.
It’s great when the child enjoys bath time. Thanks for stopping by, Jason!
I love spongelle and I’m a grown up! They’re super handy to have especially when you need to get in and out of the shower quickly 🙂
Totally agree! It’s a super product to get the kids excited about a bath!
My kids love water so bath time was usually a happy fun thing for them. I totally agree that toys and funky sponges and soaps make it more fun too. Sometimes it’s hard to convince my kids to get out of the tub! lol
Haha, yes, sometimes that’s another problem altogether! 🙂
Thanks, Jessica!
I know that if you follow these tips, your child will really enjoy his bath!
Yes, totally! Thanks, Michelle!
I love your ideas. My son was afraid of the water for a while so we had to do similar things.
Thanks, Liz! I hope your son likes the water a bit more now! My kids have gone through phases where they hated the water, too! 🙂
Sponges, toys, no-tear shampoo and plenty of warm water. When I was a kid I had to be pulled out of the tub because I was having so much fun. Washing was just incidental to the experience!
Haha, I think I was the same way as a child! Thanks for visiting, Jaime!
My son hates baths, so this will be super useful for us! Thank you!
Oh, I hope these tips help!! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, Shannon!
I think kids who can swim can be left in the bath alone, but yes make sur all things are organized and ready before getting the kids in the tub. Great tips.
Yes, it’s super important to be organized ahead of time!
Have a fabulous evening, Heather!
I love the idea of an animal sponge! These are great ideas for helping kids to have a good bath experience.
Yes, an animal sponge definitely made my girls super excited and playful for bath time!
Thanks for your comment, tammilee!
It’s always better to take your time and make it a fun experience than to rush through it and traumatize the child. We have twins (grandchildren) and I love bath time when they stay at my house. We have so much fun.
Totally agree, Rena! Thanks for visiting!
I love that sponge, and your bathing tips for kids. I tried to give my niece a bath when she was 18 months old and I had no idea how much she disliked Baby shampoo. She put up a huge fuss.
Yes, kids can sometimes definitely dislike any or all aspects of bath time! But by making it fun and playful, over time, kids will most likely associate it with positive thoughts- making it a happier time for all involved! 🙂
Thanks for visiting, Sicorra!
So important to have everything you need ready to go and right there. I love these sponges. I can see why they would love bath time.
Yes, these sponges definitely make bath time more fun! Thanks for visiting, Lisa!
Mr granddaughter absolutely loves her bath time and goes to bed peacefully after. 🙂
Awww, that’s wonderful! Thanks for stopping by,Claudette!
I used many of these tips too, and they really do make bath time go more smoothly. That sponge is adorable too!
Thanks, Megan! Have a wonderful day!
So cute! My three year old would love it for sure and maybe I can get my one year old with the program if I had something this eye catching to use in the bath.
It’s amazing what a cute little sponge can do! Thanks, Becca!
Great tips! You’re so right about the importance of having your gear in order before you get littles ready for the tub.
Yes, can’t leave the kids alone even for a minute! Thanks for stopping by, Rebekah!
Oh thank you for the codes! I’m definitely going to try these, my son would love them! Thank u!
Of course! Thanks for stopping by!
Such a fun and cute sponge! Thanks for the awesome bathing tips!
You’re welcome, May! Thanks for visiting!
My kids loved bath time as young ones. Now they take fast baths at 7 and 8
Yes, I totally understand. Thanks, Tara!
I love your tips! My 2 years old son was hate the water he don’t like when his head gets wet. but i tried this tips for him.
That’s a common problem! Hope these tips help! Thanks, Victoria!
I love these tips! Where were you when mine were little? LOL
Haha! Thanks, Rachel, and have a fabulous day!
These are great tips! I never had any issues thank goodness with my kids at bath time. I did however have a problem of them getting out. They loved it!
Haha, I understand that, Michele! Have a fabulous day!
These are awesome tips. My kids love to take a bath because of the toys. They love to bring their dolls and bathe them.
It’s important that our kids enjoy bath time just like we do. These are neat tips, it would really be effective because I’ve used some of them.
Great tips! I have noticed letting kids participate makes it a less of a struggle. The sponges makes getting clean more fun.
So true! Getting everything organized is such a huge help and toys, well that just makes them stay in just long enough to prune 😀
My first son hated baths from the time he was born until 2 years old but my second little was the exact opposite. He was a water baby from birth!
My youngest loves her nightly bath. She would love this sponge to add her to her bath routine.
Ahhhh thankfully at the moment my daughter is bath obsessed! Now just hoping it stays this way. Swear she would live in the tub if I let her. It’s great for when I’m getting ready. I can take as long as I need and she’s right behind me not getting into anything!
I have this weird thing about baths, so when my kids turn about 3, I stop doing that and we move to showers. My daughter HATED it. Screamed and tried to run out of the shower every single time. We ended up bringing in foam letters so she could make “words” on the walls while I washed her hair and that did the trick.
That really would be oh so cute for a hand stamp. I love it as a sponge too.
Yes, thanks for visiting! Have a wonderful weekend, Rosey!
I love helping with bath time with my nieces! These are fun tips, thanks for sharing!
Of course, Kate! Thanks for visiting!
What a fun and adorable sponge! Thanks for the fantastic bathing advice!