Surviving your toddlers bath time

If you have children you know how bathtime can become more of a chore than fun. My daughter is now 18 months but from a baby iv experimented with different techniques to get the perfect bath time. These techniques and finding may not work for everyone but they most certainly work for me.


1) Introduce water 
Introduce water to your baby from birth. Iv heard parents say the line 'I don't want to wash the newborn smell from them' and they leave their baby's first bath for 2-3 weeks! Just think how you would feel after that length of time. After a few days I start to feel disgusting! Even a quick top and tail wash is better then nothing. Don't be afraid to introduce your baby to water. Yes the first bath time is scary for parents or guardians. I was so worried but the more you do it the more confidence you gain. You'll soon be a pro!


2)Using the right bath products
This hasn't been a problem for me as I swear by the Jhonsons baby range and nothing else. My parents used the range with me and my siblings and never had problems so this was what made up my mind to use them for my little girl. She has very sensitive skin and eczema like her mummy so I tend to stick to brands which I know work for her and not try others.
My dad even once tried out the no tears formula by washing his hair in the shampoo and let it trickle down his face and in to his eyes. That being said you should never do that but it proved the no tears formula actually worked.
The baby bath time bubble bath(Purple bottle) seems to really help sooth baby and send them off to sleep. I like to bath my little girl as close to her bed time as possible. Bath, Dressed, Nice sippy cup of hot chocolate whilst having cuddles from mummy and daddy then it's up stairs for mummy milk and sleep time!

Although she's yet to sleep throughout the night without waking a ton of times I'm adimate to conquer this soon.


3) Toys!
Boats, Fish, Squirty toys. There's so many bath toys to choose from these days. Theres even waterproof toys which you put batteries in like my daughters penguin ski toy and her big ship toy that wizzes around the bath. These will keep your child happy whilst the dreaded haitpr washing happens.


4) Hair washing
The worst part of bath time for some children is the hair washing. Some children hate water on their face and some hate the feel of the shampoo being poured on to their heads. My technique is to use a sponge to wet their hair with one hand and use the other hand as a block on her forehead just below her hairline to stop the water from going in her face. With the shampoo I simply just tip it in to my hands and warm it up by rubbing my hands together before massaging it to her hair.
My little girl likes her head being massaged whilst she has her hair washed. This soothes and relaxes her and she even stops playing with her toys whilst I do it. Sometimes she will say 'more' which means that she wants me to carry on massaging her head haha
Once iv left it on for 30 seconds up to a minute i then grab the sponge and rinse out the shampoo making sure im quick to catch any soapy water that trickles past my hand block.
Im now teaching her how to lean her head back and look up to the ceiling.This could be very scary for some children but done properly the child will feel more safe and trust you when you tell the to lean their head back. I use toy which i fill with water and hold above her head just in front of her. She looks at the toy in the air and this gives me chance to wash and rinse her hair. Sometimes she will look back down which i have to be quick to make sure the water doesn't rush down her face and scare her but 99% of the time she keeps looking up.


5) Music
Again for a young age i have played music during every bath time. When she was born up to not long ago i used to play soft lullaby type music but now that she has a taste for music she likes to listen to her favorite songs she hears on a daily basis. He  most favorite at the moment is Olly Murs! I think this is mainly due to me liking his songs too and i played it all the way through my pregnancy and she used to kick me so much when i played it. i think she was dancing.


6) Hair Styling
We have only just recently started this as she would be too engrossed in her toys to even care. It just adds a bit more fun to bath time. All you do is get a bath mirror or plastic baby mirror which you can get really cheap from somewhere like PoundLand and get your child to hold it or attach it to the side of the bath or bath tiles where your child can see themselves. You then wash their hair and whilst their hair is all soapy you style it. its as simple as that. My daughter loves the Mohawk look as well as piggy tails.

7) Splashing
Babies like to splash! Its a fact! A little bit of harmless splashing can be fun. Also you can get some clean water and trickle it on the child's cheeks. This just insures that they don't feel so worried about getting their face wet. My daughter doesn't mind getting her face wet at all. She just sits there and waits for me to wipe it away with the sponge or towel. Sometimes she even goes out of her way to pour water on to her face!


8) Fun Fun Fun
Its all about fun! Making bathtime fun will ensure that your child will feel less scared about having a bath.

9) Snuggly towel
After bath time its always a good idea to have a snuggly towel ready. I use the Cuddlebug towel from Cuddledry. These towels have two layers to them which helps dry and keep the child warm. These are more absorbant then pure cotton towels so it helps when drying your child. They also double up as a very cute looking dressing up cape aswell! My daughter loves zooming around the living room with it on pretending that shes flying!

10) A warm drink
My little madame always has a warm drink of hot chocolate after shes been in the bath. This gets her ready for bed. I may have to change this when she starts potty training as iv read that giving your child a drink before bed normally makes then have little accidents during the night. Shes only just turned 18 months and ideally id like to potty train her between ages 2 and 2 and half so i still have some time to research this.

So now that you know how i survive toddler bathtime!
Like i said though this is just my way of doing things and it may pan out very differently with your child. Every child is different so you may need to try things yourself to ensure that your child has a great, Fun bathtime.

Do you have any tips to survive bathtime?