Cliche but yes, “bath time is fun time”! Had a few tips before on newborn bathing and the essentials but now that we’ve graduated from newborn baths, toddler baths are more challenging. Here are some tips for the a safe and calm bath time for you and your toddlers:

1. Always watch the child. Usually, after shampoo and soap, we allow the kids to have a few minutes of play time in the tub (for our little girl, she loves going inside her pail full of water and she brings different toys to play with sometimes). Never leave him or her unsupervised. There a lots of things that can happen in seconds.
2. Secure all things nearby– your makeup and toiletries and even those appliances that need to be plugged are out of reach.
3. Sockets nearby (if any) are secure and covered. You can never predict how a toddler moves to thinks so the best way to avoid accidents and always be safe is to be ahead in all things- a good foresight on the possibilities.
4. Put non-slip mat or stickers. These will prevent the possibility of accidental falls. Toddlers are prone to slips and falls since their bodies think of the end result of what they want to do so the process to get what they want sometimes are ignored.
5. Put a foam or cover on the faucet or anything the child may hit if he/ she accidentally falls.
6. Let the child sit in the tub. It is when they stand when accidents usually happen. Sitting down while in the tub will give you a sense of security.
7. Do not encourage your child to touch the switches and handles around him. He/ She will eventually learn to do this easily when he becomes playful and more able to do many things. The can slip by accident or break the handles.
8. There is no fixed time for bath time. Bath time duration depends on whether we have somewhere to go to, time (shorter baths at night time), child’s mood, and many other factors like mom’s tiredness level or things to do for the day. Keep baths not longer than 15-20 mins. Sometimes we have shorter bath time if the child is sick or not feeling well. Sometimes, bath times are a little longer if it made the child happier from a tantrum.
9. Teach your child to bathe himself/ herself too. It helps to teach them or at least explain to them what goes on during bath time. Aside from play after the soaping parts, bath time is really not a play activity. Explain to the child that he / she needs to clean his/ her body with soap and wash his/ her hair with shampoo.
10. Make bath time fun and a learning activity. There are bath foam toys now that comes in letters and numbers form. You may also take this time to teach the child his/ her body parts while soaping or washing them and try to make them do it too. Explain what is happening like how things are floating on water, how they sink, how to use the dipper.

Make fun time enjoyable  so it won’t be a scary or stressful activity for you and the child. Our problem is always how to get our kids out of bath time since they so so love bath time. Sometimes, our little girl doesn’t like bath time just because she’s lazy or she feels like something is going to happen and she’ll miss it.

I also play nursery rhymes during bath time. It keep bath time really upbeat and fun!

Here are a few products that are being wonderful bath time aids for family during bath time:

• Bath mat or anti slip mat – we got our from Lazada and True Value. We had to get 2 to make sure we cover most parts of the bathroom floor.
• Shampoo (no tears) – No tears shampoo and soap are definitely one big help. My kids have touched their eyes with soap accidentally but didn’t get their eyes hurt. We use Johnson and Johnson’s Active Kids Shiny Drops shampoo. Trust me, this one smells so good and stays for a long time (actually, the whole day!).
• Soap (no tears) – I just love “no tears” products! Kids really scratch their eyes or touch their face all of a sudden so these types of soaps are helpful so they don’t get their eyes hurt too. We use Johnson and Johnson’s milk bath. This one smalles so good too. You can even use this as their shampoo too. We chose these easy to find products for our kids now to lessen the effort in purchasing and looking for their products. Their bath products can easily be bought from groceries and supermarkets.

Treasuring bath times I give eveeyday to my kids. They also serve as a good bonding time. If energyband time permits it, I bathe both our kids daily (twice. So that’s 4 baby baths I give sometimes).