Many children enjoy bath time. For those that don't, you may feel that you are constantly battling against your child to get them to take a bath even once or twice a week. In their article Tips for Safe Bathing, Babycenter.com recommends bathing your infant in a room that is around 75 degrees Fahrenheit to keep your child from feeling too cool during their bath. Baby Center also advises that you should never leave your child unattended while bathing as they can drown in very shallow water. The following are ways to help make bath time more enjoyable for you and your baby.
Setup
Have everything you will need for your child's bath ready before you put them into the tub. This includes a towel, washcloth, bath toys, a comb or brush, a clean change of clothes and a diaper or underwear.
Let Them Choose
If your child has a specific character or T.V. show they enjoy, look for a kids body wash/shampoo that features that character or show, and let your child help you pick out a bath soap to buy. Using an all in one, tear free kids body wash will also save you the hassle of having to use different products to clean your child. You can also give your (older) child a choice between different colored towels and wash cloths to use in the bath.
Get Excited
When your child sees that you are excited and animated about something, they too will become more excited and curious. Tell them how great the water feels and show them how big the bubbles are getting. Let them help you put bath toys into the tub to get them excited to be in the tub. If your child is no longer using an infant tub and is particularly overwhelmed by the size of your bathtub, get into the bath with them to show them that it is safe and fun. If you do choose to bathe with your child, be careful to get in and out of the tub safely.
Bathing Artist
If you are really struggling to get your child over their fears of the tub, you may want to try bath tub safe crayons or bath paints (that often double as soap) to distract them enough to enjoy the tub. You will want to test these products first on a small surface of your tub to make sure that they wont stain. If you are using bath paints, test a small amount on your child's skin to ensure they do not have an allergic reaction before using it in the tub itself.
No matter what methods you choose to use to encourage your child to enjoy bath time, know that in time they will come around and begin to enjoy bath time at some point. When they are upset, do your best to stay calm and make their bath time as simple as possible until they become more comfortable with taking a bath.
This information is in not intended to substitute for or replace the recommendations of your child's health care provider.
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