Even with rubber ducks and bubbles, bath time with young children can often be a struggle.

Here are some tips for making bath time fun and your child clean at the same time!

Some young children develop a fear of the bath. Try to work out what is causing the problem. Is it the sound of the water going down the drain? Is it the depth of the water? Have they had a fall in the bath?

• To encourage kids to get a good scrub in the tub let them have special toys that are only for bath time. They can be as simple as measuring cups, funnels and spoons or one of the many bath toys available in stores. Put in only a few toys at a time and rotate regularly.
• Think about the toys your child already has that may be good for bath play. For example, when my daughter was three (and hated washing her hair) she had so many little ponies that we kept a couple for bath time – the thought of washing their manes and tail would entice her into the bath for a hair wash.
• Get in with your child - they are less likely to resist if you are in the bath too!
• If your child is not too dirty - skip bath time for a night and just wipe face and hands.
• Experiment with water levels. Some children are more comfortable with only a little water in the bath (remember to only fill the bath up to the waist of your smallest child).
• Try different times of the day - if your is child tired at the end of the day and you think this is contributing to the bath refusal, change bath time to another time in the day eg before or after nap time.
• Change the scenery - when my daughter went through a stage of hating bath time we tried washing her in the laundry sink and she loved it.
• Take your child out of the bath before you empty it if you feel the sound of the water going down the plug is part of the problem.
• A few drops of food coloring used occasionally works wonders for getting a reluctant child into the bath.
• Remember that while children are playing in the bath they are learning. Wonderful math and science concepts can be explored such as measuring, estimating, sinking and floating.
• Allow plenty time for playing and if they don’t want to linger get them out after a quick wash.
• Incorporate bath time into the bed time routine - children thrive on routines and like to know when things are going to happen. For example if bath time always comes after dinner and is followed by stories children will learn what happens next and will be less likely to resist.
• Another idea is to play music, sing songs or tell stories while they’re in the tub. This is an added incentive that encourages many children to enjoy this time of day.
• And lastly, if you are the parent that works during the day – this is a wonderful opportunity to interact with your child. Play, have fun and don’t forget they are only little for a little time.

Always make sure you supervise your children while they are in the bath.

Parent Tips

Jen and Rich - parents of two girls 7 and 5
My wild children always need a bath because they are so dirty from hours of play in the garden.  I do think the warm water helps calm them down and relax, though. Sometimes they bathe together (getting harder to do as they get bigger!) and sometimes they bathe on their own -- spending up to 1/2 hour soaking, splashing and playing in the tub.  In recent months, we've even begun to have a 'spa night' with nice smelling bubble bath or bath salts, lit candles and soft music.

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