Has bathing your little one become more of a traumatic experience than a pleasant one? You are not alone. While some babies love bath time and the water instantly, there are others that need some time to get used to it. Don’t let their fear of the water get you down. We have tips that will help both you and your baby make bath time a fun and pleasant experience.
1. Toys-You want to make bath time a fun experience for your baby. Bringing toys into the bath will take their attention away from their fear of the water and focus it onto the fun toys that they get to play with while they are taking a bath. Get a rubber ducky or a toy boat and let them play while you get them all cleaned up!
2. Let Them Play-Before putting them right in the water for bath time, they need to know that water is a positive thing and can be fun. Fill some buckets or bowls with water and let your little one have fun splashing around. This will help them get much more comfortable with water and create a positive association with it.
3. Choose the Best Time of Day- Giving your baby a bath right before nap time when they are tired and cranky might just put them in a crankier mood. Choose a time of day when they are happy and in a great mood. You want to have smiles going into the bath so that you can encourage smiles coming out of the bath.
4. Bubbles- What baby doesn’t love bubbles? Adding bubbles to baby’s bath will not only keep them distracted, but it will keep them having fun. Let them know just how fun bubbles can be during bath time. Give yourself a bubble beard and let them laugh with you. Put the bubbles into your hand and blow them into the air. Make your baby a little bubble hat and take a photo to let them see just how silly they look. The more fun they have with bubbles, the more fun they have in the bath.
5. Take a Bath With Them- Your baby feels most secure when they have skin to skin contact with you. If none of the above tips help, get into the bath with them to make them feel safe and secure. Bring in the toys, the bubbles, sing them a song. You experiencing the bath with them will let them know that bath time is a safe time and something that they shouldn’t feel uncomfortable about.