Kid’s either love or loathe bath time, but whichever way your little ones lean on this issue – there are always ways you can make bathing more fun.
For some children, bath time can come across as too structured, or they may dislike or even be scared of putting their head underwater or getting soap in their eyes.
So, what can parents do? How can they get little kids to be more eager to get in the tub? Well, this is the topic of our article – so if you’re struggling to answer this question yourself, this post is for you.
Here are our picks for 11 of the best ways to help make bath time more fun and enjoyable for your little ones, ensuring they’ll stay in the tub long enough to keep them nice and clean.
Table of Contents
11 ideas to make bath time more fun
1. Bath Toys
Bath time wouldn’t be bath time without bath toys. If you don’t own some already – go out immediately and pick some up!
There are so many different types of bath toys – light-up toys, bathtub dinosaur stickers, watermill toys, and traditional squirters – there’s a lot to choose from, giving you plenty of options to mix things up.
And these also come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and themes – dinosaur bath toys included – meaning there are bath toys out there that are perfect, whatever your child’s interests.
2. Add music
Perhaps the easiest thing you can do on this list is to simply add fun music into the mix without having to go out and make a purchase.
Kids love music, dance, and play with water, so why not combine all three, maximizing the fun and enjoyment your little one has in the bathtub without having to fork out any extra cash.
You can pick up waterproof speakers if you like – or place regular ones out of splashing range – and run through your child’s favorite kid’s songs playlist.
3. Themed grooming accessories
What could be better than a regular loofah? That’s easy – a dinosaur loofah! And it doesn’t stop there; you can get loads of other styles and themes of not just loofahs, but all kinds of different bath time grooming accessories.
The great thing about these is that they’re not just practical; they’re also fun – doubling up as a bath toy, giving your little one a fun way to clean themselves while having buckets of fun doing it.
And it’s not just the bath itself where you can look at such accessories – you can find plenty of other post-bath options – like dinosaur toothbrushes, hairbrushes, or nail clipper sets.
4. Bath bombs
We all love bath bombs. They make for the perfect end to a busy day, moisturizing and indulging the skin with a range of emollients and softeners that leave your skin feeling soft, supple, and silky. But did you know that there are plenty of options designed specifically for kids?
These things are great – and they tend to be reasonably priced – with a box of 6 setting you back no more than $10-15. If you’re on a budget, you could always make your own – it’s pretty easy, and there are a bunch of great, easy-to-follow recipes available online.
Better yet, dinosaur bath bombs include a mini dino figure inside – making them pretty similar to dinosaur egg toys. This means that once the bomb has done its job and fizzled away, your little one will be left with a new dinosaur toy to enjoy in the bath. They often include a set of dinosaur flashcards, offering some educational benefit as well – making them pretty good value for money.
5. Color bath drops
Sure, water is great – and most kids love playing it – but after a while, it can get a little dull. One option is to mix in a bit of color. It’s pretty easy to do with color bath drops – which work to turn the water into pretty much any color you can think of.
Color bath drops are also pretty affordable – with a tub of 60 drops retailing for around $10-15; that’s a lot of baths for such a low price.
If you don’t want to buy a pack and instead want to make your own, there are plenty of great, kid-safe dyes on the market. And with a bit of a Google, you’ll find plenty of instructional posts and videos that can help.
6. Shaped soap
While most of us know that soap bars are available in all shapes, sizes, and scents – you may not realize that you can also buy them in all sorts of fun themes that reflect your child’s interests, including dinosaur-shaped soap.
You could always make your own dinosaur-shaped soaps using a dinosaur cookie cutter or dinosaur mold. It’s real easy to do – just pick up a melt and pour soap block. Alternatively, there are plenty of excellent dino soap craft kits on the market.
This isn’t just great for bath time – it also doubles as a fun arts and crafts activity for you to enjoy with your little ones to enjoy.
7. Fingerpaint soap
All kids love to paint – but some are reluctant to use soap – so why not combine the two? How, you ask? Simple – get yourself some bathtub fingerpaint soap.
This is one that many parents probably have no idea even exists, but we can assure you that it does. And it’s available in all sorts of colors, letting your little one creatively lather themselves in all their favorite colors while unknowingly giving themselves a good clean.
You can even get glow in the dark fingerpaint soap – which, when you cut out the lights, can add an entirely new dimension to your child’s creative, bath time paint play.
8. Bathtub crayons
Like fingerpaint soap, bathtub crayons are an excellent option for promoting creative play during bath time. As well as crayons, you can also get bathtub markets, which are more like pens you’d use with kid’s dino coloring books or printable dinosaur coloring pages, but for the bath, and are another great option.
They let your little one draw on the tub or bathroom tiles, permitting them to be as creative as they like, with their drawings being easily wiped away once bath time is over.
These come in all sorts of colors – just like regular crayons – and a set will cost around $15, so not too bad really, given the amount of use they’ll no doubt get.
9. Bath Slime
If you really want to make bath time different, bath slime is a great option, creating a unique, slimy bathtub experience that your little one will undoubtedly love.
You can’t just use any dinosaur slime or other regular slime products – you’ll need to pick up bathtub slime, which is designed specifically for use in the bath.
There are many scents and colors to choose from, many of which come in packs, giving you plenty of slime for several baths.
10. Bubble wands and machines
Kids love bubbles, and using a bubble machine or wand at bath time will add a real wow factor to your little one’s usually bath.
There are loads of great bubble machines on the market – with a decent one costing you no more than $10-15.
Obviously, you want to avoid anything mains powered – you want battery-operated dinosaur bubble wands or machines, and you want to keep them out of the water, as they don’t tend to be waterproof.
11. Themed towels
While baths are great, getting out of them – especially in the colder, winter months – can be absolutely freezing. This is where having a good-quality, warming towel on hand for your little one the second they get out of the water is essential.
But your towels don’t have to be the usual dull, boring kind us adults use – there are plenty of great, fun themed kids towels on the market. These come available in styles that include everything from dinos and sharks to unicorns and fairies – if you can think of it, you can buy a towel to match.
One of our personal favorites are dinosaur hooded towels – these are great. Not only will they help dry and keep your little one warm when they get out of the tub, but they also add an element of costume to the activity, which makes the whole thing a lot of fun.
Final Thoughts
Bath time is great. Kids love playing with water, but after a while, this activity can become a little samey – meaning that from time to time, it’s essential to mix it up with new ideas, toys, and activities to keep them engaged and enjoying their time in the tub.
For some parents, it can be a struggle to get them to bathe at all – as some kids are more reluctant than others when it comes to getting in the bath.
In these cases, redressing this structured, necessary hygiene activity as a fun activity is a great way to get past this challenge, turning reluctance into eagerness, as they look forward to their next water play session.
Most of all, make sure that your little ones have fun! They don’t stay little for long, and bath time is one of the best activities you can enjoy with them while they’re this age.
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