Bath Time / Art Time
Oh bath-time, such a love / hate time of day. I have parent friends who only give their kids a bath every couple days because it riles their kiddos up like crazy and also friends who see bath-time as a consistent time for their kids to calm down each evening. In our house we are somewhere in between. Our kids take a bath every night because I’m paranoid about school germs, also because our kids usually love a bubbly tubby.
Regardless of your feeling toward tubby time, I’ll let you in on a big secret, the tub (or a stand-up shower) is the perfect place for messy play and art. You just rinse the mess away!
3 ways for kids to get creative in the bathtub:
Crayola Bath Paints
Squeeze some on the walls and leave a brush or two in the tub with the kids. Have the kids use a not-so-special washcloth or rag to wipe off the rest of the paint. It can stain the washcloth a little bit. If it dries on the wall it just needs a little bit more effort to get it off. (I’ve linked to them on Amazon but sometimes you can find these paints in the Target Dollar Spot!)
Shaving Cream
Squirts some (cheap) shaving cream in a couple cups or in a Tupperware bowl. Throw a few foam blocks in the tub OR put your kids in the tub with no water and the whole bag of blocks on a rainy day when you need a fun activity. The shaving cream acts like glue, allowing you to stack and build with the blocks. Shaving cream tea parties in the tub are another fun activity!
Washing Characters
My daughter could wash her little Paw Patrol “guys” for hours. She bathes in them in bowls of water, washes them with bubbles or shaving cream, squirts them with water, wipes them with a washcloth, on and on. It’s one of her favorite activities.
Bonus info! My family’s go-to tubby time bath products :
We have two kids who LOVE bubbles. After testing out countless bottles of chemical free bubble bath, I finally found one that actually makes lots and lots of bubbles! Alaffia’s price is pretty good as well which I appreciate. All of the scents we’ve used have been great, not overpowering.
Do you hate trying to fit all the bath toys in a [moldy] mesh bag or have them strewn all over the bottom of the tub? This tray lays across the tub, holds a ton of toys, drains, and allows adults to still shower without having to worry about toys everywhere. I highly recommend it!
Our other favorite things are these Skip-Hop cups, adding a couple drops of doTerra OnGuard or Breathe essential oils as the tub is filling, and EO Kids Soap. My last tip I learned from a farmer is to add a little peppermint soap into your bathing routine to keep away ticks. I put a little Peppermint Castile soap into the kids tub during tick season.
