How to Make Bath Time Fun for Stubborn Toddlers

Bath time can be scary for toddlers. Most toddlers don’t want water on their face, so washing hair, and some of the other parts of bath time become somewhat problematic. If you have a stubborn toddler, you may have trouble even getting them into the tub, let alone washing them and making them clean. So, what can you do to eliminate the fighting, and make bath time fun for stubborn toddlers? Try the following suggesetions:

First, make it into play time. Turn the focus from the cleaning, washing, scrubbing parts that most toddlers hate, and make it about getting to spend time with mom or dad, playing with toys, splashing, and having a blast. They will love to get in the tub if they know you will be in there with them, laughing, splashing, and playing along. A few bath toys can make the whole process easier. You can get a rubber ducky, and play make believe, you can get pirates and ships, or whatever interests them. Just get some fun toys, and plan to spend some time in playing with them as you wash them up.

Next, give them more fodder for the imagination as well as clean them with a great bubble bath. Look for one designed for children’s skin that won’t leave it dried out or anything that is not good. Look for a bubble bath that smells good, as your toddler will have more fun if they get to enjoy the scent of watermelon, bubble gum, or something else they tend to like. Teach your toddler how to make bubble bath beards, and hats, and then wash them away with water. They will love making them, and won’t even realize you are washing their hair when you wash the bubbles away. Provide them with a hand held mirror to have more fun with as they create clothes, facial hair, etc. with the bubbles.

Set the mood for their bath with a fun bath time song or melody. You can download a song off iTunes like “Rubber Ducky” and sing it with your kid when it is time to take a bath. Forming routines and coming up with fun lyrics to popular tunes will help make bathing easier for your child, and less scary to have water on their head and face.

If your toddler is really stubborn, consider what they like doing, and try to come up with a bath time version of it. For example, if they love to color, buy the crayons designed to be used in the tub. If they love to dress up, get them bath towels with various hoods so that they can be a lion, a bear, etc. Think about your child specifically and consider ways to eliminate their personal fears of bathing, even if it means for the first few times you throw on a swim suit and get in the tub with them.