Simple ways to make toddler bath time easier!
Have you ever wished there were simple ways to make toddler bath time easier? We were so lucky to NOT experience the terrible twos with our first born child…..until he turned three! I would almost swear the day after he turned three the terrible twos began. I think I have heard it called the troublesome threes.. Anyway, we were still blessed in my book because our challenges were postponed for a year. This was especially helpful since our youngest was a newborn while my oldest would have been two. (They are exactly two years and a week apart.)
Our oldest loved to take baths from birth. I have videos of him playing and kicking in the tiny baby bath as well as after graduating to the big tub. He was always game for bath time! That is until sometime after he turned three, a common phenomenon I know, especially with boys.
All of the sudden, he was far too busy to stop for a much needed bath.
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All of the sudden, he was far too busy to stop for a much needed bath. It got to be more and more challenging to get him into the bath even to the point of picking up his ramrod straight body and placing him into the bathtub only to have him then magically bend his WET legs and wrap those said WET legs like an octopus with a vice grip around my body of course getting me dripping wet and boiling mad. (For the record, that was not a worthwhile method to get him into the tub!) When I finally got him into the bath, he didn’t want his hair washed. So we started the battle all over again. No water on his head was the new mantra, and I had not even traumatized him with a terrible dunking or anything. Even more fun arises when his little brother who also loves baths, watches his big brothers’ antics and then with little brother admiration and mimicry, he joins in on the cries…
“No bath!”
“Not my hair!”
“No soap, just play!”
” No bath!”
Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me! I already thought I couldn’t take anymore. My temper was already at the boiling point. I wanted to yell (which I hate doing).
After what seemed like forever of this ongoing battle, (was it weeks or months? I am already trying to block it from my mind!) I had to find another way or my toddler and I might both have a breakdown. With all seriousness, it was draining (no pun intended)! Everyday, I dreaded the upcoming bath battle of wills. It was not healthy for any of us.
I had to have some relief.
I thought there had to be some simple ways to make toddler bath time easier!
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Check out these FREE and Fun coloring pages:
Fall Coloring Page for Boos and Ghouls (family friendly) ♥♥ Fall Porch Coloring Page ♥♥ Train Engine Coloring Page
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5 Simple ways to make toddler bath time easier!
Make it even more fun!
1. Bathe as much of your child as possible while the water is still filling.
While they play in the water coming out of the faucet, you are busy getting the hard part done.
2. I began to race my three year old to the bath.
“Bet I can beat you to the bath tub!” He is very competitive. This has even begun to work on the two year old at his own prompting, and he is not yet very competitive.
3. We use color tablets to color the water.
Again, I have been known to say, “Whoever gets to the bath first gets to pick the first color tablet.” This gets my contrary three year old moving! (To keep the peace, they both get to pick a tablet, but the first child to the bath gets first pick.)
4. Get crackle stuff.
These are just way cool. They sound like Rice Krispies in the bath tub.
5. Incorporate something fun they are currently learning or enjoy.
For us, we started practicing swimming lesson techniques. My three year old loved his swimming lessons so we could say, “Head to the bath, and you can practice for tomorrow’s swim lesson.” Even better, we could say that he should practice “listening” to the water, and that was when I would rinse his head without getting water in his face since he leans to one side and places his ear in the water. When he didn’t want to stand so that I could wash his middle, we did the back float, then the front float which allowed me to get his middle.
You could also use a show or something else that they really like now.
My oldest is into Wild Kratts (great show if you ask me – you can check it out here), and he actually came up with the idea to bend like whatever recent animal he learned about allowing me to clean his middle section. This is a bit more challenging, but I can make it work. He is happy. I got him cleaned without a battle so I too am happy.
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Related Reading:
How I got my Three Year Old to Sleep ALL Night in HER Bed ♦♦ Back To School Again
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These 5 Simple ways to make toddler bath time easier are the methods the we actually used, and they worked for us. Of course kids are still kids and like us, they have contrary, tired, and frustrated days, but these methods really turned the tide in the direction we needed.
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