Which games are best for the bathtub?

1. Bath Crayons

For a second there, I am sure that the picture of a child holding a crayon stick next to a clean white wall crossed your mind. But if you're concerned your bath will look like a graffiti doodles there are dozens of washable bath crayons out there, that will spray right off, but drawings are so much more fun than white walls anyway.

2. Foam Crafts

There are letters and numbers that are made from foam which you can use to bring creativity to bath time. If your baby is really small, let them enjoy pulling them down and putting them up on the bath wall. Older children will enjoy counting or spelling as they get through their bath.

3. Music

Not many children can hide their love for music. You have obviously seen your toddler responding to certain tunes and tracks with excitement. Music is both calming and soothing for babies so if you feel that your baby is sleepy and you want to help the mood to keep on, introduce music at their bath.

4. Colored Water

Toddlers will be intrigued by the water color and most will want to hold it in their hands. For older babies, you can put the colored water in different colors of balloons and play a game of identifying colors. This is a brilliant way of stimulating the vision sense of your baby and broadens their mind to view water differently.

What you need:

If you have food color in your house, then you are good to go with this game. While food grade coloring is safe on baby skin, water coloring drops or tablets can also be used.

5. Glow Sticks

When you come home from work late and you still need to bath your toddler, they may not like it very much because they may be already sleepy or afraid of the water. Using glow sticks is an interesting way of creating a bath experience that they will look forward to again. Glow forms can also be used for the same effect. By dimming the bathroom lights, your child can identify and reach out to glow items on the walls and in the water.

What you need:

Glow sticks and glow forms can be picked from the parties’ decorations section of a store. To use them for a long time, freeze them to preserve their glowing properties.

6. Grow An Animal

Magic Gro toys are recommended for children aged 3 years and above.  You place a small form of something into the water and within seconds they balloon up in size. Older children will be interested to watch everything that is placed in the water growing but the younger ones may pick one item as their favorite. Before you start this game, make sure that you have familiarized your toddler with the small version of the item that will grow.

7. Balloon Games

If your toddler is old enough to have attended a birthday party, then they already know what a balloon looks like. Younger ones will marvel at their efforts at trying to catch a slippery balloon while the older ones will be excited with being able to throw the balloons all over the water and the bathroom. Playing a game of throw and catch makes bath time memorable.

What you need:

Different colors of balloons filled up to different sizes. Most balloons are sold in packs with hundreds of pieces in assorted colors. You might even have some left over from your last holiday or event decoration.

8. DIY Kids Painting

Babies and toddlers love to create messes that involve colors and anything that they can get their tiny hands on. So that you do not have a lot of cleaning to do afterwards, you can dip your baby’s hand in shaving cream and have them paint any part of the bathtub with it. This is the perfect bath time activity for tiny hands equipped with food color and shaving cream. The food color makes what they have done visible. 

9. Colored Ice cubes

When you introduce an ice cube into the water, the task for your toddler will be to catch it which is almost impossible. Make the chase interesting by using colored water to make the ice cubes.

10.  Themed Baths

A themed bath can be tailored to interest toddlers and older children alike. If your baby has just began learning numbers, you can turn your bathroom into a class by sticking sponge numbers all over the walls and have them call them out as they bath. Older babies will enjoy dressing up like a princess or prince in the water as they bath.

What you need:

Think about the various themes that you think your toddler will be interested in then buy items to represent each one of them. You can even buy toy fish for your toddler to fish for as they take their bath.

Every home has its own traditions created from experiences that family members share. Feel free to combine, borrow ideas and mix up the games to suit every scenario. Bath time can be fun for both baby and mum as this successful parent shares tips for organized bathrooms.