Splashing around. Playing with bubbles. Soaking in the warm water. Pretending you’re a superhero duck trying to rescue the other ducks from a fierce octopus.
That’s what bath time is all about when you’re a baby and toddler. It helps you to prepare for the daily bedtime ritual. And it gets baby nice and clean.
For some, bath time is the best part of every parent’s day. For others, it’s a time where baby screams and cries because they feel terrified of the water.
Whether you’re bathing baby in the kitchen sink, plastic tub, or your bath tub, there are plenty of things you can do to improve the bath time experience for little ones (and ensure that bath time doesn’t equate with parents-wanting-to-tear-their-hair-out time).
Also, there’s no rush to start bathing your baby: the World Health Organization advises waiting 24 hours after birth to bathe baby for the first time, and the NHS recommends the “topping and tailing” method – where you wash face, neck, hands and bottom out of the tub – for small babies, which works well until parents feel confident about washing their children in the bath.
Here are some top tips on how to make bath time fun for baby, with advice from maternity nurse, mum of three and Blissful Baby Expert blogger Lisa Clegg.
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