Making Bathtime into Playtime
Bathtime. Oh boy has it been a struggle for us. We have gone from kids loving the water to hating it and finally, back to loving it again. There was a point in time that my husband and I had to hold two screaming, flailing kids in the tub, wash them as fast as possible, and pull them back out all slippery and uncooperative. We even resorted to showers for awhile, which weren’t a whole lot better.
But, FINALLY our kids seemed to warm up to the bathwater. Mia will now climb in willingly and Wyatt will only cry for a few minutes before he figures out that it is fun to splash and play with the bath toys.
Now, I don’t know what turned the kids’ opinions a one eighty, but I do attribute some of it to the toys we use in the tub. We have found that attributing bathtime to playtime has been a huge factor. When water = play, it is less scary! So, with out further ado, here are our favorite bath toys!
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Crayola Bath Dropz
These bath drops are Mia’s favorite bathtime activity. She always wants to pick one out to turn the water a pretty color! This jar has yellow, blue, and pink. They can be mixed as well to make other colors. They are small fizz tablets like miniature bath bombs. We have not had any issues with them turning anything else colors.
Stacking Cups
Some of the best bath toys aren’t even technically for the bath, like these stacking cups. We got ours secondhand, but they are very much like these! With holes in the bottom, they are great for water play! These are definitely some of Wyatt’s favorites. I also will use them for dumping water on the kids and washing out shampoo. They are also a great price at $3.99!
Crayola Bath Crayons
Bath crayons have been another great addition to our bath routine. We have only tried the Crayola variety and have not had any issue with them. They wash right off if removed at the end of bathtime. They also are a great way to work on letters, numbers, shapes, etc. at bathtime!
Floating Toys
A good floating toy is hard to come by. We’ve had rubber ducks to squirting zoo animals to boats that don’t float. The toy of this variety that has lasted the longest is our Nuby Floating Octopus. It floats upright and doesn’t hold water. It can also aid in fine motor skills with the rings and tentacles.
Minnie Mouse Comb and Brush
What comes after bathtime? Brushing Mia’s hair. It’s so long I have to use a detangle spray and her favorite brush. Which of course, is Minnie Mouse. It has the soft bristles so it doesn’t pull too hard and hurt. The comb doesn’t work as well but they come as a set. She usually plays with the comb while I brush her hair. While it’s not really a bath toy, it is still necessary for a tear free bathtime!
Toys to Avoid
While we have found some great bath toys, there are also some duds. We have found that rubber ducks or anything that holds water are not great options because you can NEVER get all the water out and they grow mold. They end up getting thrown away. Wasteful to the environment and our pocketbook!
We also haven’t had much luck with the pull toys that are supposed to swim. We have found they tend to sit in one spot and not go forward.
Suggestions!?
Do you have any bath toys that your kids have fallen in love with? Or any we should avoid? Share below in the comments!
