Bath Time is Fun Time
Sing-Along Sessions
Jazz up the scrubbing and soaking with a sing-along. You can choose a favorite tune from a cartoon or an old favorite from your childhood. Encourage your child to sing along as you bathe him, said Akabas. "You can sing anything and enhance [it] with scrubbing, clapping and splashing to the music."
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Performance Play
Transform the tub into a theater with character play. Prompt your child to act out her favorite story and incorporate the bathing into her performance. Or bring toys into her make-believe world. Tell her that her doll or plastic character also needs a bath, and ask her to wash it as you bathe her, suggested Akabas. "Toddlers love to pretend they're grown up, so they'll enjoy going through all the same steps of giving a bath."
Bath-Time Lessons
Keep your child spotless as well as smart with fun educational activities during bath time. Use wall stickers with numbers and letters to keep the school lessons going while splashing around in the tub. Akabas suggests taking turns, giving each other fun word and number problems to solve between scrubs.
Finger Painting
Encourage your child to express his creative side with bathtub paint or shaving cream. Break out the paint brushes or have him dig right in with his fingers and decorate the tub with the easily rinsed paint. "Allow your child to paint his own masterpiece, or challenge him to draw specific shapes and letters or words on the bathtub walls," said Amanda Mathews, pediatric occupational therapist.
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Silly Hairstyles
Hardly anything will make your child giggle like a silly game of beauty shop in the tub. Rid those fears of hair washing by creating a sleek Mohawk or crazy spikes with shampoo suds. Mathews suggests having a mirror handy so your kiddo can check out the hilarious styles. "This will ideally help your child to be more willing to have her hair washed," Mathews said.
Pool Party
If the sun isn't shining, throw a pool party in the bath. With a swimsuit, beach balls and a beach bucket, you can turn bath time into fun without the sun. All beach parties include splashing, so prepare your floor with a dry towel. "This helps your child to see that it's not a scary experience," said Mathews.
