21 ways to make bath time fun for your baby
Bubble mania
All babies love bubbles. Make them laugh by blowing some bubbles on their tummy. Get them to pop the big bubbles! Or even better, create a bubble bath, and let them soak themselves clean.
Paper boats
Make some paper boats with old newspapers or coloured paper. Little ones will love to see these boats navigate through the bathtub.
Have fun with your little one in the bathtub and tell us how it goes!
Treasure hunt
Fill the entire tub with foam and drown little objects in them. Introduce them to peek-a-boo in the water and watch them fetch their little playthings from the water.
Themed bath
Take inspiration from themed birthdays and themed cakes, and create a themed bath for your little one. How about a Disney princess theme? Colour the water pink, throw in a plastic wand and stars, and transport your baby to a fairytale land.
Shaving foam fun
Mix food colouring with daddy’s shaving foam to create tub paint. Spreading coloured foam all over the walls is super fun and a great sensorial activity for a baby’s developing brain.
Imaginative play
Bring in the baby’s favourite doll to the water. Make it a fun session of imaginative play, allowing your little one to lather her own little baby.
Float or sink
Pique your child’s interest by throwing in various items in the bathtub. A ball, shampoo bottle and plastic toys. He will find it interesting to see what is buoyant and what’s not.
I’m going fishing
Pick up a small net from the store and add it to the baby’s tub. Allow him to go ‘fishing’, and watch him scoop his bath friends into the fishing net.
Water books
Bookstores carry some lovely bath time titles. Indulge your little one in a Bath Splash book, and develop his love for reading while being scrubbed away.
Bath glow
Hand your little one a glow stick, dim the light and watch these shiny lights light up the water. Some little ones might not enjoy the dark, so dim the lights only slightly.
Sponge letters
Cut out letter shapes from sponges, and add them to the bath. Babies will love squeezing water from the sponges, while you do your bit of teaching them letters.
Babies are mostly splash happy. However, if you find your little one suddenly cringing and wailing at the sight of water, don’t lose heart.
Try out one of these fun bath activities to make bath time a fun experience for your little bub. These are not only great for bonding, but will make bath time a memorable experience!
Funny hairdos
With shampoo in your little ones hair, sculpt it into different shapes. Let her watch her new hairdo in a handheld mirror to see how funny she looks.
Bath rhymes
Babies love silly sounds and music. Get together a playlist of bath tunes like Rubber Ducky and Splish Splash, while you bathe your baby. Clap together or stomp her feet in water, to teach her about rhythm.
Water drama
Use old clothing or socks to make hand puppets and enact a little story in the tub. Little ones will love the hand movements while you narrate made-up stories around bath time.
Bath art
Brands like Crayola, Munchkin retail bath crayons that allow babies to get creative during bathtime. Older babies can doodle away while mummy lathers them with soap.
Rainbow ice cubes
Use food colouring to prepare some coloured ice cubes. Add tiny characters to the ice cubes while freezing them, and watch your little one hunt for them as the ice melts!
Spray gun
Have an empty spray bottle to spare. Keep it aside for your little one to play with while in the tub. Babies love the concept of a spray gun, and filling it with coloured water will double the fun!
Balloon mania
Throw in a balloon or two to a baby in the tub, and watch him squeal with glee as he bobs the balloon in water. Mini balloons filled with water work as well, allowing little ones to squeeze them and throw them around.
Foam stick ons
Little ones love stickers! Bring some foam shapes from a stationery store, and allow babies to stick them onto bathroom walls. Choosing foam shapes like fruits, animals, and letters make this activity a learning experience too.
Rain through a strainer
Toss in a strainer into the bath and watch your little munchkin making rain, over and over again. Sing along to the nursery rhyme ‘rain rain go away’ as your bub makes use of this simple kitchen equipment.
Pour me out
Babies love tiny containers. Add some fun to bath time by throwing in some colorful measuring cups from your kitchen shelf, or stacking cups from the toy cupboard.
You will giggle with delight as you watch them empty water between the cups.