Bathing a young baby or child can present many challenges and ensuring a relaxing, comfortable bathing experience helps prepare your baby or young child for a great night’s sleep – hopefully (fingers crossed) with no 3.00am play dates! Take a look at our top 10 tips as recommended by baby bathing experts!
#1: Be prepared – it is key.
Like every other aspect of parenthood, organisation and preparation is the key. Before taking baby into the bathroom be sure to have everything you need set up and raring to go. A supply of nappies, warmBabygro’s and a warm comforting towel to wrap baby in burrito style will help calm your nerves and your relaxed nature will comfort and reassure baby. Using a soft even tone, chat to baby as you gently splash water over her body, assuring and reassuring as you play, it will make baby feel safe and enjoy her bath time rather than fear it.
#2: Use a bath aid.
Babies in water are like slippery little seals, very cute but can slip through your grasp with ease. And to keep baby as safe as possible we recommend using a bath aid and definitely a non-slip bath mat. A bath aid like the Dreambaby Premium Bath Seatwill give baby more confidence as she feels secure without fear of slipping and you can be more hands-on, splashing around, and giving all your attention to her rather than trying to keep her upright.
#3: A little “Bath Talk” is a must!
Did you know that the number of words a child learns by the age of three is directly linked to their academic success? So chat away in the knowledge that baby is very like the sponge you are washing her with, show her the bubbles, let her play with the sponge and as she enjoys her wash and the sound of your voice she is learning. And why not add to the bath time experience and pull a couple of funny faces to lighten the mood and help her relax.
#4: Fragranced bath products.
Who hasn’t squeezed a baby bath product and not been hit by a dose of nostalgia? Baby bathing products are incredibly evocative, and the soothing aroma is proven to improve mood and alertness. Choose a product like Burt’s Bees Baby Bee Bubble Bath for a calming aroma that promotes relaxation and sleep and less chance of a fractious baby before bedtime.
#5: Baby loves a massage.
Massage at any age is a calming, relaxing sensory experience that soothes a tired soul, and research has shown that infants who experience routine touch and massage were 50% more likely to make eye contact and 3 times more likely to have an overall positive expression. It has also been proven to improve alertness and cognitive performance in babies too. So not only does it make them feel good it is good for them. Timing is the key, so delay if baby is hungry or expecting a feed and try to incorporate the massage into your bath time routine as early as possible, so it’s a part of the bathing experience baby comes to expect and enjoy. Use either a baby massage oil or lotion such as the Burt’s Bees Baby Calming Lotion.
#6: No trouble with bubbles!
Help baby’s bath time become a fun, sensory experience that they look forward to as you incorporate fragrance and the all-important bubble count into the mix. Bubbles are not only fun but they also help young babies develop hand-eye coordination and discover objects exist even when they can’t be fully seen. Let baby splash around in the bubbles, as they enjoy floating in the water and maybe even a sneaky taste and smell. As you introduce toys and bubbles into babies bath time it will help baby to learn about what sinks and what floats and helps to prepare baby for swimming as she gets older, as she will equate her time in the water with exploration, fun and relaxation.
#7: Splish Splash babies taking a bath.
Splashing is brilliant for baby, instead of trying to calm baby down, why not join her, as splashing helps baby to learn cause and effect. The more you expose baby to during her bath time experience the more she will be receptive to new experiences, so toys of different shapes, and textures and plenty of splashing are all in order
#8: Why not make a bath time playlist?
Many of us have soundtracks for exercise, for relaxing, for the car even but have you thought of a playlist for baby’s bath time? Bath time songs can stimulate parts of baby’s brain that are responsible for memory. Songs such as 5 Little Ducks, or Splish, Splash, Splosh even songs from her favourite TV shows are all great additions to her very own bath time playlist.
#9: Show baby affection.
Always show love and be loving when baby is in the bath. Actions such as blowing kisses, laughing or gently and lovingly touching your baby can create incredibly gorgeous memories for her that will last a lifetime. As smell and touch are stimulated, just like an adult, baby will link those feel good memories to the fragrance or scent through smell. Make all minutes count.
#10: Cuddle time.
Research has shown that close contact between mum and baby calms a baby’s breathing which highlight’s just how importantpost bath cuddles are. And who can resist a beautifully clean, cute, and lovely scented baby, hugs all round!
