Everyone knows that cleanliness is a good thing for all people. It is something that most all of us do on a daily basis and feel very dirty if we happen to miss out on our daily showers. However, what you may not realize is that kids need to bathe daily, more than any other person. This means that it is extremely important that you make bath time fun for kids, especially since most kids would rather avoid them.
Why Bath Time Matters
Good hygiene should start long before body odor becomes an issue. In fact, even babies should take baths frequently, although most do not need baths daily until they are more mobile. The reason children should take baths daily is because they are often exposed to more germs than adults. They go outside to play and may put their hands in their mouth afterward, they go to daycare and cough or sneeze without covering their mouth, they share hair accessories or do any number of other things that you may not want to know about; including sit on toilet seats that are shared by any number of other people. With all those things combined, the chances of illness spreading are quite high. The only way to lessen the risk is to teach kids from a very early age to wash their hands and bathe often.
Make Bath Time Fun for Toddlers
Most toddlers enjoy bath time or at least certain parts of it. They may enjoy splashing around, but not the “getting a bath” part of it. This is where it becomes very important that you do what you can to make it more fun for them. You can do this easily using bath toys that are designed to entertain them. You can have basketball hoops and balls that are bathtub friendly, water squirters, empty bottles, and a variety of other things, depending on what your child enjoys. Toddlers who grow bored with bath time may enjoy having a waterproof book to “read” while they are in the tub or using shaving cream to “paint” themselves. You can also add in a tiny bit of food coloring to change up the colors a little.
Interesting Bath Time for School Aged Children
As kids become preschool and school age, the thrill of splashing around can sometimes fade away. Kids love to be entertained. They enjoy experiencing new things. You can purchase bath fizzes which will change the color of their water or put a little bath slime into it. You can teach them to turn their hands into water squirters or put a mirror down where they can see their hair do silly things with shampoo in it. Many young children also enjoy taking a shower using kid friendly shower heads, which use bath water to create a shower that they can spray where they want to, even on their own heads. This is also a great way to ready them for times when they will one day need to take a big kid shower.
The truth is, it does not matter what you do to encourage your child to bathe often. You are doing them a favor by lessening the risk of illness and teaching them about good hygiene, which is something they will carry throughout their lives. You simply may need to find a way to add bath time fun that your child will enjoy.