Many kids see bath time as wasted time. This goes on until puberty hits them with “I like this kid from class, so I must smell good”. Been there, done that. So, as always, we want to help out. How? Well, by giving you some guidelines on how to bathe your kid by age!
Bath time frequency and tips by age
Babies
Although bathing your baby twice or three times a week will be enough to keep them clean, how often you clean your baby is really up to you. However, in between baths, it’s recommended to wash the baby’s face and genital area frequently, as well as wiping their skin.
It’s also recommended to bathe your baby always around the same time, in order to create a routine. At the beginning, it’s better to pick a moment when they are awake, and in between meals (so they are neither full nor hungry). After some months, you can move that routine towards the end of the day, that way your baby will start to have a bedtime routine.
Needless to say you should never leave your baby unattended, not even for one second. And we suggest you bathe them in a small place, like a sink, or a small plastic baby bath. When the baby is at least some months old, you can actually bathe with them, it will be a great way to be close to your baby.
Hey, and it’s completely normal if you are scared the first times your bathe your baby, don’t hesitate to ask a friend for some extra help if you need it!
Toddlers
Let’s start with the good news: frequency is the same, 2 or 3 times a week.
When babies evolve into toddlers, bath time changes drastically. You might be wondering why. Let us tell you: TODDLERS MOVE A LOT. And they are bigger than babies.
Other than that, pretty much the same. You can move them to the real bath, although we still recommend using a plastic baby bath. Or even putting the plastic baby bath in the bathtub. Bathception.
Children from 6 to 11 years old
As to how often kids from 6 to 11 years old should bathe, well, it’s not as simple as saying they should bathe 2 or 3 times a week. Kids this age are very active, they play outdoors and they get dirty more often than we’d like them to. Taking all these things into account, you should bathe your kid:
- When they get dirty from playing outdoors
- After going to the pool or the beach
- When they smell
So, the minimum is twice a week, and the sky is the limit!
When they hit puberty (or puberty hits them –and us –, rather), bath time stops being a nightmare, so now we’ve established some age-specific guidelines, let’s go for general tips!
General tips to make bath time safer
- Don’t leave your kid unattended. We’re sorry, we know you know, but we kind of feel like we have to repeat this 3493423847 times
- Fill the bathtub before putting your toddler in it. Fill it always below their waist level
- Check the temperature one million times. If you can place the back of your hand on the water without any kind of pain, temperature is OK
- Place skid-proof mats inside and outside the bathtub
- Don’t use soaps every day, since it might dry your kid’s skin
- Prepare all the clothes and everything they need after their bath in advance (or make them prepare it when they are old enough)
- Always keep the room warm
How to make bath time more fun
- Get a waterproof bluetooth speaker, that way your kid will be able to listen to music while having a bath
- Make it a game. For example, challenge your kid to finish bathing before a certain time, that way they will feel like it’s a race
- Bathe with them! Sometimes, bathing is like walking to a place: a lot more fun if you have someone to chat with
- Make them feel like it’s a swimming-pool: when I was a kid, I loved it when my parents let me bathe in my bathing suit, it made me feel like it was summer all over again!
- Get some toys for the bath: this one is pretty obvious, but we had to add it. Ducks, dolls, inflatable balls…
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So tell us, how do you make your kid enjoy bath time? Any tip you’d like to share with us? We’d love to hear about it! Let us know in the comments or on our Facebook and Twitter profiles!
