How do I Encourage my Child's Independence at Bathtime?

There are plenty of ways to make bath time fun and productive. Cuddledry and Babbu explore how to encourage independence at bath time!

How to encourage independence at bathtime 

Here at Cuddledry, we’re passionate about making bathtime as easy and stress-free as we can for new parents. And as your child grows older, we’re all about making it fun, too! This week we’ve teamed up with our friends at Babbu, the UK’s first online nursery- designed to support, reassure and empower parents and their children in the first critical few years. Babbu have very kindly agreed to share their thoughts on how you can encourage independence at bathtime with your child. 

Read on to discover their top tips, and how you can make bathtime a really valuable learning experience.

Babbu says,

“Bathtime can be a fun and educational experience for children of all ages. With the right tools and guidance, parents can help their kids learn how to become more independent throughout bathtime. There are plenty of ways to make bath time both fun and productive. Let's explore some tips on how to encourage independence at bath time!”

Independence in the bath tub

Bathtime can be a little scary at first, and it’s not always easy to hand over the reigns- but don’t be afraid to let them have some age appropriate responsibilities. Here’s Babbu’s advice:

“Have them turn on the water, ensuring that the right tap is turned, or allow them to choose three or four toys to play with. Giving your little one a small responsibility makes them feel important.

When in the bath, your little one may want to try how to soap up the sponge or pour some lotion onto it too. Let your little one hear the words ‘more’ or ‘less’ as they squeeze the bottle, as this will also allow them to distinguish between quantities - perfect for early mathematical learning!

Ask questions such as ‘Can you wash your nose?’, as this will help them make connections between their body part and its name. You can always demonstrate this if they find it hard to identify it without a mirror and seeing themselves.”

We recommend a silly soft bamboo washcloth or a natural sea sponge to help little ones learn how to wash themselves independently. Both are small enough for little hands to hold and safe to use on delicate skin, so perfect for babies, toddlers and beyond.

Getting out of the bath

Getting out of the bath can be just as much fun as being in there- especially if your little ones has a super cute dress up towel from our Bamboo Fun collection. We’re taking dinosaur, bunny, panda, penguin, monkey and even a cheeky elf!

Babbu’s tips for fostering independence when getting out of the tub centre around getting dry too:

“When your little one is out of the bath, hand them the towel! Encourage them to hold the towel, and let them explore how to dry themselves. Give your little one time to see how a dry towel becomes damp after use and their body becomes dry. If you like, you can help your little one understand this by feeling the damp towel too.”

Getting dressed

Fed up of the ‘time to get dressed’ battle? Let them take over. Babbu says,

“Allow your little one to choose their clothes for bedtime or the daytime, depending on when bathtime happens during the day. Describe the clothes that they have chosen too, for example, “You chose the red striped top, you must love that top!”.

This helps your little one develop and extend their vocabulary and language relating to colours and patterns. As they are choosing which clothes to put on first, ask them questions such as “I wonder where your socks belong, do they go on your hands or your feet?”. Asking silly questions like this provides your little one with a bit of fun and makes what could be a ‘chore’ into a more welcome task.”

About Babbu

“Our activities respect children’s individuality allowing them to be true to themselves, help develop their respect for others, the community and the environment. We provide tailored educational activities and content to support parents, at home – our aim is to make Early Years Education easy, accessible and fun.”

Join our community here: Your Virtual Village | Take advantage of 3 months’ free access to Babbu here!"