Bathing a toddler two to three times a week is plenty. Toddlers don’t need to be bathed daily. Instead of giving a daily bath, you could “top and tail”, where you wash their face and genitals with a flannel. Washing every day can dry out your child’s skin. But, if you wish, you can bathe them every day.
Can You Leave A Toddler Alone In The Bath?
Leaving a toddler alone in the bath is not a good idea. Even just an inch or a few centimetres of water can result in drowning. If you ever need to leave the bathroom, during bath-time, take the toddler or baby out of the bath and wrap them in a towel. The best thing is to have everything ready next to the bath before you place the babies or toddlers in there.
Is It Better To Bathe My Toddler In The Morning Or Evening?
It is completely up to you when you bathe your toddler. Most people choose to bathe their toddlers in the evening as it is less of a rush and it provides a calming activity for them before bedtime.
A lot of people work or will have plans for the day so bathing a toddler in the morning won’t fit into those plans.
Bathing a toddler in the evening can help them as part of a bedtime routine. The bath water raises their body temperature which in turn causes a lowering of body temperature making their bodies feel like it’s night-time and that it’s time for bed.
What Should I Bathe My Toddler With?
Bathing your toddler with bath bubbles or soap is great. The bubbles provide something to play with whereas the soap is great for saving the environment as less plastic has been used in its packaging.
What Toys Are Good For Toddler Bath-Times?
Toys which provide open-ended fun are the best type of bath toys. We’ve found that play buckets are great because our girls can collect bubbles in them, they can try to transport water round the bath with them, they can hide them under the bubbles or they can carry letters or small dolls in them.
There are also toys which squirt water and tubes which suction onto the side of the bath and your toddler can pour water into them for some bath-time fun.
Our daughter also enjoys bath crayons. They can draw on the side of the bath and it easily washes off.
Bath books are also a big hit.
How Hot Should My Toddler’s Bath Be?
Your toddler’s bath should be warm but not hot. Put your own arm or elbow into the water to see how warm it is and whether or not you could withstand sitting in it yourself.
If you are using a bath thermometer, 37°C or 38°C are good temperatures for a toddler’s bath.
My toddlers like to play in the water for a while so if it starts to get too cool, I top it up with some more warm water.
How Can I Keep My Toddler Safe In The Bath?
- Always watch them.
- Help them sit down so they don’t slip over.
- Keep the water at a safe temperature for them. Not too hot or too cold.
- Talk to them about what to do if they do go under the water: Get their nose and mouth out of the water so they can breathe.
- Provide them with toys to keep them stimulated and happy.
- Keep electrical items away from the bath.
If your toddler becomes too upset and is not acting safely in the water, take them out and give them a wash with a flannel on dry land.
Never trust an older toddler to look after a younger toddler or baby in the water. An adult or sensible older child over 10 must always be watching young children in the bath.
Drowning can happen in seconds.
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