even Jedi need to take a bath: 3 ways to make bath time fun!

Disclosure: So happy to share this blog post I created as a Suave Kids partner. The Disney, Frozen and Star Wars trademarks are used by Unilever pursuant to a license agreement with The Walt Disney Company. All rights reserved.

I count myself very fortunate because, for the most part, my kids actually enjoy bath time. Sure, there’s still some dragging of feet when the weather starts to get nice and they want to play outside as long as possible. But who can blame them after being cooped up most of the winter!

But, after 11 years of giving kids baths, I’ve discovered 3 ways to make bath time more enjoyable for both the kids and me!

1. Getting into the bath time routine early.

From the time my kids were just babies, we always made bath time a nightly routine. During the early years of life, nightly bath time served as a way to both clean off the baby food, spit up and whatever else managed to escape the washcloth during the day and as a way to relax and settle down for the night.

As they moved into their toddler years and up, baths became more of an every-other-night (or so) occurrence or as needed (if needed more often). But it was that routine that we set early in life that has just carried on. They know to expect to take a bath before bed…at least a few times a week. No reason to fuss about it. It’s just part of our routine.

2. An extension of playtime.

As I mentioned earlier, it is a little harder to drag the kids away from all their outdoor fun for bath time. But what they’ve learned is that bath time isn’t all about soap and scrubbing. We can continue our playtime in the tub for just a little bit longer.

One way to get them excited about that playtime in the tub is to make it unique to just bath time. For example, keep special toys or activities that they only get to play with in the tub! This always gives my kids something extra fun to look forward to.

Each of my kids have their own unique-to-them activities for the bathtub.

For my daughter, my little artist, it was bathtub crayons and paints. Sure, she could always use crayons and paints to color pictures at the table but these were extra special! These crayons and paints allowed her to draw pictures on the tub, the shower wall, and even herself!

Now my son could really care less about drawing in the tub. He would much rather play with his little Star Wars action figures! So we have a special set that just go in the tub. With those he can create his own galaxy out of bubbles and launch epic tubside battles between the Lightside and the Darkside!

3. Give them some bath time independence.

Once the kids started to get a bit older, I’d give them more and more independence during bath time. Sure, most nights it meant I’d be sopping up a few puddles (or small lakes) off the bathroom floor, but this allows them to really make bath time their own time…and begins to take one more thing off your Parenting To Do list!

For my son, he loves to wash his own hair. And, with short hair, it’s a super easy task for him to do!

He knows exactly which product to use because it has his favorite characters on it – Suave Kids® Disney Star Wars™ Collection.

He likes to call this his “man soap”. Something about the black bottle and Star Wars. I don’t quite understand it but he’s excited about it. So we go with it!

What’s really nice is that the pump bottle allows for him to easily get the right amount of soap each and every time. Which means I don’t have to worry about half of the bottle being emptied into the tub!

Also, because the 3-in-1 Shampoo + Conditioner + Body Wash is gentle and tear-free, he can use it to clean himself from head to toe! Just like he imagines the Jedi do before they go to bed.

What are some of your tips or secrets for making bath time a fun time for your kids? We’d love to hear about them in the comments below!

Also, be sure to check out these new products debuting from Suave Kids! Not only are the Suave Kids® Disney Star Wars™ 3-in-1 Shampoo + Conditioner + Body Wash super fun (and smells great!!), but they also have a Stormtrooper Styling Gel designed just for kids (alcohol-free gel that gives them the style but is still gentle on their hair)!

Check out the complete Disney collection from Suave Kids at http://bit.ly/2hOiO2O and be sure to connect up with them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram!