Fun Bathtime: A Time of Wonder, Bonding, Imagination, Creativity, and Some Washing

I remember as a child, happily playing with my cars in my bedroom, or perhaps I was engaged in any type of play outside, when my mother would call me for bathtime. The dreaded bathtime! I would pretend I didn’t hear her. I would stall. I would say, “Just 5 more minutes Mom!” Sometimes, if I was especially annoyed, I might even throw a fit.

Eventually, my mother coaxed me into the bathroom and I would slip into the warm water. Pretty quickly, that imagination that was busy at work in my room, would once again engage in the bathtub. The soap holder on the wall was the balcony of a grand palace. The water was a river, a lake, or maybe even an ocean. I would be busy rescuing stranded passengers on one side, or possibly fighting off dragons on the other. At times, my mother would interrupt for some actual washing, then I would go back to the story at hand.

After a long while, but always much too quickly, my mother would stay, time to get out. “But I just got in!” I would whine in my defense. Not too long after that, I stood shivering in a towel, drying off and putting on my pajamas (which, if I was really lucky, would have been warm, right out of the dryer).

What memories do you have as a child at bathtime? Was it a positive fun bathtime, or negative experience? What struggles do you have as a parent, coaxing a child in and/or out of the bath? Do you take a utilitarian approach of – get in, get them washed, and out again? Or do you take the opportunity to use that time as a special bonding time between parent and child, or between child and their imagination?

Full disclosure – I’m in the toy business. I sell wonderful washcloth puppets, bath crayons, bath tints, bath ponchos, etc. In essence, I sell "fun bathtimes."

I’ll talk about those things, but before I do, I have to say (don’t tell my boss), I didn’t have any of those things as a child. I had a wash cloth, that turned into a giant sea monster, and I did have a couple of rubber cars or boats, and maybe a few Fisher Price people. In this picture, I had a plastic cup. I had a towel to dry me off, and I let my imagination do the rest. Somehow, I still managed to turn those things into fun bathtimes.

For a fun bathtime, the number one thing that is needed is to approach it from the perspective of the opportunity to play in water, to get wet, and maybe splash a bit. It is a time of bonding with a parent, and hopefully playing with a few toys. If you’ve been struggling at bathtime, that may just be the trick to get you to where you need to be.

Still, like I said, we sell toys here at Blue Otter Toys. It’s what we do. We try to do it right, and try to offer products that are not only safe and healthy, but which also engage the mind and hopefully help you as parents engage with your children.

Here are some of our favorite bath toys. Let me introduce them and tell you a little about why we love them so much.

For those that want to take the washcloth experience to the next level. We have lions, sea turtles, elephants, and squid. We even have an Oxolotl! These washcloth puppets are made with GOTS certified organic cotton in Europe, so you know the cotton is free of harmful substances that you want to keep out of your child’s bathwater (and their mouth – you know when you aren’t looking the wet washcloth ends up in their mouth!).

The cotton is just right for the bath. It is thick enough to not feel cheap, and yet, not so thick that gets heavy and droopy when wet.

They come in two sizes, one for the child’s hand, and one for the adult caregiver that may be washing them. Typically, adults will use the washcloth puppets to engage a child in bathtime in the first 12 months, and eventually the child will show an interest and could wear one that is sized right for them. A fun period of time is when both parent and child both have puppets on their hands and are interacting with each other in fun, spontaneous ways.

• So many fun designs (25) to choose from!
• They come in two sizes - child and adult - to fit every situation!
• The thickness of the cotton is just right. Not to thin or cheap feeling, and not so thick it gets heavy and droopy with water.
• Made with GOTS organic cotton in the EU.

Our children loved when I would come home from a trade show and I would have new samples of fun things for them. Far and away the most memorable things I brought home for them was the bath drops and bath crayons by Honeysticks.

Honeysticks is a wonderful company based in New Zealand. They started out making beeswax crayons (also loved by my children), and eventually added bath crayons, and then bath drops.

My children looked forward to mixing and matching the colors of the bath drops. Or perhaps they would let the drop dissolve under a cup in the water, then burst to life as they lifted the cup.

The bath crayons easily wash off most baths and bathroom walls (we recommend testing a little spot first), and so it is a safe place for children to do what they always want to do – draw on the walls! We have lots of memories of the masterpieces created by our children during bathtime.

Since these colors and crayons will come in contact with your children in the bath, Honeysticks has taken great care to ensure they are 100% safe.

• Made with natural and food grade ingredients and food-grade colorings. No paraffin wax or other “nasties.”
• 7 exciting colors to choose from.
• Easy to hold and use: The extra-long size and shape makes it easy for children of all ages to hold and use.
• Easy to Clean: Simply give the bath or shower a wipe and rinse the color away with warm water.
• Reusable Container: The bath crayons come in a reuseable container for easy storage.

• Each pack contains 36 drops in primary colors red, yellow, and blue which allows for an assortment of colors that can be created.
• These drops are not just for bathtime – these colors are perfectly suited for an outdoor water table and water play situation.
• Safe for children: Made in New Zealand with non-toxic ingredients and food-grade colorants.
•  No messy residue – after bathtime is over, simply rinse the color away.
• The perfect gift – the non-toxic fragrance-free color bath drops come beautifully packaged in a reusable and recyclable tin, making them an ideal gift for toddlers and boys and girls of all ages.

We know! It is a difficult decision - bath drops or bath crayons? Why not buy the Ultimate Bath Fun Set with one of each. This makes a wonderful gift, and offers savings over purchasing the two items separately.

What better way to finish the bath than with a cozy hooded bath poncho, also made by Furnis in Europe. It is made with GOTS certified organic cotton and is perfect not only for after bath fun, but also at the pool or beach. It is designed for children ages 2-6, but of course there are many shorter 7, 8 and perhaps 9 year olds that could also fit it nicely.

The poncho is sewn on the sides so they can just slip on over the head and be worn comfortably.

• Made with 100% GOTS certified organic cotton by workers in the EU that receive living wages and good working conditions.
• These bath ponchos have the feel of high quality. 
• They are easy to slip on and off without the need of robe ties which can get lost.
• They will last a young child many years (and can be passed down to others)
• Fun designs that will turn a child instantly into a frog, fox, shark, lamb, or lion.