Hellobee

Bath time with two has never been an easy. When Olivia was a newborn, it meant having an entirely different bath for each child, which usually resulted in Patrick pitching a fit that he couldn’t play in the water, even if that water was just a simple sink bath. I admit I was relieved when Olivia got older, became better at sitting up unassisted and taking more interest in baths because I knew it wouldn’t be long before they were both in the tub at the same time. Right around the seven month mark I started letting the kids take baths together and we haven’t looked back since.

Going from one infant in a small tub by themselves and one toddler in a large tub by themselves to the infant and toddler sharing one large tub at the same time wasn’t easy. Patrick had to adjust to the fact that his space was that much more confined, his splashing had to be minimized, and in general bathtime became quieter affairs. And Olivia had to adjust to the fact that she was mostly immersed in water, being splashed by her older brother, and any toys I might try to put in front of her were suddenly commandeered because Patrick decided that they were “No, mine!” There were no shortage of outbursts and tantrums those first few months, but with a little patience – and a lot of bubbles – we’re now pretty much in a bath paradise.

Bath Toy Storage – This has been one of my favorite registry items. Not only is it a cute place to store the bath toys when they aren’t in use, but you can unhook it from the wall and use it to scoop up the toys. It’s even designed with strategic holes to allow for water to drain and air to circulate. But best of all, the kids love ‘feeding’ the toys in one by one. We’ve made it into a game and do it right before we take them out of the bath.

Bubble Bath & Shampoo + Body Wash – I love this stuff. I haven’t done the research to back up this love but when I saw that it had chamomile verbena, is non- allergenic plus fragrance and dye free, I genuinely got excited. Patrick has had a very mild case of eczema since he was an infant and I have tried many a product (some at my pediatrician’s suggestion and some based on the boards) with only so-so results. When I saw this brand on the shelf of my local Target, I decided to give it a shot and I’m glad that I did! Not only are the bubbles wonderful, with admittedly a bit of work from you, they also make for clean and happy toddlers. Plus, Patrick’s eczema? Mostly managed!

Bubbles – If I’m already using a bubble bath solution (which we don’t always but do often enough to get the kids excited for their bath), then why on earth do we need bubble solution? This is what kept us from losing our cool while entertaining the kids at the same time. As soon as the shrieks became piercing and the whining insufferable, out come the bubbles. Maybe it’s rewarding bad behavior, but we haven’t seen an increase in any of the negative habits. Instead we’ve found that blowing bubbles captures both kids’ attention enough for the other parental unit to shift toys or toddlers around so that by the time we put it away, the bath is a much calmer and happier place.

Whale Spout Cover –When it comes to our bathtub, water plus two little ones and all their toys equals crowded. There’s still room to move about but just barely. The kids are constantly in motion in one way or another and sometimes they end up knocking into each other (actually more often than not). This keeps little noggins safe and acts as a toy itself. Olivia loves scooping a stacking cup full of water and letting it dribble over the whale.

Our Toys

Magnetic Boats – We recently threw out all of our old squirting animals because they had mold growing in them, and we’d been puzzling over what to replace them with when we stumbled across these. Mr. Bear gets full credit for finding them but I think they’re brilliant. There are no holes for mold to grow into, they’re magnetic so they can connect to each other or if you have a metal tub like we do, to the tub. Plus both kids enjoy pushing the boats through the mounds of bubbles.

Pouring Tug Boat – This is one of those useful tools disguised as a toy that I wish I had gotten sooner. Patrick loves using it to make big waves and Olivia loves to pour the water out of the spout. Plus you can use it to rinse off different body parts on the sly without getting your little ones upset! My only wish is that it was smaller. It’s bulky so it takes up a lot of space in the tub and it has to be put up last, with the spout down, in the toy caddy. Otherwise it just won’t fit and it doesn’t dry properly.

Stacking Cups – I originally bought these in the dollar One Spot aisle at Target around Christmas time and put them in Olivia’s stocking because I knew she would like them. And boy is like ever an understatement!  They’re great because they nest, the kids can create a cascade effect by filling one and letting it dribble into another then into the tub, and it’s also handy when it comes to washing whale spout covers. It’s also nice that I can give each kid two and they don’t take up a lot of space in the tub or the toy caddy.

Bathtub Fingerpaints – The dollar aisle at Target strikes again! These were another great find around Christmas time and I lament that I didn’t get more of them. They come in tubes which are perfect for storing and for when you’re ready to set up your little artist’s palette. I had concerns at first that these might stain the tub or that the kids might consume them, so I hung on to them for a few months until Olivia had mostly gotten past that ‘everything automatically goes in the mouth’ stage. I’m happy to report that if you forget to wash your tub for a day or two, it isn’t all that much harder to get off than anything else you might use!

What’s your favorite bath time gear?