The rules are always changing as your child gets older. When your angel is young, you have a tiny little bathtub that you can use for cleaning and that’s okay for awhile. So, what about showers? How do you give your toddler a shower? That is our focus for today in this article, trading in that baby bath for a real bath or a shower. We’ll discuss what is proper, what is not, and provide you with a few tips so that you aren’t going into this blind. Are you ready? Let’s discuss how to give a baby a bath in the stand-up shower.
Is it better to use the shower instead of a regular bath?
A bath is much easier. That said, sometimes you can’t always have access to a bathtub and have to use a shower instead. Maybe you are travelling or staying at a friend’s house, for instance. Barring this, maybe you just like the quick efficiency of a shower rather than a prolonged bath. There are a few other reasons why a shower is sometimes the way to go.
Great reasons to skip the toddler tub option for a stand up shower
Aside from being fast and efficient, there are other reasons why the shower option might be a good thing to get baby used to. Some great reasons for switching to showers include:
- Showers are better for moisture – Keeping moisturized and clean is easier with a quick shower (as opposed to soaking in that bathtub and soapy water until pruney!). With a shower the rinsing is much cleaner and less chance of soapy residue left behind. This is much better for baby’s skin and can help to prevent rashes.
- Saving water – Those baths take up a lot of water. Plus, if your hot water heater is small or has seen better days, you may have a fairly limited supply of hot or warm water. Taking a shower can save water and help to ensure that the whole experience is comfortable for baby from start to finish. Save water, no babysicles… it just makes good sense!
- Time saving – Parenting is rather like doing the job for 3 people at your current workplace (although your boss is very tiny and allowed to yell at you all that they like!). There is always something that needs doing and if you are balancing work with raising your child then you know that every minute counts. Taking a shower instead of a bath can save you lots of time that is better spent elsewhere. Just something to consider.
- Less cleanup for the tub – That soapy residue doesn’t just get your baby’s skin, it also gets on the tub and later you have to give it a good scrubbing. By going the shower route then you have less cleaning to do if your home bathroom has a bathtub equipped with a shower. With showers you are looking at once a week and isn’t that better?
So how do you give a toddler a shower?
The easiest way is to get in the shower with your toddler and take one together! There are a few
things that you can do to help keep your kiddo from panicking and if you are lucky, to make them look forward to shower time. A few tips to help you along:
- Bath toys – Make the shower fun! Animal toys that you can name are good but go with what you know. You have a pretty good idea what your little one likes, so accessorize properly. You can also decorate that bathroom if you really want things to be fun and surreal. Do a search for kids bath toys or kids shower heads (either fun themed ones or simply something with a little less water pressure is good) and make shower time into fun time!
- Watch that water temperature – Warm, but not hot. Always test out that water and if your shower sometimes switches temperatures at random for brief stints then make the temperature a little lower in advance so that it is comfortable and a sudden burst of water will only be warmer, but not hot.
- Don’t let them get soap in their eyes – Keep wiping your child’s brow with a sponge or washcloth when you are cleaning their hair or face to keep a vigilant defense up against soap in the eyes. All it takes is one bad experience and you’ll have a heck of a week trying to get them back in the shower, so play a little shower-defense to ensure that your little one doesn’t get any stinging soap in their eyes.
” Showers can be fun and games if you make them that way!”
Enjoy this time while you can
Bubble baths, fun showers with music and flying toys… you should enjoy it while it lasts. Before you know it, your kiddo will hit 6 years old and very soon they’ll be taking their own showers. Until then, showers can be fun and games if you make them that way. It’s all up to you!
Some final commentary
Well, there you have it! Taking a shower with your toddler is quick, easy, and has a lot of good reasoning behind it. If your kiddo is not ready to stand up for a shower yet, one quick trick that you can do is to get yourself an inflatable child’s bathtub. This allows you to simply fill the tub with the showerhead nozzle or to simply sit your child in the tub while you clean them with the water pouring. If your child is ready for standing in the shower, however, then just follow our quick tips and soon you will both be looking forward to shower time. Just remember the most important of our tips, keep the soap out of their eyes. Before you know it, they’ll be ASKING you when it will be time to take a shower. Good habits start early, after all. Good luck and happy parenting!
