10 Easy Ways to Make Bath Time More Fun for Kids

We have several bath books that Drew likes, but when it comes time for actually getting in the tub he can be extremely uncooperative.  Over the years, I've tried just about everything to make the tub a more appealing place.  Of course, we've bought bath toys and bathtub crayons and markers, but the novelty wears off quickly and who can afford to buy a new bath toy for every bath?

1. Homemade Bath Paint  I first saw this mixture of shaving cream and food coloring at Meet the Dubiens.

2. Sink or Float Game We grab different waterproof toys or other objects from around the house and guess whether they'll sink or float in the tub.

3. Dissolving Capsules My son is in love with these things. The little capsules dissolve in water and a bug (or animal or dinosaur) shaped sponge comes out.  They aren't really meant as bath toys, but we've dissolved them right in the tub.  (I get these from the dollar store.)

4. Plastic Easter Eggs We threw a few of these in the bath and the kids love filling them with water and then cracking them open.

5. Water Beads  I've put a few handfuls of these in the tub with the kids too.  If you're not familiar with them, they are absorbent polymers usually used for floral arrangements.  You can find them at craft stores like Michaels.  My dollar store even has them now.  (It's VERY important to supervise kids who are playing with water beads. Or are in the bath, for that matter. Don't give these to children who still put things in their mouths, even with supervision.)

6. Tattoos Fake, of course!  We've used these to lure the kids into the tub on a few occasions.  I got a huge pack of them from Walmart for a dollar.

7. Bubbles But not the usual kind you associate with baths.  The kind that are usually reserved for outdoors only.

8. Spray Bottles

9. Colored Ice Cubes Mix water and food coloring and freeze it in ice cube trays. (You have to adjust the temperature of the bath to compensate for the ice, obviously.)

10.  Colored Bubble Bath Growing a Jeweled Rose  shows you how. She also has lots of other ways to make bathtime fun, like sensory baths!

And a bonus (which we haven't actually done):
11. Glow Bath  at Play at Home Mom. Drew does not like baths or the dark so put them together and...well, I think we'll hold off on this one. Looks like fun though!

And some of our favorite bath-themed books:

Mrs. Wishy-Washy's Farm is about how Duck, Cow, and Pig have had it with all the baths Mrs. Wishy-Washy gives them!  They run away and head off to the city where they are completely out of their element.  After being chased out of a restaurant and blundering through a hardware store where they get covered in paint, they find themselves in animal jail.  They discover that that being cared for by Mrs. Wishy-Washy isn't so bad after all.

In Troubles with Bubbles all the farm animals get dirty on the playground.  The zookeeper tells them to take a bath but they create too many bubbles.  The repetivite, predictable text makes this a good book for babies, preschoolers, and beginning readers.

A book that we actually take into the bath with us is Baby Einstein: Water, Water Everywhere.  It describes all the different types of water.  (We've had this since Drew was a baby and Lainey loves to "read" it herself.  She turns each page and says, "One day..." and describes what's happening in the picture.)