Bathtime is the ultimate bonding experience for both parents, babies and toddlers creating a strong sense of security and comfort - but it can also be an opportunity for fun! When bathtime becomes about more than just getting squeaky clean, introducing a sensory element can contribute to your little one's learning and understanding of the world around them. With splashes and giggles a non-negotiable, read more about how to create a sensory bathtime at home!
Sensory bathtime for babies
When you have a newborn, you may think there’s no reason to create a sensory experience when bathtime itself is a whole new feeling for your little one now they’re out in the big wide world. But as they grow, they’ll become used to the feeling of the water and will begin to look all around them, searching for entertainment! And believe us, you’ll need to provide them with some distraction just to keep them from fussing!
To introduce sensory to your baby, start off with our Washy Rinsing Jug. You can use it to scoop up the bath water and rinse it over your baby's body, getting them used to the sensation. You can also continue to pick up and pour water out of it so they can hear the noise that it makes! To follow on, our Baby Bath Brush is perfect for gently washing your baby’s head. When they’re small, there isn’t much need for constant shampooing - but a little head massage goes a long way. Our soft silicone brush gently scrubs and massages your baby’s head - giving a little tickling feeling they’ll learn to love!
From 3-4 months onwards your baby will begin to take much more interest in everything all around them - and while they may not be able to reach out and hold everything - those little eyes will be watching! Our eye-catching bath buddies help to keep them entertained throughout bathtime. From our bear that lights up when it touches the water to our octopus that squirts out water from the bottom and our whale that pumps out water from the top, our bath buddies offer an array of sensory elements to make bathtime that bit more interesting!
Our Stick n Play stars can attach to the side of our bath, or to the side of your bath if you’re using our Newborn Bath Support! The stars have raised bumps of all sizes, creating a tactile surface for your baby to feel and play with. Moving the stars up and down and around the bendy toy create a challenge and activity for your baby. Made from food grade silicone, our stars are also great for teething and can stick on most surfaces making it an extremely versatile toy. With strong suction cups, the Stick n Play can really withstand your baby’s (surprisingly!) strong grip and gives them the perfect opportunity to tug on something other than mum’s hair.
Sensory bathtime for toddlers
As a seasoned bathtime professional, your toddler will be well used to bathtime and might even try to avoid it! Which makes it all the more important to try and keep it as fun as possible. Luckily, we have plenty of sensory and problem-solving toys to keep them entertained.
Stack and Sail Boats
When it comes to sensory for your toddler, they’ll want to be as involved as they can be and put those motor skills to use. This is where our Stack and Sail stackable boats come in handy. Made from a soft silicone, your toddler can pick them up - stack them, make them sail and gather water and tip it out. They’re also great for storytelling during bathtime to keep your toddler occupied! Stacking and unstacking the boats helps put those little hands to work making bathtime fly in with fun.
Bath Buddies
When your baby is young, they’ll enjoy watching you play with the Bath Buddies but as they grow they’ll be trying to get them off you! Your toddler will be well versed in grabbing, squeezing and splashing making our pack of 3 bath buddies the perfect sensory toys. From filling up our Octopus and Whale and watching the water flow out or splash in surprise to the relaxing atmosphere of our glowy Polar Bear. You can also use our bathtime story to keep your toddler engaged!
Ellie Bath Toy Caddy
Our Ellie Bath Toy Caddy keeps all of your bath toys together in one compact container but can also be used as a toddler sensory experience. Not only is it practical, the cute Elephant design is one that toddlers love! One thing we know about toddlers is they absolutely love a task such as unpacking and packing. When bathtime is done, get them involved in popping their bath toys into the Ellie Bath Caddy and let them drain the water out for a waterfall effect. They can take them out and put them back in as much as they like! This helps to teach them about tidying up, cause and effect and gets them using their thinking skills.
Add even more to your baby / toddlers sensory bathtime!
To go one step further, you can add lights and music to your baby or toddlers' bathtime. Ambient lighting can help your baby become relaxed whilst some disco lighting can make bathtime more interesting for your toddler! For music, try out some lo-fi sounds for your baby - or perhaps some bathtime songs your toddler can learn the words to like Row Row Row your boat (that goes particularly well with our Boats!) and more.
To find out more about making bathtime fun and creating more sensory experiences for your little one, read our articles below;
