Our kids are always playing around and getting real messy because they’re curious–and kind of goofy. That’s why we love them. We can love them a little less when it’s time to clean them up. That’s if you’re a really bad mom. You’re not, of course. You’re the type who’ll break out games and playful tricks to get the kid doing some cleaning for a change. It’s also a good idea to let the lil’ darling take a little initiative at bathtime, too. Check out these fun tips for sharing the workload…
Just about every mom knows how important it is to be working with their toddlers at clean-up time. Too many moms also know that’s when kids and infants decide to start rebelling. A mom can find that especially heartbreaking, since it’s some valuable time alone with their children. That’s why it’s really important to make bathtime a team effort.
Don’t be afraid to be a good consumer and buy the plentiful products out there to make soaping up look like making an even bigger mess. You don’t have to pay the premium prices, though. For example, any body wash (that’s okay for young eyes) can be used to soap up a kid and make bath time seem more like playtime. Don’t forget to use the soap suds to do a little artwork while in the bathtub. There’s a lot of entertainment in watching bubble art drift downwards.
You can also make your own kiddie products. There are lots of brands of cheap hypoallergenic shaving cream. Mix it with food coloring, and you’ve got a superfoam that’ll get your kid giggling away. Just don’t get confused and think it’s soap. Shaving cream doesn’t really clean up the kid. By the time they’re done playing around, though, soaping up your child is no problem.
Don’t underestimate the power of a plastic cup, either. Kids love to pour water out of them–and it doesn’t take much encouragement to get them dumping full cups of water over their own heads and body parts as part of washing up.
It’s important to keep your kid cleaning up outside of the bathtub, too. Don’t use your different cleaning wipes and clothes just for the occasional emergency. Always invite your precious darling to clean up as a habit. It’s really helpful to have special soap for special occasions–like foam soap at bath time, and hand wipes for being in the car and when out with Mom. They’ll get to be expecting to clean themselves. And then they’ll grow out of it, and you’ll even miss those days when it was a chore.
