Why Our Kids DO Get a Bath Every Day (It’s Not What You Think)

A bath every day? Really. Yes, we give our kids a bath (almost) every night, but it isn’t why you think.

It isn’t to make sure that her hair is clean, though that is a bonus. It isn’t to make sure that we have washed off our germs from the day, though that’s another plus. No, that’s not it at all.

Let me run a scenario past you:

You wake up.
You make your bed.
You brush your teeth.
You shower.
You get ready for the day.

What if, when you went to use the bathroom, the door was locked? What if someone was already in the shower and you didn’t have time for it by the time that they were done? Would it throw your routine off? Babies and kids are no different.

Lets do another one.

You eat dinner.
You have a snack.
The kids clean up.
You give the kids a bath.
You lotion them up.
You get them dressed in their pajamas.
Everyone goes to their room and picks out a book to look at while they wait for you.
You lie down with them.
They go to bed at 7 pm.

What happens when that changes? The kids are thrown for a loop. They need routine. They need schedules. They thrive on them.

When I was a teacher, if I did ANYTHING out of order, the kids walked around like robots with a bug in the system. They were confused, they misbehaved and became loud. They became disruptive. They needed routine. So do your kids.

I have found that this is the key to a peaceful night — routine.

Today I challenge you to do two things:

1) Stick to your routine.

2) Take advantage of your routine. This means use bath time as a 20-minute break from the world. Bath them, love them, teach them — leave your phone, tablet, laptop in another room and be present. This will set them up for a restful sleep — quality time with you before bed.

Use your time while they are in the bathtub to get ahead…

Get your chores done. I clean the bathroom while my kids are in the bathtub.

Talk to your kids. In order to eliminate the (very long) process of tucking our kids in, I have them tell me their stories while they are in the tub.

PLAY. If you are up for it, let the kids play. Give them coloring crayons or shaving cream and a paintbrush. Let this time be a time of day that you all look forward to.

Bring their pajamas into the bathroom. I’ve learned to cut the stress out of bathtub time by bringing PJ’s in. I get one child out at a time, get them dried off, dressed and then they can either watch a show in my room for 5 minutes or go look at a book in their room for 5 minutes, while I get the other kids out.

In the end, do what works best for your family.  Here is are bath time DIY crayons that your kids will love!

 

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