A mother’s gentle, loving touch during a baby bath and cuddle time afterwards ensures your baby’s healthy and happy development. However, the JOHNSON’S® Global Bath Time Report found that while 84% of parents say that bath time is some of the best quality time they get to spend with their little one, many underestimate its power and benefits.
Emerging science reveals multisensory experiences are critical in shaping your baby’s growing brain. With opportunities for multiple senses such as touch, sight, smell and sound to be stimulated at once, bath time is an excellent opportunity for you to nurture your baby’s development. Introduce a few of these baby bath games and make this activity even more exciting for you and your baby to enjoy alike.
What you can do | What your child is learning |
Encourage your child to enjoy with bath toys and sponges and see her giggle! | She is smart, competent and is capable of exploring a range of new sensations during bath. |
Explore and play baby bathing games with your child, like splashing water in the tub! | The skill of taking turns and engaging in activities together is fun and rewarding. |
Cuddle up together after bath time as you wrap your baby in a warm towel! | That she is loved and cared for, which builds her self-esteem. |
Building and Strengthening Baby’s Language and Thinking Skills
What you can do | What your child is learning |
Connect and engage with your baby. For example, when your baby makes sounds and gestures, such as indicating she would like you to read a book, respond with praise and the action she requested. | She is communicating with you through hand gestures, facial expressions and sounds. Reinforce her efforts by responding with sounds and actions, and of course a wide smile! |
When bathing your baby, talk to her and explain what you are doing together. For instance, while washing her feet, exclaim “Look, now it’s your feet’s turn”. | When you talk to your child during such daily activities, it helps her learn new words and concepts. Baby bathing games can be used here to teach small, yet important things like pointing out to body parts or different objects in the bathroom. |
Make bath-time fun to help your child learn new skills. Engage her in innovative baby bath games, through which she can learn something new every day. | She will learn to make things work by copying your actions. She will understand cause and effect when she splashes water in the tub. Her inquisitive mind will explore every new object around—all while bonding with you. |
Sing to your baby or play a song and sing along! | Listening to music stimulates the parts of your baby’s brain responsible for memory. |
Understanding Physical Development
What you can do | What your child is learning |
Make bath time fun and educational by offering your baby a variety of toys to play with and explore. | How to have fun and explore. Transferring objects from one hand to another and using her hands to make objects work, such as trying to get the bath stickers to stick to the tub. |
Point out and talk about your baby’s different body parts as she uses them. Try out some on-the-spot baby bath games to make the task fun! Praise her when she uses her hands to pop bubbles and tell her what body part she is using. | To recognize her body parts and how they work to help her reach her goals. Some inventive baby bathing games can make learning a fun process, and help her retain what she learned better! |
Remember: Part of keeping bath time fun is making sure your baby is safe. NEVER leave a baby alone in the bath. Not even for a second. So gather all the things you will need for the bath beforehand and let the phone ring over to voicemail. Also, be sure to set your water heater below 48 degrees Celsius to help prevent the possibility of scalding.
We at JOHNSON’S® understand the significance of baby baths and their multi-fold benefits in your baby’s healthy development in the early and in turn most crucial years. Use some of these tips during your little one’s daily baths to ensure a range of fun during your baby bath time. Baby bath games will result in a refreshing and rejuvenating activity that both mothers and their little ones will look forward to!
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