Tiny Tikes 101: Teach Your Little Ones How to Bathe Themselves

As a new parent, you’ll spend countless hours bathing your child, from their time as a newborn through their infancy and toddlerhood. It’s vital to keep them clean and they need your supervision in order to stay safe.

The older they get, however, the more they’ll be able to understand how to bathe themselves. It’s a gradual transition, but one that can pay off tremendously. Here are four ways to teach your little ones how to bathe themselves.

1. Show them how to wash properly

Children can learn behaviors very easily. In order to give them the most positive and thorough education possible when it comes to bathing, you need to show them how to do everything, from soaping up to washing off. When you’re bathing them, narrate what you’re doing so that they understand each step. The more you drive this home, the more they will understand the importance of proper washing.

2. Tell them why we wash

It might be difficult for your children to be motivated to bathe themselves if they don’t understand why bathing is important in the first place. When bathing them, tell them about how we need to stay clean in order to get rid of dirt, smell good, and feel well. They will be much more likely to enjoy the bathing experience if they can understand why they’re taking baths in the first place.

3. Give them some control

In order to help your child transition to independent bathing, you want to start slowly. Give them the opportunity to learn about the functions of the bathtub and how to wash. Make sure you have good working faucets from somewhere like Build.ca so they can easily learn how to work them.

You can let them control the faucets when the water starts running. Allow them to adjust the temperature of the water so that they can choose their preferred water temperature.

4. Be patient

With most other parts of raising a child, there are bound to be some hiccups along the way. Your child might not take to bathing by themselves right away. However, you can still make it possible. Work with them towards a shared goal, and you’ll find it pays off soon enough.

We hope this helps you with teaching your little ones how to bathe. By showing your child the importance of proper bathing and attention to cleanliness, you can encourage them. With these tips, you can help to make your child love the experience of bathing all by themselves.

By Meghan Belnap

Meghan is a freelance writer who enjoys spending time with her family. She loves being in the outdoors and exploring new opportunities. Meghan finds happiness in researching new topics that help to expand her horizons. You can often find her buried in a good book or out looking for an adventure. You can connect with her on Facebook right here and Twitter right here.