African Babies Don't Cry: Bath Time Bliss : Fuss-Free Bath Time for ...

Welcome to the April 2012 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Kids and Personal Care

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have shared stories, tips, and struggles relating to their children's personal care choices.

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Bath time is hands down one of our favourite times of the day, I get to relax in the tub and Jesse gets to play with water, toys and sometimes even bubbles. Pure bliss for both of us. Alas, bath time?hasn't?always been this fun, it took me a long time to figure out a routine that suits the both of us, so I thought I should share it with you in the hope that it helps you save time. Keep in mind that I only have one child, but I could see this routine working well with two or more children, it just depends on how large your bath tub is!

Bath with your toddler,??this has been a lifesaver in terms of time management. In the early days, when Jess was a needy newborn, (as opposed to the totally chilled toddler he is now ;)) I hardly ever had time to shower never mind wash my hair, soon I realised that we would have to combine our bath times if we were ever going to both get a bath in a day. We bath in the evening as part of Jesse's bed time routine. I find the best time for a bath is straight after supper, and before he gets too tired. It calms him right down, and sets the relaxed mood for the evening after the hustle and bustle of the afternoon.

How to make it work:

Get all your clothes ready before you jump in the bath, as well as your toddlers' clothes, all laid out. Make sure you have a clean nappy ready, a hairbrush and anything else you may need. You don't want to be running around looking for their slippers in a towel with wet hair.I stopped using a changing table when Jesse was just a couple of months old, and now just lay everything out on the bed. In fact, a changing table is a waste of space and money, next time round I won't even bother with one. I find it easier to plop Jess on the bed, dry him off and then give him a toy to keep him occupied whilst I quickly get dressed. Thereafter I can take my time in dressing him, giving him a massage and brushing his hair.

Run the bath at a temperature that is comfortable for both of you. I like a super hot bath, but have learnt to tone it down a bit, plus Jesse usually sits on my tummy, dangling his feet in the water for a while until the water temperature cools to his liking.

Use products on yourself that you are happy to use on your toddler. If you are going to soak in a bubble bath, make sure the bubbles are natural and chemical free. If you are going to wash your hair, don't use commercial shampoos and conditioners that are laden with chemicals, as these chemicals fill the tub and leach into your toddlers skin (never mind your own). None of the products you use should contain any of these?contentious ingredients:

• SLS ? sodium laurel/laureth sulphate
• Parabens
• Minerals oils like propolyne glycol or petrolatum
• Diethanolamine (DEA), Triethanolamine (TEA), Monoethanolamine (MEA)
• Diazolidinyl Urea, Imidazolidinyl Urea
• Talc
• Synthetic colours & Fragrances
• Diazolidinyl Urea, Imidazolidinyl Urea
• Lead

Give up your?preconceived?ideals on cleanliness.?Toddlers definitely do not agree with your ideals, and spend most of their first years rather grubby, regardless of how much soap you use and how hard you scrub. Toddlers are busy little things, and if yours is anything like Jesse by the time the get into the bath they are covered in mud, sand, whatever dinner they ate, with a bit saved in their hair for good measure. I consider water play sufficient as a wash. I have discovered that when a toddler stews in a warm bath for long enough, the dirt simply falls off by itself. Hair rinsed with water only is sufficient to make it shine again, it only really needs a shampoo around once a month to clean the scalp. If nails are not coming clean without scrubbing them, they possibly need a cut. I cut Jesse's nails in the bath with nail scissors, otherwise find they come clean easily with a soak. Any stubborn dirt such as ingrained mud on his feet comes off with a wipe of a wash cloth.

I will repeat that, a wash cloth and pure water is sufficient for?cleaning?grubby faces and bodies. Don't forget to wipe their ears. I find that if I do my face first, then Jesse's and so on he is much more obliging. If it is a special occasion, or we just feel like a treat we do use a bit of all-natural chemical free body wash with pure essential oils which leave us smelling delicious, but not too often as we do not want to strip our skin of their natural oils.?

Make your bathroom toddler friendly by filling it with clutter. Your bathroom needs to be well stocked with plastic toys (there are great options that are BPA free such as this?Boon 4 Pack Odd Ducks) and an assortment of plastic bottles, cups, bowls and spoons. There is no better place to practice scooping, pouring, mixing and shaking than in the bath with mom. Jesse has become a master 'pour-er',?emptying?one container into another and then into a cup, and so on.

After bath, the best moisturiser is coconut oil. Plus it makes Jesse smell like a little island boy. Coconut oil is great stuff, as well as hydrating the skin it is also anti-bacterial and anti-fungal so it takes care of any bites, scrapes etc that Jess may have and wards off infection. Its also a great oil to work with as you give your toddler a full body massage to rid their bodies of aches and pains and relax their muscles for bed.

As with washing faces, I find the easiest way to get a toddler to be enthusiastic about brushing their teeth is to brush yours with them. Once I start brushing, Jesse invariably wants my toothbrush and so we do a bit of toothbrush?swapping, but in the end I do feel that his six and a half little teeth get a thorough brush. He even imitates me flossing, which is super cute.

This routine takes up a good hour in our evening, leaving us both relaxed and ready to start the bed time routine of books, nursing and story-telling.

Does your child enjoy bath time? How do you make sure its relaxing and?enjoyable?for both mom and child??

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Visit Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:
(This list will be live and updated by afternoon April 10 with all the carnival links.)

• Rub-a-Dub Co-Bathing in Our Tub ? Bath time is more than soap and water! That Mama Gretchen shares how co-bathing with her toddler has opened up a world of cleanliness, learning, and bonding.
• This is How We Take a Bath ? Shannon at GrowingSlower shares her special formulas for babywash and a happy bath time.
• How to Gently Trim Your Toddler's Nails ? Shannon at The Artful Mama discusses some of the gentle suggestions she has received to help Little Man overcome his anxiety of having his nails trimmed, as well as how she copes with her need for his nails to be trimmed.
• Baby bath time and skin care ? Ursula Ciller shares some simple and natural tips for bathing and skin care.
• Want Your Child To Love Getting Clean? Have Them Make Their Own Soaps, Shampoos, and Lotions! ? Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares her secret to empowering her daughter to "get clean." Together, Jennifer and her daughter make their own body washes and lotions which makes clean up time fun!
• Encouraging Self-care Through Awareness... and Fun ? Amy at Presence Parenting shares some tips on how to transform self-care from a struggle into an opportunity -- for kids and adults.
• Caring for kids' curls ? Lauren at Hobo Mama tells you how to clean, condition, comb, and style ringlets and waves on little heads.
• Playing in the Rain ? Jorje of Momma Jorje loves how her family has come to make a family event of showering!
• The Cleansing Power of the Football ? Rachel at Lautaret Bohemiet talks about her son's favorite bath buddy.
• Coconut Oil: Nature's "Baby Magic" ? Megan at The Boho Mama has only one must-have baby care item in her cupboard: Coconut Oil!
• For Sensitive Kids, Less Is More ? Kadiera at Our Little Acorn finds less cleaning is better.
• Bathtime: Just Another Chance to Play! ? Lyndsay at Our Feminist {Play} School discusses the many reasons bath time is important - getting clean isn't one of them.
• Hygiene? What hygiene? ? Sheila at A Gift Universe confesses some of her most embarrassing hygiene secrets.
• Confused About Chemicals? ? Jaye Anne at Wide Awake, Half Asleep describes how to find out where the toxic chemicals are in your house and tips on alternatives.
• Clipping Those Talons ? ANonyMous at Radical Ramblings describes the ways her daughter's tolerance for personal care has changed over time, especially when it comes to nail clipping.
• Sit Back, Relax and Unschool Hygiene ? Instead of focusing on tactics of how to 'get' your child to focus on hygiene, Authentic Parenting explains how to help your child internalize hygienic standards.
• Help! My Tot will not let me brush her teeth! ? Mudpiemama shares five positive ways to help toddlers brush teeth and sabotage the tooth fairy?s secret conspiracy.
• Self Care and the Spirited Child ? Amy at Toddler In Tow shares how a balancing act between independence and connectedness helps her spirited child learn appropriate self-care.
• Hairbrushing is a Safety Issue ? Dulce de leche guest posting at Natural Parents Network explains that although tangles are not a safety issue, self-confidence and body boundaries are.
• 15 Ideas to Prepare Toddlers and Preschoolers for Dental Procedures ? Dionna at Code Name: Mama is sharing ideas on how to thoughtfully prepare little ones for dental visits (particularly those that require anesthesia).
• Holistic Care of your Toddler's Teeth ? Erica at ChildOrganics tells a tale of her children's teeth issues and how she uses homeopathy and good nutrition to keep cavities at bay.
• Bath Time Bliss : Fuss-Free Bath Time for Toddlers ? Christine at African Babies Don't Cry shares how she has made bath time completely fuss free for both her and her toddler.
• Homemade Natural Toothpaste ? City Kids Homeschooling hosts a guest post on a homemade natural toothpaste recipe that kids will love!
• Bathing Strike Strategies ? Crunchy Con Mommy offers her best tips for keeping your little ones clean when they refuse to bathe.
• Bodily Autonomy and Personal Hygeine ? Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children discusses the importance of supporting a child's bodily autonomy in the prevention of abuse.
• A Tub Full of Kiddos! ? Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment has kiddos who love the water, so bathtime is a favorite evening activity!
• The Trials of Tidying My Toddler ? Adrienne at Mommying My Way shares the difficulties she has with getting her on-the-go son to be still enough to get clean.
• Wiped Clean ? Laura at Pug in the Kitchen shares her recipe for homemade diaper wipe solution to clean those sweet little cloth diapered bottoms in her home!
• Snug in a Towel: Embracing Personal Grooming ? Personal care is time consuming,especially with more than one child; but the mama at Our Muddy Boots is learning to embrace this fleeting and needful time.
• EC: All or Nothing? ? Elimination Communication. Even the title sounds complicated and time consuming. It doesn't have to, if you adapt it to meet your family's needs, says Jennifer at True Confessions of a Real Mommy.
• Routine Battles ? In a guest post at Anktangle, Jorje of Momma Jorje outlines a simple incentive to help inspire your little one to follow a routine.
• Redefining Beauty For My Daughter ? Justine at The Lone Home Ranger relays her struggle to define her own femininity and how her preschooler unexpectedly taught her a lesson in true beauty.
• Rub-A-Dub-Dub, Three Girls In The Tub ? Chrystal at Happy Mothering shares how she turns bath time into a few minutes of peace and quiet.
• Montessori-Inspired Activities for Care of Self ? Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now has a roundup of Montessori-inspired activities for care of self and ideas for home environments that encourage independence.
• 10 Gentle Tips for Little Ones Who Hate the Bath ? Kim at life-is-learning gives 10 tips to get your little one into the bath and maybe even enjoying it.
• The Boy With The Long Hair ? Liam at In The Now discusses his son's grooming choices.
• Personal Care in a Montessori Home ? Melissa at Vibrant Wanderings shares a summary of the ways she has organized her family's home to make for easy, Montessori-inspired toddler personal care.
• Styling Kids ? Kellie at Our Mindful Life is letting her kids decide what to look like.
• Clean Kids: Laundry and Bath Tips ? Kimberly at Homeschooling in Nova Scotia shares tips on how to get your children helping with laundry plus recipes for laundry and liquid soap.
• How to Clean Your Children Naturally: A Tutorial ? Erika at Cinco de Mommy shows you how to clean your children.
• Cleaniliness is next to... dirt ? The lapse-prone eco-mom (Kenna at Million Tiny Things) sometimes forgets to bathe the kids. Except in the mud pit.

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