Making Bath Time Fun

As your little one gets older, bath time can become a daily battle for parents.

When you're trying to bathe a wiggly toddler, it takes some serious reflexes and coordination. When you incorporate some fun bath time activities, bath time is easier for parents and safer for baby. We gathered together some of our favorite products and activities to make bath time actually a fun way to wind down the day.

Don't get too upset if your fun bath time isn't picture perfect, there's no creative parenting judge. Anything that can bring a little more whimsy to bath time will be appreciated by your kids and make the whole process easier on you.

LUSH's Intergalactic bath bomb in action.

This is Fun, Literally!

Lush's Dragon Fun Kit

The popular all natural cosmetics brand LUSH is famous for their hypoallergenic and fresh ingredients. Aside from their bath bombs that explode into a rainbow of colors, they've also been hard at work trying to make bath time a little more fun. Who doesn't like play dough? You can't exactly build a play dough pizza in the bath tub, but with LUSH's fun you can! They've engineered a malleable dough that can be used as bubble bath, shampoo, soap and sweetly scented sculpting clay exclusively for bath time. 

What can make this brand better? LUSH is a huge advocate against animal testing, only uses sustainable ingredients and donating to charities. With every roll of "fun" sold, part of the profits are sent to build playgrounds and safe recreation spaces for children in Japan.

Kitchen Utensils

Sometimes simple is the way to go. With the help of some plastic kitchen utensils like colanders, plastic spoons and measuring cups can transform a bath into sensory play time. Plastic colanders of different sizes make fun "rain clouds" with fun patterns of water. Measuring cups and spoons can help your crafty toddler make a big bowl of soap soup. Little kitchen gadgets can help distract your little ones long enough to wash their hair without any complaints or fussing. 

Fill the tub with different size containers and utensils with your LUSH bath bomb and you'll be able to make bath time fun with plenty of aromatic oils to relax your little one before bedtime.

Glowing Tub

Nothing captivates kids more than glow sticks. One of the coolest bath time accessories is floating a handful of colorful glow sticks into the tub and dimming the lights. The bath water will light up incredibly bright and your toddlers can explore a neon scavenger hunt in the tub. Dimmed lights will get them sleepy and glow sticks are incredibly difficult to break, making this a safe way to spice up bath time. Kick up your outer space theme with some homemade alien slime! Really it's just food coloring in some shaving cream, but your kids can paint the tub while you wash them up. 

If you're nervous about putting glow sticks in the tub for some reason, did you know that tonic water glows light blue under black light? Try picking up a couple bottles of tonic water from the grocery store and replacing your bathroom vanity bulbs with some black lights. Just be careful, these black light bulbs tend to get extremely hot. 

She Bakes and Creates homemade glowing bath paint recipe

Who said bath time has to be boring?

With a little help from some toys and homemade bath accessories, you can have an awesome bath adventure that will make bath time fights a thing of the past. 

Try switching it up for holidays, events and heading to sites like Pinterest for a little bit of inspiration for crazy bath adventures for every age. 

The First 40 Days Postpartum Survival Guide

Extended maternity is an absolute luxury.

In some cultures, mothers traditionally stay close to home for an extended period after their baby's birth. In Sweden, new parents are eligible for 480 days of leave that includes 18 consecutive weeks of postpartum leave at 80 percent of their salary! The rest of their days are theirs to use as they see fit. 

The United States offers new mothers 12 weeks maternity leave and it is entirely unpaid. Only certain employers offer paid maternity leave and it usually comes with stipulations. 

Statistically, mothers that don't receive compensated maternity leave are more susceptible to postpartum depression and anxiety. Without the luxury of extended maternity leave, paid or unpaid, mothers definitely need an extra set of hands. 

This is where your postpartum doula saves the day. 

There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding the doula profession and many families don't even know what we can offer families that are expecting a new baby. 

Postpartum doulas are by your side to nurture you and your entire family as you make the transition home with your newborn and begin the healing process. Different from a midwife's role, we are in the home paying close attention to make sure the mother is right on track with her postpartum recovery and keep everything running smoothly around the house and with the rest of your family. 

The first six weeks are the most challenging and your doula team is there to cut back on the stress of acclimating to your new baby responsibilities. 

We're on your schedule and customize our care plans to suit your specific needs. We work with the way you parent to encourage parents to learn baby basics and gain confidence in those precious first weeks. Since we offer overnight care, sleepless nights for new moms are things of the past. Sleep is incredibly important for postpartum mothers as they regain their strength, begin a breastfeeding routine and heal from birth. We'll take over newborn care in the evening to encourage mothers to get a peaceful and restful night's sleep they can count on. 

Getting your little one on feeding and sleeping schedules can be difficult with the "back to work deadline" looming overhead. Your postpartum doula comes with a little extra peace of mind that you'll be on a healthy schedule for pumping, feedings and naptime no matter how soon you expect to return to work. 

Your maternity leave may be short but it doesn't have to be stressful. 

A good support system is crucial for any mother bringing home a new baby and your postpartum doula is there to give you the help you need every step of the way.

After all, teamwork makes the dream work. 

Newborn Instincts

Your newborn is amazing.

And for more reasons than you might think.

Aside from being exceptionally cute, they have incredible instincts that are broken down to 9 specific stages in their first few hours postpartum.

When you meet your new baby you might be wondering how they know to start feeding, how they can hold onto you and have all these instincts that help them transition to their first day in the great big world. 

The Birth Cry

This is music to every new mother's ears. That initial cry indicates a healthy gasp of air for the first time, as the lungs expand. This is the first peep you'll hear out of your new baby and it's incredible to hear. There's nothing to be concerned about, all babies need to let out a gasp and a cry to get the fluid out of their lungs and start breathing air outside the womb.

Relaxation

Birth is exhausting! Once they've cried a healthy supply of oxygen into their new lungs, it's time to take a load off. During this stage, the body relaxes and the baby gets bundled into a warm towel, blanket or gets warm skin to skin contact with mom. They're usually not "awake or alert" during this stage and just relaxing from the stress of birth.

Waking 

Good morning sunshine! After getting some time to relax, a newborn wakes up. A little under five minutes into the world, a baby wakes up and starts moving around. After all there's plenty to see in this new space and tons of room to start wiggling around. During the awakening stage, a newborn will start opening their eyes, moving hands, arms shoulders and feet while opening their mouth. Sometimes babies will even crack a smile.

Activity

Around ten minutes after birth, a newborn is awake and starting their rooting reflexes. You'll see more mouth movements and they'll start rooting around for their first meal. They've been through quite the journey and it's just about dinner time. 

Rest

At any point in the first hour or so postpartum, a new baby might take the opportunity to rest. New babies have quite a bit of developing to do and require a ton of rest. Through the first hour or so after birth, your baby will periodically rest or doze off in between activity. 

Crawling

While they can't crawl across the floor, your baby can actually do a fair amount of crawling. It's incredible how they can move so much of their body weight so soon after birth and within the first half hour, they're crawling toward a mother's breast to start feeding. Crawling isn't exactly what you'd think and it's more like reaching and searching for food. 

Familiarization

Everything is so new and where's a baby to find some directions? During familiarization, a newborn is acquainting themselves with the mother's skin, breast and nipple. This will help them feed better and be the first bonding experience the mother and baby will share. This is an opportunity for skin to skin contact, keeping the baby warm and familiarizing with the scent, feel and sound of their mother outside the womb. 

Feeding

Time for dinner. During the 8th phase, the newborn begins suckling and feeding. The newborn gets itself to this point when they're ready and it usually takes between 40 minutes to an hour to get them to latch for the first time. They won't consume too much volume, but don't worry there will be plenty of time to fill their bellies later on. Your labor doula can help you facilitate this process and find a position that's comfortable for you and your new baby. 

Sleep

What a day! After they've suckled, the newborn (and the mother) usually falls asleep. They've been through a lot and it's left them exhausted. A new baby typically sleeps 1 to 2 hours after birth and will snooze on and off all day and night throughout the first few weeks. 

What a process!

It's incredible how many instincts help a new baby transition into the world in their first hour after birth. Knowing these stages help parents prepare and relax as they watch their new baby take their first breaths, learn to eat and how to snooze.