Bathing Beauties

Bath time in the Kopishke house has not always been the joyful time that it is now. When we first began bathing Tanner and Abigail they hated the tub. They would cry the whole time, so I would wash and rinse them as quickly as possible. Now they love bath time so much that they try climbing into the tub before we can get their clothes off!

In the beginning, we used The First Years Sure Comfort Deluxe Tub that we received as a Christmas present. We set the tub up in our kitchen sink and filled it with warm water. When they were very small we used the sling that came with the tub to keep them safe and cradled above the water; as they grew we sat them in the tub. It took about two months for them to accept and begin to enjoy bath time as part of their bedtime routine. We tried to bathe them every other day or every two days. Since it was part of their bed time routine, we tried to do it the same every time. I would bathe Tanner (or Abigail) while Matt read books to Abigail (or Tanner) in the living room. When I finished Tanner's bath, Matt bathed Abigail while I dressed and read to Tanner. Since the tub is just big enough for a baby, we only gave them one small tub toy to chew on and play with. To clean we used a small baby washcloth and to rinse we used a pint sized canning jar to pour water over their head and body.

Tanner and Abigail have many hooded towels to dry off with; two of which my sister-in-law, Heidi, made herself! We were given infant bathrobes as shower gifts, but we never used them and ended up giving them to a consignment shop to sell. We were given many different bottles of baby wash but our preferred kind is Johnson Bedtime Bath which we follow up with Johnson Bedtime Lotion. We also use Johnson Safety Swabs to clean their ears. We used the infant tub until they turned one year old...in fact their first bath in the big tub immediately followed eating (more like smearing) birthday cake at their first birthday party!

The transition to the big tub was easy for Abigail who loved to splash in the little pool they got for their birthday. Tanner was a little apprehensive about this new space. We tried bathing him alone, with his sister, and even put the little tub in the big tub but nothing seemed to ease his anxiety. Eventually he overcame his fear and began splashing and playing in the BIG tub with his sister. In the BIG tub we have a large Rubbermaid bath mat to prevent slips and a Boon Flo faucet cover to prevent head injuries. We also have a Boon Frog Pod to scoop, drain, and store Tanner and Abigail's bath toys. Instead of a canning jar we now use one of their Munchkin Caterpillar Spiller Cups to pour water over them. We still bathe them at night as part of their night time routine and we aim for every other day or every two days. Now they take a bath together and enjoy splashing, playing, and laughing side by side!