If you have three kids or will be having a third child anytime soon, this post will definitely help you. Learn smart ways to make bath time easier and fun for all three kids! And yourself.
Today, Heather is sharing with us some pretty interesting tips for bathtime with 3 kids. I’m so excited to be posting this here because bath time with 2 in my home can be pretty crazy. I have no doubts that bath time with 3 is 3 times more challenging.
Heather Goffrier is a Navy wife & mom of three daughters ages 6, 3 and 2. She helps moms gain confidence through parenting tips for toddlers and newborns, marriage communication tips, encouragement for moms & managing house routines. Heather is the creator of the 5-Day Email Challenge: “Kickstart Positive Thinking for Moms.” She loves chocolate and can be found eating treats in the pantry when her kids aren’t looking.
Bathtime with three kids can be a ridiculous and frustrating time of the day.
There’s the chaos and loud noises that echo in our cramped bathroom, the water splashing everywhere, and kids arguing over toys while getting soap in their eyes.
Add to that the mommy-alert antenna that’s always up in the back of my mind, trying to prevent someone from drowning.
Also, I sometimes feel like I’m at Seaworld in the “splash zone.” I look down and my pants are soaked due to wild animal behavior. My youngest is still learning that splashing wildly and dumping toys out of the tub is a no-no. I think I need to start wearing ponchos to bath time.
Realizing my pants were soaked again was actually why I came up with the rule “all water stays in the tub.”
I hate getting overly wet during bath time, and I thought it sounded a lot more positive than “stop splashing! Stop getting me wet!” {saying “no” without actually saying no goes a long way. -Isabel} It seems to make sense to the kids and they have learned to abide by it, except, as I mentioned, for the littlest who still thinks she’s a baby seal splashing her fins every which way.
Thankfully, over the years of trial and error, I’ve come up with a method that works for us and makes bath-time with three kids quick, routine and fairly painless. The kids know what to expect and don’t put up a huge fuss when it’s time to get out of the tub. In fact, sometimes they ask to be the first one out.
My oldest often showers now, but sometimes she enjoys the sister camaraderie and playtime they get when they all go at the same time. I’m guessing that the more cramped she feels, the more often she’ll opt for a shower.
But even when she joins in, getting three kids in and out is pretty zip-zop.
Prepare ahead before getting bathtime started
Here’s what I lay out ahead of time somewhere in the bathroom.
- Washcloths
- Pajamas
- Diapers
- Lotion
- Towels
Lotion and towels I put on the floor and the rest I usually put on the counter so they stay dry.
I have this one friend who would tell me about Baby Jolie bath products all the time. I don’t know why I took so long to try them out, but when I did, boy did I love them. They have the best baby smell in the whole world…
And I also have a confession to make. I didn’t use a conditioner in the boys’ hair until they were 3 and 5 years old (just until a month ago), and that was all because they’re boys and I’m a girl. I didn’t think they needed it with such short hair. But the thing is, they have really thick hair and a lot of hair! I started using Baby Jolie’s Conditioner a month ago and I also can’t believe I took so long to do it. Their hair becomes sooooo smooth when I rinse it off. It’s amazing!
It’s important to have a few safety rules both for kids and adults.
Bath time safety rules:
- No one gets into tub until mom is ready.
- I always watch out for younger children diving into the tub before I’m ready. My littles always try to get in with their clothes on. The tubs in our past couple of houses have had a very low ledge. Pretty much the perfect height for tipping over the edge and getting stuck head-first. The older they get the safer they are but keep a close watch on the littles.
- Never leave the bathroom with a newborn or infant in the water. This is another reason I lay everything out ahead of time– so I don’t have to run out of the room during bath time. If you really have to go out of the room, the safest thing for newborns/infants is to take them out of the water and wrap them in a towel. An infant can drown in less than 30 seconds so don’t take any chances.
Things change so fast as the kids get older. You might use one trick for a month or two then abandon it for a new strategy. Here are some of my fav tips to make things easier with multiple kids.
{This SkipHop bath cushion really helps us feel more confident when bathing an infant – Isabel}
A few Bath-time Hacks:
- Use a laundry basket with a towel on the bottom for a little one who needs some stability in the tub. This also gives them a space bubble from other kids.
- Get a toy holder to keep toys at bay.
- Use a cup or pitcher to make rinsing easy. I have a few in the tub because they’ve become a favorite toy too.
Here are the basics of how I organize our bath time with three kids. They get plenty of playtime while I work on their siblings. And, I am pretty much working the whole time so it doesn’t end up taking too long.
Order of events:
- Potty check for older ones before getting in tub.
- Everyone gets in and starts playing. Kids can play while I’m working on one sibling at a time.
- Wet down all hair starting from oldest to youngest (I try to make sure the youngest is wet for the shortest amount of time so she’s not as cold.)
- Shampoo in hair, oldest to youngest.
- Rinse youngest to oldest (This also makes sure the youngest is soapy for the shortest amount of time so she has less chance of soap in her eyes).
- Put on conditioner in any order, typically I do oldest to youngest. If you have an infant they may not need conditioner yet. Skip to next step.
- Kids play while I soap up the others with washcloths. You can teach your older ones to start doing their own scrubbing.
- Get ready for them to get out. (I get the youngest’s towel by my side)
- Rinse conditioner off youngest, then get her out and towel off + diaper & lotion. Put on jammies.
- Repeat for middle and oldest. My oldest can do her own jammies, underwear etc.
Now you’re on to combing hair, brushing teeth and storytime! Then maybe some ice cream and/or wine after the kids are sawing logs. Enjoy!
{If you have any bath time tips, Heather and I would love to hear them in the comment section just below this post. 🙂 – Isabel}
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