Feedings. Diaper changes. Picking outfits. Bath time. Bedtime. That about sums up the baby experience, no? I mean, there are about a thousand feedings and diaper changes. And if your skills in the diapering arena are lacking, you’ll have a ton of outfits to pick out, too. But given the nature of things, my feeding experience is limited to a bottle or two a day. And Brittany judges my fashion sense, so dressing O is right out. Bedtime is certainly a family affair with pajamas, a story, laying in bed, and playing with her hair. That leaves Daddy with clean-up duty. Diaper changes and bath time are my domain, and thus, the best time for Baby and Daddy bonding.
The Bath Time Project: My Approach
Like anything else in my life, I take bath time on as a serious DIY project. Supplies obtained, an idea of what I want to accomplish put together, research on best practices completed, and time set aside to get it done. Mom: go read your book or do whatever. Dad’s got this covered.
First, Gather the Supplies
LatherUp’s LatherMitts
Yup. They’re exactly how they sound. They’re gloves that are wash clothes. Or wash clothes that are gloves. Whatever. They’re awesome. We do a good amount of co-bathing, so the gloves serve two very important purposes: they obviously help me soap up the little bugger, but truly, the intent is to keep a grip on the baby. Water, slippery soap, and hard surfaces are a potentially dangerous combination. The mitts get soapy enough to get baby’s skin covered comfortably, but not so soapy that you’d ever feel nervous of dropping her.
From a health and safety standpoint, there are a couple key features I’d like to point out. First, there are neoprene strips that run along the fingers. For those unfamiliar, it’s the material of scuba suits. This is where the grip comes into play. Since it’s basically a coated rubber, it doesn’t absorb soap and water. It’s also resistant to mold and oil, so it stays in great shape for a long time. Second, the glove itself is organic cotton. It’s soft and smooth. Perfect for baby’s skin. And when you’re done with bath, we toss them in with the rest of her clothes in the washer. I think technically you can dry them, but I figure they’ll just get wet again, so we let them air dry and avoid additional wear and tear.
Don’t take my word for it. Rock some of these stylin’ gloves in the bath sometime. You’ll look and feel great. Seriously, though, if you’ve ever held a squirmy and slippery baby with one hand while trying to use a tiny wash cloth in the other, you’ll know that these are a bath time savior. 100% less stress; 100% more fun and bonding time.
Zensational Organics Baby Bubbles
You probably remember a review we did of Zensational Organics a while back. Suffice it to say, we’ve stuck with them and are using Baby Bubbles for soap. Baby Bubbles is a super gentle, organic, all natural soap that comes in an easy to dispense pump. The soap itself is super simple; the first four ingredients are water, coconut oil, olive oil, and vegetable glycerin (what makes soap soap). There’s no added scents that can be irritating to baby skin. Just a few pumps into your gloves and you are good to go.
Just as an added note, keep in mind to avoid the cord stump for the first several weeks. In fact, it’s usually recommended you stick with sponge baths until you can submerge baby after the stump dries out. We used this soap from birth, but we were super careful to avoid the belly button.
Panda and Penguin Bath Towels
After bath time comes the not so fun part. Taking baby out of the warm water where she’s comfy to the nice cold air. If that doesn’t reduce the little one to tears, I don’t know what will. I’ve always got our cute owl towel waiting for her. Hooded towels are so hot right now. And while they may not literally be hot, they will warm your baby up in a hurry. Also: be sure to dry SUPER FAST, LIKE FASTER THAN FAST because she’s probably not wearing a diaper. That is like playing Russian Roulette. If you do it right, you can have her dried, diapered, and an adorable nighttime picture taken for Nana and Papa in a matter of minutes. Just pick out the pajamas and get that baby to sleep.
A Job Well Done
Bath time can be stressful, but it shouldn’t be. I was certainly nervous the first 15 or so times, but the last three or four have been pretty great. She loves bath time and it just puts her right to sleep. Whether Baby and Daddy bath time is a great bonding experience or a super stressful one, I’d recommend rewarding yourself for a job well done. I, personally, prefer a nice bourbon. But to each his own! Go ahead and pour one – you deserve it. And if it’s a good enough cocktail, feel free to keep the LatherMitts on so you don’t drop the glass.
And Now: A Surprise Giveaway!
LatherUp has graciously offered to give ten of our readers their own set of LatherMitts! Just check out the contest below and enter to win!
