Tips to make bath time more fun

All too often it can be a battle getting your child to have a bath. It can be especially difficult if they have speech and language difficulties or autism or sensory processing problem as they may not understand the world around them. 

Tip 1 - Visual aids to support your child’s understanding

Visual aids can be used for just about anything! Print or take a photo of all of the steps needed to have a bath, for example, your bathroom, your child getting changed, your child in the bath (preferably calm). 

Showing your child the process before it happens will help them remain calm.

Tip 2 - Turn washing into a fun game or song

Singing or playing a game during bath time is a great way to build language and social interaction skills such as eye contact. Singing songs about which body parts to wash is a great way to distract your child and keep engaged for longer. 

Tip 3 - Keep bath time short

If your child is sensitive to bathing then it is best to keep bathtime short and sweet. You can use a timer on your phone or a countdown to signal when they can get out.

Reward - Reward - Reward!!!

Remember that if this is challenging for them remember to offer a reward (e.g. playing with a special toy) the reward must be something that they actually want and social praise is likely not going to be enough. 

Using these 3 tips might help make your child’s bath time more fun and less stressful for you.

At HeadStart we understand the importance of providing information in accessible formats to meet the diverse needs of our service users. We can provide information in different forms for example in another language, large print, easy-read materials, and technologies such as text-to-speech or audio. To request information in another format, contact us by phone or email. Shanay.nj@headstartaba.org or mobile 07988860033.

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