Make bath time party time! As a lifeguard of 15 summers and a waterfront director for almost seven, I fully expected my kids to be water babies. We thought everything was great until at about 8 months old, Adeline decided water was her enemy. She hated baths, she was hesitant at the pool, and she was screaming at the lake. My first camp baby was losing her mind around my favorite part of camp without any prior negative experience. I had to figure something out to make baths fun again. Let me introduce you to: The Disco Bubble Party. We use it for our girls, but also adjust the details to make a fun activity for our campers. See how below!
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We took normal bath time, and gave her new fun stimuli to make it different. We are members of the Hello Bello family, so we had some of their birthday bubble bath that we had gotten as a free gift with our diaper bundle. We grabbed some glow sticks, and found some light up water toys. The bubbles hid the glow sticks so it made it look like the whole tub was glowing. We played music on our phones, and let her just explore the first few times without a full blown hair wash etc.
Not every bath is a disco bath. We sometimes use them as a way to reset an emotional day before bedtime. It takes no time to set up, and we just let her realize what is happening when she comes upstairs. Our littlest loves them too. Sometimes the lights off at first is too much for them, but usually we turn them off about halfway through bath time to add a wow factor mid-activity.
Supplies: The first few times we did this I bought glow sticks at the dollar store and light up toys at the Target Dollar Spot. Because we never know when we will need one, we now purchase in bulk from Amazon and only supplies out a little at a time to make them last longer. The best glow stick combo option I’ve found is these. You get the most for your money, and ends up being cheaper than the dollar store visits. These light up toys are great too, and you can bring out like two or three at a time until the lights fade. I also love these dinosaur ones. Huge fan! We have a couple of light up balls that came from the dollar spot as well.
How to do it at camp: Shower Disco Parties! At the end of the day, campers are gross. They have been doing outdoor activities all day, and they stink. I suggest this for the last night of camp. They go home clean, and it is impossible have a parent say their kid never showered! Swimsuits could probably use a wash too, so put those on, and have a party. I happen to have several of these totally affordable small disco lights, which can add to any dance party. Music, glow sticks, and a shaving cream fight is perfect. It is easy for the kids to help clean up(limit your shaving cream… 2-3 cans max). We have a constant supply of both shaving cream and glowsticks at camp for random parties!
Memory Lane: In 2005, I came back to my cabin to find my girls having a full fledged mess of a party in the bathroom. There was shaving cream and other random products (including feminine ones) everywhere. The music was blasting, and they were having the time of their lives. They didn’t mind the clean up, and we still talk about it at alumni events. Make a moment!
Toddler Take Away: Positive experiences in the water are important from day one. One small negative moment can impact a child’s feelings on an environment for years. Obviously, a child’s personality factors in as well. I taught swim lessons to toddlers for years, and am excited to start teaching again this summer. Every kid is different. Our oldest is going to need a lot of encouragement in order to form her relationship with the water. Our youngest has had her sister dump water over her head multiple times, but she just smiles and moves on. Maybe I’ll get my water baby after all! Start with simple splashing. Not just in the tub, but do the dishes together. When you’re finishing up, sprinkle some water at them. You can do the same when washing hands, watering plants etc. Begin blowing bubbles in the tub water too! Each moment helps build that relationship to prepare them for swimming!
To stock up for your own bubble party, be thrifty and click the links in the body above! There are some pretty neat light up bath toys. If you find something cool to add to this please let me know! *glow sticks can become choking hazards or a safety hazard if broken. Be sure to monitor kids of all ages when they play with them, and remove them from the fun if they become broken. (the glowsticks not the kids!)*
