Disclosure: This part of a sponsored collaboration with Johnson’s® and Latina Bloggers Connect. However, all experiences and opinions are always 100% my own as this post is written by me in its entirety.
There is something special about bath time that I really enjoy with the girls. After a long day of school for Em, crawling around for AB and blogging for me, evening bath time is always a welcome time. Just as much as I enjoy a nice warm bubble bath after a long day, I know the girls do too.
The girls have a great time playing in the bathtub together, but at least once a week I give them each a separate bath. By doing this I am able to give each of them some one on one time to help stimulate their senses. Em really looks forward to these special bath times.
We’ve already developed a routine, so much so that if I accidentally miss something she is quick to remind me. The first thing we do together is draw the bath and add in “the blue one”, Johnson’s Baby Bubble Bath and Wash. See what I’ve done there? We use bath time to practice our colors too!
Em enjoys watching the bubbles form, playing with them, covering her body in them and even making them stick to the wall. We talk about how after time the bubbles will start to disappear and we blow on them to see what happens to them.
When it’s time to wash up, Em selects by color what goes where. She has already learned to associate which color is for which part of her body or head. She also knows that some of the Johnson’s products can be used to do more than just one thing. Johnson’s knows mamas and papas love multi-use products which is why many of their products function in multiple ways. From the Johnson’s® baby bubble bath and wash, to the Johnson’s® baby HEAD-TO-TOE® wash and the Johnson’s® baby lotion, our girls love their bath time rituals and so do I.
After bath time comes wind down time. What used to be just as stimulating for me as for her, has become of her favorite time, lotion and massage time. By allowing her to apply the lotion to her own legs she is stimulating multiple senses. The sense of sight when the lotion is visible, touch as she applies it to her legs, and the smell as she inhales the beautiful aroma of the lotion on her hands. When she was younger she even experienced the sense of taste when she once licked her hand, as kids will do, after touching the lotion. That was probably way funnier for me than it was for her.
I always try to incorporate a quick massage into our bath time routine because it calms the girls and gets them ready for bed. There are benefits to adding an after-bath massage to your routine. My Mama was all about baby massages. J-bird was massaged nearly all day long!! My girls sleep real well after a nice evening massage. Here are some tips to get you started, some of these I used on Preemie when she was in the NICU.
- Use slow and positive strokes
- Begin with a resting hand
- Begin on the legs
We’ve used Johnson’s® since J-bird was a baby. It’s been a trusted household name for us for so many years that we couldn’t think of anything better to welcome our girls home. Besides which Johnson’s is also the preferred baby soap at the hospital where I delivered them.
If there is one thing I love about brands, it’s when they give back to their customers. Johnson’s® is doing exactly that as they have recently earmarked millions of dollars to continue the study of how bath time enriches happy and healthy baby development. They are now involved in several studies with external experts and plan to publish the results sometime this year. And with this they have developed the SO MUCH MORE™ campaign which is all about revealing the importance of bath time rituals as a learning and growing experience for babies and an opportunity to nurture and foster this growth by the parents.One recent study conducted by Johnson’s® polled a total of 3,574 parents of 0-3 year olds in Brazil, Canada, China, India, Philippines, UK and US. The results were released in the Johnson’s® Global Bath Time Report and you might be surprised by what they found, because they sure were.
Johnson’s realized a critical gap in the research, so today JOHNSON’S® Brand researchers are working with external experts to further explore and understand the role of sensorial experiences in happy, healthy baby development.
- Only 45% of parents say bath time is extremely important to their child’s brain development, though Hispanic parents are a bit more in the know (57% say it is extremely important vs. 41% non-Hispanic parents).
- Bath time is a good opportunity to stimulate my child’s senses (touching, smelling, seeing, hearing)- Hispanic 53% strongly agree to 35% non-Hispanic.
- Two in three parents in the US say they hate missing bath time (66%), especially Hispanic parents (79% vs. 63% non-Hispanic parents).
- The sensory effects of bath time stay with them long after bath time is over (77%), especially for Hispanic parents (88% vs. 74% non-Hispanic parents).
- Bath time is a special activity with their child (80%), especially Hispanic parents (90% vs. 78% non-Hispanic parents)
As part of the study Johnson’s found that on average parents spend about 10 hours a month bathing their children. But as you can see above, there is something Hispanic parents in the US seem to know more about bath time and it’s benefits. If fact, I challenge you to incorporate a night-time massage into your child’s bedtime routine. Try it out for three nights in a row and let me know if you notice any benefits or changes, especially in their sleeping habits. Check out the infographic below read more about The Power of Bath Time.
Get social with Johnson’s Baby on Twitter using the official hashtag #SoMuchMore to learn more about sensory stimulation!
ABOUT JOHNSON’S® SO MUCH MORE™
As the #1 baby skin care brand, JOHNSON’S® has been pioneering the science and setting global standards in baby skin care for more than 120 years, providing products that are formulated and designed with baby in mind. Now, we are paving the way by advancing research that reveals the importance of multi-sensorial experiences that can lead to happy, healthy baby development. The JOHNSON’S® SO MUCH MORE™ campaign is about enhancing rituals, including bath time, to stimulate baby’s senses and provide parents an opportunity to nurture baby’s ability to learn, think, love and grow. We are so excited to see how your mommy/baby rituals play a key role in your life and how you put this new information to use! Bath time is a multi-sensorial playground and provides the perfect opportunity for parents to evoke their baby’s senses in a variety of ways. Bath time moments serve as special rituals that help parents develop relationships with their babies through touch, smell, and more! JOHNSON’S® is committed to showcasing the ways that these everyday interactions are the perfect opportunity to stimulate baby’s senses and lead to happy, healthy development.
Disclosure: This is a compensated collaboration with Johnson’s® and Latina Bloggers Connect. However, all opinions expressed are my own.I received product samples like the ones mentioned above, with additional compensation for sharing this post and giveaway. Regardless, I only share products that I truly believe in and use for my family, that I feel will be a good fit for you the reader. The disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
