Bathroom wonderland

Relaxing in warm water is an ancient pleasure. In different cultures, at different times in history, it’s been sociable, healing and essential for building bonds. In your home it can be the same today, especially at bathtime for children.

Most children love their time in the bathroom, relaxing and playing in the water, chattering to a parent and feeling clean and safe as they explore magical bubbles, splashing, pouring and floating. For you, as well as a pleasant wind-down in the day, it lets you get close to your child, and gives you a proper chance to check for delicate skin, cuts, rashes or dryness.

Bath time also lets children do things for themselves, learning to be independent and capable. They can brush teeth, wash their hands and faces and gain a sense of responsibility as they learn how to care for their own bodies. Weleda products set them out on the right track, feeling good and working well, while at the same time supporting the natural build-up of a child’s immunity, skin, hair and tooth health.

Our soap and cleansers are safe and nourishing, made of essential oils and natural ingredients. To encourage sensory awareness, essential oils to use in the bath are lavender, chamomile, and mandarin – all safe for little ones. Add a couple of drops to a carrier such as sweet almond oil or whole milk, and swish it around in the water before the children get in. Or try Weleda Calendula Cream Bath, soft, creamy and nourishing to the skin.

Don’t underestimate one essential ingredient at bathtime – you. Your presence can greatly affect the physical and mental health of your children not just by listening to their chatter and answering their questions, but by consciously incorporating touch through bathing, cuddling, tickling and bed-time massage. Touch includes washing a child’s hair and rubbing dry with a towel, different sensations to help them become aware of their own bodies. Weleda Calendula Oil soothes and relaxes before bedtime and is ideally applied on a warm and drowsy child straight out of warm water.

And don’t forget the bathroom is for you, too! Pay attention to your own need for peace, warmth and pleasant sensations which care for body, soul and spirit. For you and your child, the bathroom should be a private, nurturing space. We need to care for ourselves in order to have the inner strength to care for others, and where better to build that strength than in the comfort, warmth and privacy of a bathroom?