It’s never too early to introduce your kids to creativity. As a young mom of two boys (both under two years old), I’ve found that one of the most fun ways to do this is through bath time — their favorite time of the day!
Not only does playing with toys in the bath keep my kids entertained during the washing — allowing me to get the cleaning job done — but it also works their brains, burns off some crazy toddler energy before bed and stimulates all of their senses.
I teamed up with JOHNSON’S® to showcase three easy-to-make DIY bath toys my son Ansel loves playing with in the tub: bathtub paint, pool noodle blocks and a sensory bottle. Scroll on to see more ;)
But seriously though, these DIYs are a breeze to make — I made all three in under an hour!
CORNSTARCH BATH PAINT
Ansel loves playing with bath paint. He can create a mural masterpiece on the bathroom wall while getting washed off and can help clean up his artwork at the end of tub time. Use the following simple DIY tutorial to make a colorful bath time activity.
: Repurpose your go-to baby wash, like
, to clean off the bath paint when bath time is over! This rich, creamy bath wash hydrates as it cleans and is gentle enough for Ansel’s sensitive skin, leaving it soft and moisturized.
Materials + Tools:
If your kiddo is old enough, let him or her try to make this themselves! It’s crazy easy.
- ice cube tray
- liquid measuring cup
- cornstarch
- water
- food coloring
- spoon
- toothpicks
Combine equal parts cornstarch and water in a liquid measuring cup. Pour the cornstarch mixture evenly into the ice cube trays. Add food coloring to each cube and mix until it’s a consistent color. You’re done!
POOL NOODLE BLOCKS
Bring pool noodles inside with this one-minute DIY project. These blocks will introduce your kids to gravity, shapes and so much more. Head to your local store, pick out a couple of pool noodles in various colors and cut ‘em up. They’ll make your little one’s bath time fly by!
Materials and Tools:
Psst — if you don’t have a box cutter or utility knife on hand, a serrated knife will do the trick.
- pool noodles, assorted colors
- utility knife or box cutter
Using a box cutter or utility knife, cut the pool noodles into thick discs, varying from 1-4 inches in width. That’s it!
Ansel loves stacking these little guys… and he equally loves knocking them over ;)
Introduce your little guys to gravity properties and color mixing while in the bathtub with these colorful, sparkly bottles. When making this toy, it’ll feel like you’re back in your high school science class.
SENSORY BOTTLE
Materials:
I decided to make this sensory bottle galaxy-themed, but you could easily swap out the stars confetti for something else. I love the idea of using little fish confetti for an ocean in a bottle.
- plastic water bottle
- food coloring
- JOHNSON’S® baby oil
- non-toxic glue
- star plastic confetti
- glitter
Fill the water bottle half full of water. Add food coloring, plastic confetti and glitter, then fill the rest of the bottle with JOHNSON’S® baby oil.
Seal the bottle cap to the bottle by adding a bit of non-toxic glue to the inside ridges of the bottle cap. Let it dry, then rinse the sealed bottle before use.
Ta-da!
Once your little guys (or gals) are out of the bath, make sure to dry them off, then add a touch of
to soothe their dry, sensitive skin. My kids love going to bed with clean and soft skin, and JOHNSON’S® HEAD-TO-TOE® extra moisturizing baby cream is specially formulated to keep their skin healthy from morning ‘til night!
