Bath Toys from iTOTS!

It is quite cool that now baby is older, he interacts more with his toys. Having said that, he has also grown fearful of water, especially when they splashes all over his head. Showering him has definitely grown a lot tougher. One of things which I always wondered if there were any true value (apart from being fun) was bath toys. 

There are a lot of bath toys in the market and the price range can differ greatly. I have a few from different sources/ price range (some of them being gifts) and I am starting to see the difference between a cheap-ass toy and one from a reputable source. Here's some tips on what to get:

1. Toys that promote sensory learning: Rain showers, squirt toys are great for showering too. We got silicone bath toys from iTOTS - Submarine (S$13.90) and Seaplane (S$16.90). We use them to shower his head and introduce him to the sensation of trickling water on his head. Because it is "fun", he lets us get away with it. He is now very curious about how the water squirts out. I think soon we will be having water fights. 


2. Toys that are made of softer material: We have those that are made of hard plastics as well. Maybe it is just my kid that behaves badly. Sometimes when he is frustrated, he would whack himself with the toys. Hence, anything silicone/ soft plastic is much preferred. 


3. Toys that are easier to clean: One thing about bath toys is that they can be a breeding ground for bacteria. So always get toys that don't trap water. Go for things that can be opened to clean. Especially for squirt toys it can be quite hard to find. Glad we got our handy submarine and seaplane!





4. Get quality toys: I got a few cheapos from shopee that was pretty much blessed out immediately because they are (i) rough at the edges or (ii) don't look true to its pictures. Some were pretty good buys but most were bleh. As my kid gets older, I also find that the toys from established brands seems be more thoughtfully designed (apart from the details they put in the aesthetics) to engage kids such that they would play with them in different manners. I don't know whether it stimulates their brains more. Maybe it does. But, if you ask me, I think there is no harm giving a variety to see what works!

For Mummies who are sitting on the fence on thinking whether to get a set of nice bath toys for your kids, please go for it. I think there are just too many times we forget that this is just a one-off expense and the child actually plays with it so many times. (I am very guilty of this too!) Mine bathes twice a day and plays with his toys every single time. By now, each play are probably in cents/ play HAHAHA!

5 uses for 1 bath toy

I always feel that there is more than one way to play with a set of toys. And the more uses you find for it, the more value for money the set is. Those who have been following me for a while would know I have some obsessions with unicorns and nautical items. Since my child is a boy, I have been accumulating quite a bit sailor-items for him. 

He is not exactly 12 months yet, but he has been quite receptive and curious about a lot of things lately. So we thought it was time to introduce him to more bath toys. B.Toys' Fish N Splish Floatable Bath Boat (S$67.10), apart from being chunky and filling up half our foldable bath tub, everything about it was lovely!

1. Great for Storage

I have to admit I was initially attracted to its looks. All the bath toys can fit snuggly into the toy boat and honestly, it even looks cute as a deco in our toilet. Haha. We don't have a bathtub so if were to use every toy during his bath time, my child would barely fit in. So...I just leave the boat outside and rotate the toys haha. *The boat can float by the way when empty :D

2. One of the toy is a comb!

The set has many toys, and got all grounds covered. You don't have to keep buying different toys. Just one set, bam, you got everything settled! The boat has a mirror at the side. My son's favourite star fish can even double up as a mould should you go to the beach.

If you have sharp eyes, you will notice that one of the bath toy is also a comb. We didn't exactly have a comb for our baby before this, so this was pretty handy. I really enjoy combing his hair now as he frolics around in the tub with his new-found friends. A pretty adorable comb, don't you think? This is one of my favourite piece along with the captain!

3. Water Sensory Play

I am not sure if it is the same for all kids, but mine really love the showering effect. Yes, you can see his grubby hand reaching out even when Mummy wants a clean shot. The set comes with 3 mini pails with holes at the bottom. 

Tip: I find it easier to wash their hair with such toys. The traditional method is to use a hanky. I have tried the hanky method and I think it doesn't wash the shampoo off their hair as cleanly. The hanky method is still the preferred method when they are infants, but when they can sit or are both comfortable with water, I find some pails work better! And after a while, they won't be afraid of showers anymore!

4. Fishing

Not only does my child love this set, I enjoy playing with it too. The hook allows you to fish out some of the bath toys. I have tried showing my child a few times but I think this is too advanced for him now. He just tries to eat the hook and the stick. You can play with them either in water or on dry land. 

5. Picker

Another dry-land game, I also use this set to train my boy to put things in and take things out! This can't exactly act as a sorter, but my child can't sort yet. So this is the closest I can do to get him interested in "sorting" Sighs!

If you are planning to get a set for yourself, 5 uses for the price of 1! :P

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Note: Laptop is down, so posts won't be as frequent!

Tips on Baby Bath Time (Feat. Shears Bath Tub)

I may not have shared it here, but I actually didn't have a confinement nanny during the first month after post-partum. And I survived! We ordered confinement food delivery and the whole village helped out (yes, we even had help from the extended family.) After I was freed from confinement (hate that period by the way), I started taking over my baby's duties in piece-meal.

I felt most things were quite manageable. The washing machine did the laundry. There were a lot of pump parts and bottles to be washed so I ended up taking out more bottles to be used so that I could reduce the number of washes. I am still staying with my in-laws and we do have a helper, so that help a bit on the household chores. 

There was one thing that daunted me big time. It took me 3 months before I can confidently say "my baby now enjoy bath-time with me". Finally, we are having fun. My MIL and the hub's aunt was helping out during the first 3 months. I did a lot of eye power observation and sometimes I would pretend wash a pillow *embarrassed chuckle*

The choice of bath tub is very important. Ours was a foldable piece from Shears in my favourite Tiffany Blue shade ($36.90), which was spacious enough for our baby to grow up with. If you are staying with your in-laws or have space constraints, do consider foldables as they are very compact! So far, I find this piece very sturdy and durable. I am quite clumsy when it comes to moving big pieces but so far this bath tub still looks as good as new. My favourite feature is the star plug. When filled with water, gosh the bath tub can be so heavy. Tip: I always unplug it after we are done and just go about my day. When the tub is empty then I keep it effortlessly. Hehe.

Some quick tips on bathing a baby now that I have mastered the skill. Always prepare everything you need ahead! Usually, I would strip my child and wrap his bottom in a diaper cloth (lest he pee) and hang his towel over my neck (following the elder's methods). I sit on a stool when I bathe him for better balance. To prepare him for bath-time, I will splash some water on his chest to test his comfort level with the water temperature.

We start off with shampooing his head and washing his face with a cloth (outside the bath-tub). I find it easier to soap his body before placing him in the bath-tub. To wash his front, I would place him in a lying position, with my arm behind his back and grab his other arm with my hands. To wash his back, I would place him in a burping position. Now he is a bit older, I let him drag his bath time a little and let him splash about. There is still quite a bit of room in the bath-tub for us to introduce him bath toys (stay tune to read about them!)

After he is done with bath time, I will just quickly wrap him up in the clean towel. After placing him on the changing mat, he will be dried and dressed up as fast as I possibly can to prevent him from catching a cold and him flipping away naked. *Gosh* Can you spot our clothes from Little BB Love (read our review and discount code here!) and diapers from Pee-Ka-Poo (Read our review on their products here!)

Shears  is a local baby toy and gift set maker. Their variety of baby products is amazing and we will be reviewing more of them here. Bookmark "Shears Baby" tag if you want to find out all about them!