Play-Learn-Grow-Repeat

From Friday Mom – Erin:
A few weeks ago, we decided it was time to retire Rory’s infant/toddler bathtub and start letting him have free reign of the bathtub each night. I have no idea whether we are ahead of the curve or a little late, but my guess is that we were a little on the late side in transitioning to the full tub. After all, he has been sitting well since he was seven months old; yet, we waited another four months before making the switch.

So far since making the switch, bath time has become a much more hands-on experience. I thought I had figured out a trick to getting him to sit still when, on Monday night, I left the water running. He was absolutely fascinated by the faucet and sat, eyes transfixed on the flow, for a solid ten minutes as I sponged him down. Tonight, however, this new trick backfired completely. He was so thrilled by the faucet that he started bouncing up and down on his rear-end and crawling back and forth in the tub, almost as though he was swimming laps in his bathwater.

None of this would seem that extraordinary were it not for the fact that our bathtub has sliding glass doors instead of a shower curtain. As a result, I can’t really reach him well when he takes off splashing to the far end of the tub. Cute as his newfound glee is, I found myself fearing for his safety far more than usual. Bath toys and soap suds distract him somewhat, but I am also likely going to need to start wearing shorts so that when he does steal away to the other end of the tub, I’ll be able to swim along after him if necessary.