Baby Barista – a Toddler Trick for bath time!

My toddler just loves drinking  baby-cinos (or milk-fluffies) when we find a child-friendly café.  The ones with chocolate on top or a chocolate fish on the side are a particular favourite!  So it was no real surprise that when given the chance to make a baby-cino all of her own that my toddler just jumped at it!

This one does take a bit of supervision to make sure that the baby-barrista doesn’t actually consume too much bath water!  I just love the sheer joy and pride that my toddler gets from making baby-cinos for mum and dad – we now have a baby chino plastic keep cup especially for this.

This toddler trick is best for older toddlers or those that sit very securely in the bath.

What you need:

• • Bath
• • Bubble bath
• • At least one plastic cup or mug – ideally one that looks like one mum and dad get in a café (The Salvos or an Opportunity Shop are a great source of these things and you are supporting your community as well)

How to play:

1. Run a bath with plenty of bubbles.

2. Place your toddler in the bath and set the scene; “I would really love a baby-cino shall we make one together”

3. Show your toddler how to fill the plastic cup with water from the bath and then scoop handfuls of froth onto the top.  Build it up really high if you can!

4. Then you can pretend to drink the baby-cino – getting a frothy moustache is all part of the fun.

5. You can then put the cup to one side out of sight and offer another clean one to start the game again; or, as I do, quietly rinse it out behind your toddler’s back and start again.

6. This might sound quite tame, but I always tire of playing Baby Barrista long before my toddler does.

A few more things you should think about:

· Safety is foremost.  So never leave your toddler unattended even for a second while they are in the bath.

· Don’t be tempted to use a china cup – no matter how careful you think your child will be.

· I am afraid it is inevitable they will try to sample their own creation and a bit of bathwater is likely to be consumed.   Keep a watchful eye – swapping the full cup with an empty one is another good ploy for keeping the sampling at bay.

· If you have older children who bath with your toddler, they will love  this too.  You can get your toddler making everyone a baby-cino or suggest that your older child(ren) attempt to craft something out of the bubbles to go with the drink…a flat plastic plate can be the canvas for all kinds of cupcakes,  ice creams and other concoctions.

And finally, this should be a treat – so don’t do it every night.  Check out our other Toddler Tricks for Bath Time for more great water play ideas.