Bath Tub Painting – a Toddler Trick for bath time

Painting with my toddler in two words – not relaxing!!!! No matter how well I “mess proof” the area we always seem to end up with paint somewhere it shouldn’t be! A friend told me about this absolutely genius idea a few months back – bath tub painting!!! Since then I haven’t looked back – I used a homemade recipe to make the paint in just a few minutes which is always a bonus! My daughter just loves it  and cleaning up is such a breeze. This activity is a great trick to get toddlers in the bath that don’t overly enjoy bath time and the paint is something you can make cheaply and easily.

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

What you need (this recipe makes 4 small containers of paint or recipe can be halved to make 2 containers of paint):

• - 1 cup baby bubble bath or body wash – as long as it’s clear
• - 4 tbsp cornflour
• - Few drops of food colouring (colours of your choice)
• - Small containers with lids
• - Paint brush – one out of children’s paint box is fine

How to make:

1. In a mixing bowl mix together the corn flour and bubble bath. I put the corn flour in first then added the bubble bath while simultaneously mixing. I found using this method we ended up with virtually no clumps.

2. Pour this mixture evenly into your containers.

3. Pour 2 drops of food coloring into each container and mix well (make sure you use no more than  2 drops as too much food coloring may end up staining your bath tub.

How to play:

1. Before you get your toddler into the bath – test the paints on the side of the bath tub by painting on a couple of drops and then making sure it wipes off. ( I have white tiles and grout and it washed off very easily).

2. Place the paints on the side of the bath tub in an area that they will sit securely without falling into the tub.

3. Place your toddler in the bath and get them started by showing them what to do by dipping the paint brush into the paint then painting on the side of the bath tub.

4. Give your toddler the paint brush and let them have a go! You may need to help them dip their brush into the containers of paint depending on how high your bath tub edge is.

5. While your toddler is happy painting away take the opportunity to wash their body and shampoo their hair with limited complaints!

  Note: It hasn’t stained any of the baths we have tested this idea on, however always do a small test patch to check; make sure you clean the bath immediately after “painting” as we haven’t tested the effects of leaving the paint to dry for a lengthy period.