Travel Tip 17 - Bath Toys

If you have big kids then this tip may not be for you. But for us, something that is on my packing list for each trip is bath tub toys. When we get back to the hotel, no matter how late, the kids get in the bath tub. Mine are small enough now that they still take baths together. I run around the room working like a mad woman. My husband is keeping an eye on the kids but for me to be able to get everything ready, I need for them to stay in the bathtub as long as we can keep them there. These 10+ minutes of uninterrupted time for me saves us at least an hour in the morning.

Here is what I do during their bath time: I get out everyone's pajamas (kids and mine), get their beds ready, lay out their clothes for tomorrow, go through everything we have brought back into the hotel and put it away, start a pile by the door to take with us the next morning, empty the ice chest, wash the cups and bottles and refill them, go through my diaper bag and refill it for the next day and add more snacks to my bag. If I finish all of this, I might even have time to sit down for 2 minutes before bathtime is over. 2 minutes might be an overestimate.

But this is the key....to get them to stay in the bathtub for a decent amount of time, I need them to be entertained. So I bring new bath toys for them. Just little ones will do-sometime those capsules that expand to make sponge animals or the washcloths that start off tiny and get bigger. Anything will do as long as it is new and different from home. I can even use the new washcloths and capsules as a bribe. The dollar store is my friend and I use it for new little bath toys. My kids get a big kick out of Mom letting them put something in the bath that they don't get to put in the tub at home-cars, balls or anything else that isn't usually a bath toy.

So for me, to make my mornings run smoothly, I need time to get things ready. To have time to get things ready, I need the kids to stay in the bathtub. To get the kids to stay in the bathtub, I need them to be entertained. For the kids to be entertained, they need new bath toys!