Help! My baby wants to stand up during bath time

Bath time can be very fun, but also a bit exhausting, especially when children want to exercise their independence and refuse to follow instructions. Keep reading to learn about bath time safety. 

At this stage, babies acquire lots of new skills; one of them is standing up on their own. This is a major developmental milestone, and as a parent, you certainly are very proud! However, these new skills come with increased energy and restlessness to explore their surroundings. Keeping still during bath time may seem impossible!

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Bath time safety tips

As parents and adults, we know that accidents can occur during bath time. We don’t want our children to slip and hit themselves, so to see them stand up in the bath can be quite scary. When your indications to sit down don’t seem to work, what should you do? Here are several techniques you can try instead:

• If your baby loves bath time and you don’t want them to stand up, you can tell them that if they stand up, bath time will have to be over. In a gentle but affirmative tone say “You are standing up. You’re showing me it’s time to get out of the bath”. If they continue, you can take them out so they will soon learn that if they want to play during bath time, they can’t stand up.
• You can also establish that they can only use the toys if they’re sitting down in the tub. If they stand up, the toys will be taken away.
• Another option is to let them stand. Sometimes it may be safer to bathe them standing up than to quarrel every time they take a bath. If you decide to let them stand, you need to adjust the bathroom space to make it as safe as possible. Place a rubber mat on the floor around the tub or shower. Remove any object that can hurt them if they fall and make sure to always keep an eye on your little one. Sitting or standing, they must always have someone watching over them.

Hopefully, these techniques for bath time safety will help! Remember to use your creativity and adapt the techniques to your style. There is no single correct answer, the key is to be consistent, affirmative, and always be present.

Your little one is excited about their newly acquired skills, so be considerate. They are not challenging you; they do it because it is something new and exciting for them. Understanding this will help you establish the best rules for their safety.