Otto has started taking bath time seriously. He asks for a bath several times a day and he wants to stay in there for hours. We've been accumulating more bath toys and are struggling to keep the bath tidy and organised. How do we store all the bath toys in a way that is hygienic, ordered and accessible to the child? We haven't mastered bath toy storage or organisation but this is what our children's bathroom currently looks like. We are striving to:
Encourage independence: We decant bubble bath, liquid soaps and shampoo into smaller easy to use squeeze containers, for the child to use independently without the risk of them using up the entire bottle. We have a low mirror so the child can independently and successfully wash their face. The soap and shampoo is kept down low so the child can independently reach them.
Encourage order: A place for everything. We sort our bath toys into different bags, one bag for model animals, one bag for Squigz and one bag for pipette and 'potion-making' tools.
Encourage clean-up: We want to make it easy for the child to pack the toys up with storage being easily accessible. The child needs to know where everything goes at pack up time.
Encourage exploration and curiosity: Why not make the most of the water in the bath and have some educational toys, I'm thinking pipettes for developing hand strength, colour tablets for teaching colour theory, model sea animals, a hand water pump or a water wheel.
We have lots of model sea animals for bath time play.
Our cogs and pipes stay on the wall. We have a little shelf for soap, shampoo, a face cloth and bath crayons. A mirror on the wall allows the child to successfully wash their face.
We've tried containers (with holes) on the wall to store the toys but I'm super concerned about mould. This bathroom has no windows but it has a sky-light that opens so we get lots of fresh air in here but still mould is a concern. These string bags provide ventilation for the toys and so far they are working.
The string bags are a little annoying for the model animals as they often catch, but at least they stay clean and dry out quickly.
We decant bubble bath and children's shampoo into easy to use small squeezy bottles. Otto can now use these independently. It's portion control and has helped facilitate hairwashing. Otto now washes his hair himself, but need help with rinsing.
Potion making is a big part of Otto's bathtime, we use lots of bath colour tablets. Pipettes and twisty droppers are great for developing fine motor skills.
The pipes and cogs are the best bath toys, we've had them for many years.
I have fond childhood memories of using bath crayons and I've been pleasantly surprised by the modern versions. Our bath crayons work well on the bathtub and on the skin and wash off easily. They must be packed up after bathtime so they can dry.
We can also consider rotating bath toys and using higher quality bath toys that will last longer.
US Sources: Our bath toys include Squigz, Boon Cogs and Pipes, and Twisty Droppers. We also use the Blue/Green Bath Toy Bag with Suction Caps and this Round Acrylic Mirror. Similar Colour Bath Tablets.
AU Sources: Our bath toys include Squigz, Boon Cogs and Pipes, and Twisty Droppers. We also use the Blue/Green Bath Toy Bag with Suction Caps and this Round Acrylic Mirror. We use Willy's Bath Colours from Woolworths (in-store).
How do other families organise bath toys?
This is a very simple arrangement for a nine-month-old child.
Perhaps storage using a spice rack.
This family has a lot of bath toys and are able to store them in an ordered way. ❤️
For further reading our previous bath toy posts include:
- Our Picks for *Educational* Bath Toys + Household Items to Use in the Bath.
- Awesome Educational Bath Toys!
- Basin on the Bath - Montessori Bathroom Idea.
- Brushing teeth, washing hands, bath time - a bathroom for a toddler.
This post includes affiliate links. Thank you so much for your support.