A new way to bathe

Every time I think that I am a pretty chill and relaxed first-time mother, something comes along to remind me that perhaps I am not as chill as I think. Case in point, Sophia's nightly bath.

When Sophia was a little peanut, we instituted nightly baths as part of her bedtime routine. She has always loved baths, so it is a nice end of the day for her. At first she was in one of the little baby tubs, and then when she could sit up we put her in one of the bath rings that suctions to the bottom of the tub. And in the little ring she stayed, and stayed, and stayed.

My plan was to buy a bath mat before putting her in the tub with no bath ring. But really, I delayed buying a bath mat so that she had to stay in the ring. Because what if she tipped over and conked her head? Or tried to climb out of the tub? Or got into the bottle of shampoo before I could stop her?

Finally one night last month as I attempted to yet again stuff her into the ring and she protested loudly, I said "Fine, no ring" and plopped her in, no bath mat and all.

And of course, she loved it! That first night without a bath mat was like a fun little slip-and-slide, and she explored every nook and cranny of the tub, sliding around everywhere. With a worried mama hands out, just in case. No need. There were no accidents, no bleeding gashes or bruised head. The next day I headed to Wally World to buy a bath mat, and Sophia has been loving her nightly bath adventures ever since.