Being Daddy - Those Baby Buns

Bath night has always been a lot of fun at our house. From the first time we gave my daughter a bath, she has been a big fan. We were prepared for screaming the first time we gave her a bath, and were even standing by with the video camera, ready to record her displeasure. But she pulled a fast one on us, and had a good time. So that has set the stage for good times in the tub.

But over the past few months, things have gotten even more fun. We now set her tub on our bathroom counter which allows her to look at herself in the mirror. This delights her to no end as she smiles, laughs, and reaches for the “baby in the mirror”. As a side note, I find it hilarious how she looks at herself in the mirror, and then quickly looks behind her to see where that baby in the mirror is. She also squeals with delight when my wife washes her feet and toes and does “This Little Piggy” with her.

But these antics are just the beginning.

The best is when I lift her up into a standing position so my wife can wash her buns. First of all, baby buns are cute, so when you’re washing them it’s funny anyway. But my daughter now does something my wife calls “riverdancing” while I’m lifting her up. She stomps her feet up and down, bouncing and splashing water, and laughing hysterically while looking at herself in the mirror. This results in water everywhere, and two thoroughly entertained parents. After she’s rinsed off, I lift her up high in the air so she can shake her legs and laugh, and then put her in the towel my wife is holding, at which time she begins to clap. The end of the bath is apparently good reason for applause.

But that brings us to the best part of all. My wife always takes my daughter to the bed and dries her off before putting a diaper on her. Now that my daughter is crawling, however, she’s gotten in the habit of rolling over immediately after being dried, and proceeding to crawl naked around the bed. This may not sound all that funny, but imagine emerging from the bathroom to see bare baby buns sticking up in the air, shuffling around the bed. The first time my wife called me out to see what she was doing, we just about passed out from laughter.

It might be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.

Before having a baby, giving a child a bath always seemed like it would be a chore. But so far bath time has turned out to be a lot of fun, and something that the three of us really look forward to.

Check out these books in our collection that talk about bath time with baby, among other topics: