Make The Bathroom Easier To Use At Bedtime

Anyone who's ever parented a toddler is probably aware of the frustration your little one can experience alongside a sudden need for independence. This can rear its head in big and small ways, and with my kids, one of the most trying periods was when they were desperate to manage the bath and bedtime routine on their own, but weren't quite able to navigate the space independently. I soon realized that the best thing we could do was adjust the bathroom to work with us rather than against us. 

I'm a better and more functional parent when our space is organized, so the first thing I did was make dedicated, kid-accessible homes for the things they need for bath and bedtime prep. While keeping everything out on the bathroom counter might sound great in theory, it worked much better for us when we cleared off our surfaces. Your kids can each have their own dedicated drawer, or you can utilize extra bathroom closet or cabinet space. Clearer spaces make for cleaner routines, and the kids were better able to focus when only what they needed was on hand. Plus, as they grew, this allowed me to step away for longer stretches of time without worrying what they were up to, because I knew everything they had on hand was safe and kid-friendly.

Creating a dedicated space for their items also helped me implement a quick, pre-bed bathroom tidy-up. When everything has a home, your kids will find it easier to put items back, contributing to their independence, too. Plus, this allows you to focus your energy on your own evening routine and reset ahead of the next day.

If your bathroom closet is too full to dedicate a shelf to your kids' products or you're wary of storing anything under the sink where you also keep dangerous cleaning supplies, you can still use countertops and open shelving. However, creating their own little bathroom caddy can maintain order. This can be where you store their must-have items like their toothbrush and toothpaste, favorite bath toys, or shower loofah or washcloth. With everything contained, it's much easier to wrangle items back into their home. 

It's also important to invest in a step stool so your child can easily reach the sink and faucets without straining or climbing — another potential hazard of letting your child manage bath time solo. As one final tip, we learned in our family that while separate hooks and dedicated cubbies are helpful, assigning everyone their own color was the real game-changer. This can be applied to everything from towels and robes to cleaning accessories and toothbrushes, and even bath toy storage containers. If you have more than one child, a color-coding system makes it easy for everyone to keep track of their own belongings — and you may even get some parenting bonus points if you let them pick the color out themselves.