This is the bathroom my babies have been bathing in for the last 5 months. It also happens to be the bathroom I used as a kid – as well as my mom and her brother and my grandparents; even my great-grandmother used this bathroom! My grandparents bought this home a decade after immigrating from Cuba and houses many years of family legacy. My grandparents were so proud of this place and, back then, this bathroom was legit.
Growing up, I was embarrassed of the blue tile and floral motif; the blue toilet seat cover and, you guessed it, blue vanity with dingy counter top. When we moved into this home as a teenager, I begged my home to renovate it. The older I get and the more I mother though, my priorities have definitely change. So when Johnson & Johnson asked me to share how bath time is so much more than a few bubbles and soap, I decided to partner with the iconic brand to share 3 ways we can build family legacy during bath time.
Family Legacy Starts At Home
Now that I’m a mom with a barely-baby boy, I cherish our time together in this bathroom I once loathed. I think of my grandmother tending to her own babies, and even my great-grandmother bathing me and my brother in here too. As Daddy D and I prepare to renovate our first home in California, I also think about how proud my grandparents were as they installed this trendy bathroom… there are so many memories in these 4 walls!
Bath time is so much more than just cleansing – it’s filled with rituals and traditions that aid in, not only family legacy, but baby’s development too.
Here are 3 ways to build family legacy during bath time:
1. Use Scents to Set the Habit: Do you know another word for traditions? Habits. I’ve done a fair amount of research on tradition building and habit forming, and it’s always the same: habit creates tradition…. and habits are solidified with the presences of a cue that activates that habit (and thus, tradition). To signify to my kids that our bath time ritual is ensuing, I reach for the same scents over and over. I’ve used these J&J Baby Products for years and their scents set the mood for all of us (maybe because my own mother used the same scents on me!). Once we get the bubbles going, my baby calms into bath time. This cue helps me, too, to stay present and ready to build a legacy.
2. Engage with purpose: Bath time is such a great time to build family legacy because the babies are contained and focused. This is a perfect time to engage with a parenting purpose in mind! When mine were babies, I used bath time to sing nursery rhymes, make eye contact, silly faces or just smile at them. My legacy to them as babies was simple: they had an engaged and happy mom. As they grow, the bath is where we learn. We work on fine motor skills, counting, play with toys that manipulate water, as well as imaginary play.
The bath is also where I share stories about our family legacy. In the last 5 months, my kids have learned all about the legacy of our “blue bathroom”. We talk about the generations of kids who have bathed there and what they might have been like back then. It helps my 5 year old think critically and deeply about the people in her life and how we’ve become the women we are today.
3. Massage and Skin-to-Skin Touch: Bath time is a very intimate part of your child’s day. Think about it: how many people will ever bathe or massage your little one? Since they were little, and still to this day, both of my babies get a massage or at least a gentle application of lotion on their body. Be purposed when doing this; teaching them how to treat and care for their own bodies. Show them how to respect their skin, how to be gentle and loving. For my three year old boy, I massage his feet while counting each toe. He’s a high energy boy, so during this time, a mellow massage and engaged parenting helps to calm him before bed.
Building family legacy definitely starts at home; in the way we parent our kids, but also between the walls that their childhood happens.
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