Tips for “Spring Cleaning” Your Toddler

“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.” – Margaret Atwood… Ah, spring. Seriously, one of my favorite times of year. I live in central Washington, where we have four VERY distinct seasons – so spring brings a wonderful break from the snowy cold of winter. And, it means it’s time to get the garden going again! Abby adores helping grandma and I plant flowers and dig in the dirt… I actually just bought her a little Garden Playhouse, since she loves grandma’s planting shed so much. But, while we love working in the dirt, and transforming a big patch of it into something beautiful and full of color – I don’t really want us all to smell like dirt at the end of the day….

“Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s party!” – Robin Williams

Kids playing outside get messy. Kids playing in the garden get even messier – as you can see, lol. But – I think it is so important for kids to spend time outdoors, and Abby learns SO much while working in the garden. She gets to see things grow, discover funny bugs, and is surrounded by new colors, smells, and textures. What better learning environment can you get, right?

“Spring unlocks the flowers to paint the laughing soil.” – Bishop Reginald Heber

Yep, I have a definite flower child on my hands! She’ll wander through the flowers, careful not to trample any blooms. She loves to pick her favorites to bring into the house for me. But at the end of the day, she ends up with dirt and mud in her hair, under her nails, all the way to her toes! How does a kid even get that much dirt inside of their ears? And even if you don’t have a little gardener on your hands – spring is still one of the messiest times of the year for toddlers: They have some type of special radar system built in that guides them directly to the closest mud, no matter where they play. If you’ve got allergies in your family like we do, you need to wash off all of the dust and pollen they get covered in. And there’s so much more they get into! But, no worries – I have a few tips to help you out, keep reading to check them out.

Tips for Spring Cleaning Your Toddler

Yep – just like the house needs to be freshened up and cleaned out for spring, your toddler will need some great new products and routines to get clean for spring too! It’s a great time to go through all of your kiddo’s products, get rid of old outdated stuff, and stock up on great new brands for spring. I am in looooove with the new Soft Cotton Blooms line from Baby Magic; it’s a blend of sweet lily and night-blooming jasmine, leaving babies and toddlers skin smooth, soft, and smelling like spring time. Here are a few tips too:

• Bath time: I’m lucky, and have a toddler who is super excited to take a bath. But, if you have trouble getting your little one into the tub, one way to build excitement is to take them shopping for a fun new set of tub toys. ONLY let them play with them in the bath tub, so that it makes them actually want to get in there more often!
• Bubbles: Every kid loves bubbles, right? Pour a little bit of the Baby Magic Soft Cotton Blooms Hair & Body Wash under running water as you fill the tub, to add some amazingly scented bubbles to tub time.
• Washing Hair: Having just one product that works for washing little baby bodies AND hair is awesome. I love that the Soft Cotton Blooms leaves her hair lightly scented and so soft. It seems to really help get the tangles out too. Plus, it’s tear free, and dye free!
• Cleaning: Even though Abby loves bath time, she can still be pretty squirmy! That means that it can sometimes be tough to clean things like ears, between those little piggy toes, and under her nails. To help with that, I let HER do some of it on her own. {Because you know one of a toddler’s favorite phrases is, “I can do it myself!”} Get a fun animal sponge or wash cloth, and they’ll be excited to scrub away!
• Speaking of Piggies: Those little finger and toenails can be a challenge to trim, right? We do this right after bath time – I get her all dried off, and use the Soft Cotton Blooms Baby Lotion to keep her soft and smooth. She has sensitive skin, but this stuff is hypoallergenic and paraben free, so it’s safe for her to use. After getting all lotioned up, and being fresh from the tub, those little nails are super soft and easy to clip!

A few great products and a couple fun toys and tools go a long way towards making getting clean as fun as getting dirty. {Ok, almost as fun!} If you have any great tips to share too, leave me some comments. You guys are so smart, and I love hearing what works in your homes too. Being a mom can be a tough job – I need all the help I can get!

And I’m going to help you too: Enter to win Soft Cotton Blooms Hair & Body Wash and Lotion!

It’s easy peasy to enter – just use the Rafflecopter form below to do as few – or as many! – of the entry options you’d like. The more you complete, the more chances that you have to win. This will run for just one week – so make sure to bookmark the page so you can come back each day to get your bonus tweet entry! Have fun, and good luck!

Magical Madness Moms 

As part of the Magical Madness Moms, I get to try out new Baby Magic products each month, so that I can tell you guys all about them. If you’re excited to try this new line too – Baby Magic’s Soft Cotton Blooms is available in Babies R Us and Toys R Us stores nationwide, HEB and Meijer Grocery, as well as ToysRUs.com and BabiesRUs.com. For additional product information, visit www.babymagic.com, or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter!

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