Here at Mini U, we love a blissful bathtime and bedtime with our little ones. We know that everything doesn’t always go to plan, but squeaky-clean children tucked up in bed is a glorious way to end the day. Someone who knows a thing or two about bedtime routines is Louenna Hood, better known as Nanny Louenna, a qualified Norland nanny and maternity nurse turned author and parenting expert. She has looked after over 100 children around the world, including high-profile and royal families, and is passionate about sharing her experience and knowledge with parents. We asked Nanny Louenna some of the questions that we received from Mini U fans.
What are the developmental benefits of bath time?
Bathtime is a lovely sensory activity, perfect for relaxing little ones before bed. For this reason, I always bathe babies and children as part of their bedtime routine. I like to sing them songs, tell them stories, talk about what you did today and what you’re going to do together tomorrow – this will really help to improve their speech and language development and make them feel happy and secure. Bath crayons are great fun and super easy to wash off so you don’t have to worry about them staining the bath. I also like using a nice bubble bath like the Sparkling Strawberry Bubble Bath. For older children, bath bombs act as a mini science lesson – children love to watch them fizz and fill the bath with colour!Â
What should you look for in your children’s body wash?
Little ones’ skin is so delicate, so with this in mind I always like to choose natural products that are free from nasties and are also cruelty free. As an added bonus, the Mini U range is also vegan, uses sustainable palm oil and is free from gluten, soy and dairy. With allergies being quite common amongst babies and children now, it’s great to have an option to cater for this. Mini U’s Tropical Berries Hair & Body Wash is a great all round product that smells delicious and can be used from top to toe.
What’s the best way to look after children’s hair?
I only wash a child’s hair once a week, as I find that washing their hair everyday takes the natural oils away and can make it dry. Of course, I make an exception if they’ve been swimming, got hot and sweaty, or if it’s dirty from food or suncream! I love Mini U’s Honey Cream Shampoo and Conditioner. It smells amazing and is again free from added nasties. After washing little one’s hair, I like to towel dry and use the Fresh Apple Detangling Spray – followed by brushing it through with a Tangle Teezer brush. None of my charges have complained about hair pulling – the detangling spray works like a dream.
Why is handwashing so important for children?
Handwashing is super important to prevent bugs from spreading and I think since the pandemic, there has been more of a focus on handwashing than ever before and personally I believe it’s a great habit for little ones to get used to doing regularly. From the age of around three, I encourage children to learn to wash their own hands – with some help of course! I try to make hand washing habitual – every time they come home from school, are about to eat or have been on an outing, I take them straight to the sink and help them wash their hands with Mini U’s Golden Grapefruit Handwash. It smells delicious.
And finally…
Bath time isn’t all about hygiene. There is nothing better for me than letting little ones relax in a warm bubble bath after we’ve had a busy day outdoors. It’s such a nice time to talk with a child about the day and chat about anything on their minds. As I said before, bath time is a huge sensory experience for all ages and the perfect way to unwind before bed, as some experts say it can promote a good night’s sleep. It is also super important for little one’s cognitive and emotional development due to all the senses being engaged. I like to bathe babies and children of all ages every evening as part of their bedtime routine – of course, if they miss the odd bath then it doesn’t matter!
