Evening water play helps with baby's sleep

Water can help you get through the days and evenings with your little ones. Water play can help when you have to be inside the house with an older baby who is dialling up because she needs a change of sensory motor experience.

Lovely long experiences splashing around and about beside a weary parent in the bath in the evening (hopefully with the parent who hasn't already been on duty with your baby that day!) can help meet a little one's sensory motor needs while her sleep pressure is climbing.

A shared bath is a delightful source of enjoyment for your baby's skin and sense of touch! Playing together is a powerful pleasurable impetus for repetitive stimulation of your baby's fine and gross motor movement and co-ordination.

A warm bath is kind on your own senses, too, if you're the parent in the bath. It's not quite the candle, fragrant bath salts, and meditation of pre-baby baths. But you can still turn a shared bath into an opportunity to practice returning your attention to your body (and your precious toddler's wriggly little body), your senses, and enjoyment of the present moment.

In my experience, it's best not to use soaps, bath salts, oils or moisturisers on your little one's delicate skin (other than in the nappy area or where the skin has become dirty, as required), as these applications directly on the skin or in the bath water might dry out his skin or block up the pores, creating rashes. Unless your child has an eczema which is severe enough to require treatment from your doctor, the natural cleansing and pH balancing mechanisms of your baby's healthy young skin works best if we avoid applying products of any kind.

I know you don't need me to remind you that

• All water play requires careful and constant supervision

• Water is a precious natural resource, which we need to treat with care.

Recommended resources

What is sensory motor nourishment and why does it hep with baby sleep?

Filling your baby's sensory tank

What your baby needs for best possible motor development

The holistic NDC or Possums' 8 steps for supporting baby's motor development

Evolutionary biology and cross-cultural studies tell us that our little one's sleep can be easy (once you know how)

A dialled up sympathetic nervous system gets in the way of easy baby sleep

Evening play (often noisy and excited!) and other sensory adventures help with baby's sleep

Does your baby need a bedtime routine for healthy sleep?