Whether you are going camping for a weekend, a few weeks or months or packing it all in and travelling full time, if you're going with kids there is going to be the never ending shower and bath time. No matter how much you try to keep them clean, they will do their best to get dirty again. We view very dirty bath water as a sign we've had a great day.
Travel Tip: Kids don't need a bath every day, being a little dirty is okay
I know a lot of parenting experts say how important it is for kids and babies to have their bath before bed to help keep them in a routine and help signal its bedtime. If that works for you and you like to keep the daily baths/shower that's great. For us it doesn't always work. Some days, especially our lazy days, little miss will hop in her pyjamas and go to bed without a bath. Some days she's so filthy (from playing in the dirty) that she really needs a good scrub, the bath water turns brown.
How do we manage baths/shower while travelling and having no ensuite in our camper trailer?
Well technically we could set up our ensuite room and use our shower hose at the back (and our portaloo when we pick it back up). Our setup is very big and we usually take up most of the slab with our annex so it does limit us. Our ensuite room has a floor with a drain but I always thought we needed a way of collecting our grey water if we chose to use it. I bought a collapsible bath from K-mart for $50 and it really has been the best investment ever for us. We had bought it with the intention that it would also double as grey water collection for our shower so we wouldn't have to wait for the floor to dry when packing it up.
When we first set off, we started with Little miss coming into the shower block with me. I did buy a bath mat (another great investment), its a little thicker and has a defined back and front. When showering I put the mat down for little miss to be able to dress and undress without having to stand on the ground with no shoes. We did have some trouble with Little miss not really liking to have a shower. The following caravan park we had an ensuite site and I had the great idea of putting the bath in the bottom of the shower. That way I could have my shower, and Little miss could have a bath, we were both happy. Also by the time I'd finished my shower her bath had filled up, so we weren't wasting water or using twice as much.
We have put her collapsible bath into the family bath at the caravan park, knowing other children have used the bath adds extra risk in Covid times, so an extra precaution for us is using her bath. The family bathrooms have definitely been our favoured places to shower. They are just that little bit bigger with a bit more space around them. While Little miss is in the bath we do some washing.
The other thing that makes life easier, is the collapsible bath has a little plug to make it easy to empty. I move the bath over the drain and unplug the bath, by the time Little miss is dressed in her pyjamas the bath has emptied. I've heard some people with more than 1 child will dress them back in their caravan/tent/camper trailer. I find little miss gets cold quickly after a bath (even a really warm one) so find it easier to dress her in her pyjamas, dressing gown and slippers.
I do also find it easier to carry everything to and from the shower block in the bath tub. While we're in the shower/bath Jamie cooks dinner, when we get back dinner is ready so we can put little miss to bed at a reasonable hour.
What do you do to make things easier for shower/bath time with your kids on the road?
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