Bathtime is prime opportunity for sensory play for all children, but especially those with sensory processing disorders or sensory needs. The combination of water, bubbles, and even bath crayons provides a multi-sensory experience involving sight, sound, touch, and smell. Adding light up bath toys into the mix further enhances the sensory play value of bathtime while also building cognitive, motor, and social skills. This article explores the benefits of light up toys in the bathtub for kids with sensory needs and how to shop for the best options.
What Makes Light Up Bath Toys Beneficial for Sensory Needs?
Light up bath toys have unique features that make them particularly enjoyable and engaging for children requiring sensory supports:
Visual Stimulation – Colorful, glowing lights attract visual attention, stimulate optic nerves, and can soothe the nervous system. Both stationary and flashing light modes hold gaze and deliver visual input.
Tactile Fun – Squeezable, squashy textures provide tactile input, while buttons and moving parts challenge fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. The water adds an extra tactile dynamic as toys float, sink, spill, and pour.
Auditory Interest – Water-safe electronic components let toys play music, vibrate, beep, boom, whirl, and whistle. These sounds surprise, stimulate auditory systems, and pair visual with sound inputs.
Interactive Play – Captivating multi-sensory properties allow for independent exploratory play or facilitate social exchanges, communication, turn-taking, and sharing during bathtime.
Choosing Light Up Bath Toys for Sensory Needs and Skills
Not all light up bath toys work the same, so focusing selections based on a child’s unique sensory profile and developmental abilities ensures the best fit.
For visual stimulation needs – Seek lots of bright LED colors, lights that change sequences, glow stick styles, and glowing water effects.
For sound sensitivity – Choose adjustable volume, mute options, soft musical tones, or nature sounds.
For tactile discrimination needs – Look for varied squeeze pressures, vibrating handles, and water vortex toys.
For motor skills – Select toys that twist, spin, pour water, or require manipulation to light up.
For interaction challenges – Opt for back-and-forth water games, floating puppet characters, and ball drop toys.
Safety Tips for Using Light Up Bath Toys
While extremely fun and engaging, light up bath toys do require some special safety considerations:
- Use string attachments for retrieval if toys tend to sink or fall into water when dropped
- Check label indications that electronic components and batteries are fully waterproof
- Rinse toys well after use to prevent mold or bacterial overgrowth in crevices
- Ensure access doors to battery compartments seal tightly with tamper-proof screws
- Monitor use to avoid mouth contact with toy components and prevent water ingestion
- Always keep toys unplugged and out of bathtub when not in use
Proper toy selection, adult supervision, and consistent safety practices ensure light up bath toys remain an enjoyed sensory-stimulating addition to bathtime routines.
Maximizing the Sensory Benefits of Light Up Bath Toys
Besides choosing developmentally-targeted bath toys, a few easy strategies further enhance sensory processing gains during bathtime:
- Use music and nature sound options to balance auditory stimulation from electronic toy noises
- Pair toys with glow bath colors, foaming bubbles, scented soaps, and tactile mitts or brushes
- Follow bathtub play with towel rolling, wiggles songs, or deep pressure movements for continued sensory input
- Introduce new motor skills like twisting toy handles or pouring bath squirters to increase challenge
- Integrate word games, identification activities, stories, or character voices to build cognitive connections
- Encourage intentional exploration and free play to allow children control over their sensory experience
With some purposeful planning and consistent safety, the glow, glimmer and glitz of light up bath toys activates multiple senses, bolsters development, and brightens bathtime for kids with exceptional sensory needs! Their captivating colors, tunes, and textures turn a simple daily self-care activity into an extrasensory experience packed with soothing, engaging sensory input. Whether splashing solo or socializing with siblings or parents, light up bath toys activate minds and senses for the ultimate sensory soak!