Cheap bath time fun?

[Lovage]

I'm about to be lone parenting for a week and I just know that one of the worst points of each day is going to be getting the kids into the bath (ages 4 1/2 and 2). If I can just think of something exciting and enticing about the bath it'll be fine. If I can't it'll be about half an hour of me chasing them round the house, getting crosser and crosser while they get wilder and wilder. There will definitely be tears before bedtime.

Anyone got any good ideas for fun bath things or activities?

I don't have time or much money to buy new bath toys - I did look at bath crayons which they'd love, but the fact that you have to wash them off straight away was quite offputting. We've already got bath tints but they just fight about what colour to make the bath and want impossible things (like blue and yellow to make red).

There must be something fun you can do with a balloon whisk and some bicarb, or something like that! (2 yr old has sensitive skin so bubbles only ok occasionally).

Any suggestions? I am not feeling creative at the moment.

Mine love playing with plastic tea sets in the bath. You do have to pretend to drink the cups of "tea" but apart from that, its pretty harmless. They also like to wash dolls/plastic toys

Agree with Tillyscoutsmum about tea set. To be honest any random plastic containers that you have put holes in are fun to muck about with.
Mine like taking plastic toys in and just playing games with them.
What about some plastic straws to blow bubbles with.
Also if you have a shower attachment, let them put that on for a bit with the shpwer curtain closed for general mayhem!

If getting them in the bath is a big problem, what about putting a tub of water inside an empty bath and asking them if they want to help wash dolls, boats, etc. Make it really fun with lots of suds. Hopefully they will enjoy it so much they want to climb in the tub and wash themselves too. At that age I wouldn't always think a bath is important, a good wash is just as good some days.

Supermarkets sell v cheap plastic tea sets - def my kids favourite bath toy. Also watering cans.

Small plastic pots of bubbles that you blow whilst they sit in the bath.

Get some empty loo rolls (the cardboard bit) and soak them in the water til they come apart into two pieces. Then use them to make pictures on the bathroom tiles by tearing them and sticking them (they will stick when wet and fall off when they dry).

God I spent HOURS doing this during my childhood. Am that we have painted board cladding stuff in our bathroom and not tiles as can't do this with DD.

Use it as an excuse to wash the lego / dolls clothes etc. ok, nothing will actually get washed, but they won't care.
Mine love all the baking items so they can make 'cakes'.
Plastic bottles with a small hole at the bottom, middle and top - fill up and the water comes out in a different way for each hole.
cornflour and water makes goop which acts as both a liquid and a solid.
mine love blowing down plastic tubing to make bubbles. Also once you start using it as a syphon from a bucket it makes a fun shower.

Local independent DIY stores often sell plastic tubing by the metre. This can be used to syphon water from a bottle into the bath, from bottle to bottle, for blowing bubbles underwater, for blowing lots of bubbles underwater (by wrapping the end of the tube in the water, with a flannel).

Plastic bottles (empty bubble bath is ideal). Plastic measuring jugs.

You could build a collection of things over time. Also varying lengths of plastic pipes.

I also found a Petrol transfer pump at my local DIY store. That can be used to pump water (as long as it's not been used to pump petrol).

You used to be able to get small plastic hand water pumps. Not seem them for a while though.

Straws are always good, as are bubbles.

franny and zooey used to suggest syringes

My two have been having huge fun with sponges in the bath - cleaning the bath, the taps, their toys, each other.

We get through a lot of shower gel as a result, but they absolutely love them.

Plastic bottles. We have plenty of bath toys but old shampoo bottles are my DDs's fave bath toys. Also washing my arm over the side of tub. They also like those little plastic balls that you can get to put in a paddling pool which we got for a fiver form toysrus. Also washing powder dispenser balls, plastic milk powder spoons- that kinda thing. I do remember making bicarb soda boats as a kid- there is probably a recipe on t'internet. DH recently made little origami boats that float very well- so the DDs floated things around the bath in them.

look up origami boat on google- too many to link to but could work to entice them into the bath?

One of dp's tricks that dd cracks up with laughter at, is when she gives him a cup of tea with frothy milk/bubbles on, as he goes to drink it, he does a huge fake sneeze and the bubbles go all over her. Maybe if the trouble is getting them in the bath first, promise them they can do something they enjoy after they have had their path as an incentive.