crunchy parenting

p. I bought the “Boon FrogPod”:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000RYG3BO?ie=UTF8&tag=littlefeet-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000RYG3BO with bath toys when Spice was six-months-old and have loved using it for her bath every single day. I opted for this one instead of the Boon Frog Pod alone because the $10 difference seemed worth it for bath toys, and I don’t regret the choice. I really liked the look of the red-and-black Boon Bug Pod, but couldn’t find one with bath toys, so a green frog it was! I followed the instructions perfectly for mounting via the adhesive strips: wipe with the included alcohol pad, mount the small rectangle part and waited a full twenty-four hours before attaching the frog part. It came down about a week after installing it, but I ordered some “3M Command Water-Resistant Strips”:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WSNM9Q?ie=UTF8&tag=littlefeet-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000WSNM9Q, put it back up and it’s still holding firm over a year later.

p. The included bath toys turned out to be really fun when she was a baby. I’d thought I’d want less abstract shapes, but the uniqueness of them is actually part of the fun. They stick to the bathtub sides and tile shower walls when wet, and we would play games where I raced to stick them to walls as she pulled them down. They were fun to stack on each other and float around the tub. She also enjoyed chewing on them with her gums while teething, which is something I only allowed occasionally. (They’re listed as non-toxic, but I could probably tear off a chunk with my teeth if I was trying to, so I wasn’t about to leave these around as teething toys, but a little harmless supervised gnawing during cranky hour in the bath was a sanity-saver.)

p. The little ledge on top seems perfect for holding a small bottle of baby wash and the frog toes can hold a damp washcloth, but be careful of how much weight you stack on it. When her bath is over, I use the scoop to gather up most of the toys and put it back in the holder. These toddler days, she likes to do the scooping and putting away of bath toys herself, which is an added bonus! Since it’s mounted right over the foot of the bathtub, the toys drip-dry easily. I haven’t noticed any mildew or mold on them, but I guess it wouldn’t hurt to give them a good scrub and a rinse in a natural disinfecting solution, if they ever do.