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Bath time might be relaxing for some people, but for little ones, it’s a boring daily chore that probably means dreaded bedtime isn’t far off! Baths can turn into a drama, with kids kicking, screaming, and running in the other direction, tiring out the adults in charge of getting them clean. So we’ve put together some tips for banishing bath time battles and becoming the boss of the wash.   1. Soapy, Safe & Secure There are plenty of reasons some kids don’t like baths – the temperature, fear of slipping, fear of getting their heads wet or soap in their eyes, or fear of that scary looking black hole known as the drain. The simplest way to get to the bottom of what’s bothering them is to ask. Most of this stuff has a simple fix, like a slip mat on the bottom of the tub, some funny googly eyes on the plug hole to make it look friendlier or Dabble and Dollop shampoos and conditioners, which are nice and gentle on the eyes. In fact, letting them pour out their own shampoo, adjust the temperature themselves and take control of their dip can really reassure them that the bath’s not a scary place after all. 2. Make The Tub Tempting! Let’s be honest, it’s tough to quit in the middle of a game, come in from playing outdoors or leave an imaginary universe full of magic and imagination (where no one has to wash or go to bed). The answer? Make bath time just as fun! Between our Dabble and Dollop sticker sheets, whips, bath bombs and potions, fruity bath kits and Dabble Ducky for the tiniest tots, we’ve made it easy to keep play going in the tub. Associating favorite toys, games and activities with bath time helps kids look forward to diving in, whatever they might be up to beforehand! 3. Build Up To Bath Time Make it a little bit easier for them to stop what they’re doing by giving them plenty of notice that bath time’s coming up, so they can find a good place to finish. Building bath time into a regular routine means they know what to expect - but we’re big fans of compromise too. If they’re totally absorbed in something creative and you’ve got time to spare, there’s no harm in being a little flexible. You might even have time to grab a glass of something nice and an extra minute to yourself! Everyone’s a winner. 4. Champions Of The Tub! And speaking of winners, kids who get through bath time without a fuss deserve a reward. Save a favorite cuddly toy for after, or let them pick out a favorite book and chill out while you read it together. Less time fighting the bath means more time to relax, and whatever that involves, they earned it. High five!

While we are fine with bath time anytime, at Dabble and Dollop, we’re big believers in the bedtime bath. We know that no one wants to get into bed when they’re grubby and grimy, but there are some other important reasons too.

More and more people are figuring out that opting for plant-based ingredients doesn’t mean compromising on scent, color, or fun – especially when it comes to making a splash at bath time! Still need convincing? We’ve rounded up some fascinating facts to show you why plant-based products are the cleanest way to get clean. Looking After Mother Nature Nature gives us clean, delicious-smelling ingredients, so it’s only fair that we take care of nature in return. Plant-based products break down more easily once they’re washed down the drain and are non-toxic so they don’t leave any dangerous stuff in the water cycle that could harm wildlife. High five for being green and clean! Soft, Soft, Soft  The natural ingredients in plant-based soaps do their job really well, while still being kind to skin. All those great ingredients are extra good at moisturizing and hydrating, so bath time artists can get on with creating masterpieces, and you have one less thing to worry about!    Animals Love Them Too! We’re big fans of furry friends at Dabble and Dollop (and scaly, feathered and fur-free creatures too), and we’ll never test the things we make on them since nothing funny or synthetic goes into them. We are Leaping Bunny certified! That’s a big win for the planet, for animals and for humans taking a dip.  Planted in the USA Did you know our plant-based ingredients are all sourced from right here in the US of A? We take pride in knowing what goes into everything we make. In fact, we even know the ingredient manufacturers and have toured most of their plants (he he)! So, we can put our hand on our heart and tell you, “we are using the best of the best”. That means USA-sourced plant-based products and amazing scents that are out of this world!   Spoiled for Choice Nature’s full of exciting ingredients to help us mix up the things we make. We’ve got an absolute tub-load of colors, scents, shapes, sizes and textures to get your hands on, from honeydew melon bath bombs, coconut gels, vanilla whips and even a recipe book so they can mix things up for themselves. Say goodbye to boring bath time and hello to plant-based potions!

Holidays are for having fun, and bath time should be no different! Take a festive dip with some of our brightest picks of the season.

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What IS the best bubble bath for kids?  And does “best” mean safest?  Does it mean that the bubble bath has been tested to be non-irritating and tear-free?  Does it mean that all ingredients are naturally derived?  Does “best” mean that all ingredients and packaging are produced and sourced from the United States and the product itself is made in the USA? Certainly, at the bare minimum, the best bubble bath should produce bubbles, smell great and actually function as a cleanser, right? When my children were babies & toddlers, friends used to ask me all the time what I used on my own children.  They asked because they knew that my former business was selling natural ingredients into baby/children’s product lines.  With ingredients being one of the most important and now scrutinized aspects of a product, they figured I had the inside knowledge and know-how to answer to “What is the Best Bubble Bath for Kids?”. When I heard the word “best” I immediately thought of “safest”.  Everything else was second to the importance that the product was safe.  Let’s be clear - we’re talking about my babies here and what I felt comfortable having them soak in for 20 minutes (or often, longer).  One thing that upset me more than anything about a few of my former customers was that they didn’t conduct any safety testing.  They simply launched their natural baby bath’s on the market with zero irritation studies or tear-free claims. They also very willingly sourced ingredients from China that one could readily buy from the United States, for the purpose of saving money. I wouldn’t put my money (or business) on the quality of raw materials coming from China; I think that goes without saying!  I hate to bad mouth a brand and former customer, so instead allow me to offer you some advice - please notice that if you don’t see a tear-free claim on a product designed for children you have to ask yourself why?  If they don’t have a tear-free claim, then is it likely that they probably didn’t do irritation testing either?  Again, I will not mention the brands that were guilty of this (as its possible they’ve cleaned up their acts now) but I can assure you that at least 3 of the brands I recently saw on a “Best Bubble Bath for Kids” list did not conduct any safety testing.  Scary stuff if you ask me!! Personally, if you are going to spend money on a bubble bath, it better foam, otherwise what is the point of using it exactly?  Two of the other brands I recently saw on a “best bubble bath for kids” list do not foam well at all.  Our bubble baths, also designed as body washes and shampoos, all produce beautiful foam.  Please know, our bubble bath is not going to bubble like Mr. Bubble.  But, then again, Mr. Bubble is not exactly known to be Mr. Safety First.  He’s also not Mr. Mixitup either.  Our mixable bubble baths make bath time so much more fun for kids, not to mention a delightful sensory experience all around. There are many wonderful natural bubble baths for kids – but why not use the one that you know is the safest? And the one that you know your children will love the most? My experience as a mother and a  natural ingredient expert gave me the unique insight needed to create what I felt would truly be the “best bubble bath for kids”.

We have something embarrassing to admit. We are not always the most environmentally sensitive family in the world. We use Ziploc bags from time to time, we don’t always rinse out milk jugs before putting them in recycling, and we are often accused of leaving too many lights on in the house during the day. I know. Shameful. However, as we formed Dabble & Dollop, we wanted to be more sensitive, more purposeful, and, quite honestly, we wanted to be better as a brand than we are as a family. So, you are probably asking yourself, “how can a company that ships plastic bottles of children’s shampoo across the country be environmentally conscious?” Well, here are some of the decisions we made, some big and some small, to try and ensure our company has as low an environmental footprint as possible. In some cases we have done well, and in others, we can (and will) be better. Our most impactful decision was insisting on having as many of our components, ingredients, and packaging as possible be sourced from the USA. Why? Three reasons. First, U.S. manufacturers produce the highest quality, safest and most pure ingredients in the world – just what we wanted for our formulations. Second, as small business owners, we are big on supporting American job creation and get goosebumps thinking about the myriad families touched in small ways by our company. Finally, and most importantly today, by sourcing close to home we significantly lowered our supply-chain’s environmental footprint. No Diesel container ships chugging in from China full of shampoo. No empty plastic bottles molded overseas and freighted here waiting to fill. No 20Kg drums of liquids bobbing across the seas while higher quality drums sit here ready to go. This has proven to be an expensive choice for us – but it is one we would make again for our environment and so many other reasons. What else have we done well? We hope: Choosing sustainably sourced and sustainably processed ingredients (see more about this from our November 2019 blog here); Developing USA-made custom, soft-touch bottles using 100% Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) Resin (which are in turn recyclable); Designing and producing Deco Boxes for our Bubble Box and Bath Bombs from recyclable US-sourced corrugated here in Southern California; Avoiding Styrofoam, plastic air pouches, styro-peanuts and other non-recyclable fill during shipping. But we certainly are not perfect and feel there are many areas where we can improve environmentally as a brand. With that goal in mind, we will be taking the following steps immediately, and in the days and weeks ahead: Exploring recyclable refill packs for our 3-in-1 products. Like many larger brands, we too want to offer a larger, environmentally friendly, cost-effective solution for “buying again.” These packs would allow customers to re-use our durable PCR bottles over and over, further reducing our use of plastic and streamlining our shipping; Eliminating the use of all bubble wrap and non-recyclable bubble-padded mailers. Keeping shipments from cracking and leaking is of course a priority. Bubble wrap/padding is effective (and cost effective), but we know it’s generally not sustainably produced. So, we are working with a company called Eco-Enclose (as well as others) to source and test new 100% recyclable mailers and post-consumer recycled padded envelops that allow us to ship single bottles bath bomb boxes in a more environmentally friendly, but still protective, manner; Investigating non-plastic based solutions for protecting our bath bombs. Currently, each bath bomb is encased in a thin, recyclable film. However, we would love to find a solution that is just as economical, but does not use plastic. We have discussed algae-based products, paper and others, but there does not seem to be a great solution at present. If you have ideas, please reach out and let us know! We know we are not perfect – but seeing little areas where we can improve gives us motivation to be continually better. We continue to be proud of the company we are building here at Dabble & Dollop, and want to be your trusted source for clean, natural, sustainable children’s bathing products for years to come. If you have any comments, suggestions or feedback, we’d love to hear from you at info@dabbleanddollop.com. To shop our entire line click here  

In the face of COVID, small brands are challenged to keep items in stock, and experiencing delays on new products.