MANILA, Philippines - Johnson’s Philippines believes that bathing is more than just hygiene. Its Global Bath Time Report of seven countries revealed that while 96 percent of Filipino parents believe that bath time is more than just getting their child clean, 45 percent do not see it as extremely important for cognitive development. The study also revealed that the Philippines has the shortest baby bath time duration—15 minutes versus the global average of 23 minutes.
Research has shown that bath time is actually a great opportunity to stimulate baby’s senses because it is a time when babies’ senses are very much alive.
With this in mond, Johnson’s recently hosted its “Discover So Much More” event hosted by Johnson’s celebrity mom Rica Peralejo-Bonifacio. The event featured different baby care rituals which both parents and children enjoy as well as help in a child’s physical and cognitive development during different stages of growth.
Johnson’s Asia Pacific medical and clinical affairs director Dr. Didoy Castañeda explains that with opportunities for touch, sight, smell, and sound, bath time rituals are crucial for a baby’s physical and cognitive development.
“Bath time can be so much more than getting clean. Multisensory stimulation rituals can aid in promoting happy, healthy baby development leading to specific benefits such as increased weight gain and bone mass, reduced stress, crying and better quality and quantity of sleep,” Castañeda shares.
Of all the senses involved in bath time rituals, touch has the greatest impact on a child’s growth. It imparts a lot of meaning in a child’s mind, from getting his or her attention to giving soothing comfort. Perinatal Association of the Philippines president Dr. Theresa Hilario-Jimenez shares the importance of touch or skin-to-skin contact with babies, which is most evident during bath time.
“Dramatic growth in a child’s physical, motor, cognitive and social-emotional development is very much dependent on the stimulation a parent provides in the first several years of a child’s life. Touch is a powerful tool to maintain alert state in babies, to calm them or as an attention-getting stimulus. Touch is also a good reinforcement for positive infant behavior and learning,” Hilario-Jimenez says.
Recognizing the importance of parents in supporting early positive experiences and growth through stimulation, Johnson’s also launched the “So Much More” campaign during the event, with the slogan “Di Lang Ligo ang Ligo.”
For information, visit johnsonsbaby.com/somuchmore.