If there’s one staple in our road trip toiletry bag, it’s Dr. Bronners castile liquid soap. We’ve been taking it on vacations and summer trips for as long as we can remember, especially when going camping because this “all one” soap can be used for everything, including washing dishes or cleaning small hands after meals or playing in the dirt. Bronners soaps are natural, made with no junk or parabens, from certified organic and fair-trade coconut, olive, jojoba and hemp oils combined with essential oils to create a people safe soap that lathers up and smells great. Leaves no funky residue and we always love it on the road because it makes us feel fresh and clean. There are several flavors, but we love the baby mild castile, lavender and almond for our tots. The peppermint is great, but can be a little intense (we’ve found) for the wee ones. Travel size is great for the car or from larger bottle into a small squirt bottle, soap can be diluted a bit. Soaps are packaged in 100% post-consumer recycled bottles, thank you. Travel size is 2 oz., $2.49, here.

Hooded towels are a favorite of ours and the kiddos. Hoods not only serve the keen purpose of drying off a wet head but also create a bit of a cape, perfect for post-bath time flying with the papas. We have a few hooded towels, but one of our faves is made by DwellStudio. We like this one because it’s super soft, big and the fabrics are modern and fun. The cotton percale outside mysteriously wicks beads of water, not huge amounts, but stays pretty dry while the terry inside is nice on our babes’ skin. We also have the Dwell for Target hooded towel, which is good but not quite as nice as the shmancy original. We admire DwellStudio because they use low-impact dies that are AZO and formaldehyde-free and their packaging is PVC free. New organic cotton line, too. Kudos. Pricey, yes, but worth it. $44, here.

There’s nothing like a little a little lavender bath and bubbles to soothe a fussy loved one. We’ve taken so many cool bubble baths over the last few weeks because our tots have been so cranky and hot from the weather, we’re  surprised we don’t look like prunes. We were so pleased Papa brought California Baby’s Calming Bubble Bath  home for us, it’s a serious crowd pleaser and even comes with a wand for blowing bubbles and Mamas, no tears. We rubbed some in our eyes just to test it out and it doesn’t sting! California Baby bubble bath is made with soapbark, yucca and other organic and sustainably grown ingredients. The aromatherapy essential oils are even guaranteed pesticide free. Brilliant. The only drawback is we have to pay more for such goodness and because it doesn’t have any synthetic fragrances, Sodium lauryl sulfate, DEA, or numbing agents it helps to shake it up a bit or use the shower head to get the most bubbles for your buck. $13.99 for 13 ounces, here.

We have a very small house and a tiny bathroom. Guess the builders saw no need for leg room when the house was built in 1913. When the dog and kiddo came along things became even tighter, especially since we all seem to pile into the bathroom together and the dog lives in there during summer months. We needed something to store our bath toys that wouldn’t disrupt the dog’s sleep, so we checked out the Boon frog pod. Initially, this little frog worked quite well, but unfortunately it doesn’t hold some of our larger bath toys. We do like that there’s storage for the kid shampoo, since we are sorely lacking in this area, too. Other benefits are the handle on the pod portion of the frog is quite useful for scooping and rinsing soap and dirt off of our toys. Our bigger toys just hang out behind the clawfoot tub, so no big whoop. Good looking pod and adhesive strips or screws keep this frog on the wall. Holds 10 lbs. with strips and 20 lbs. with screws. 19″ x 16 1/2″ x 7″. A bit steep for what it is, but it does scoop, drain and store.$34, at boon.

On the whole, we really like little twig’s extra mild unscented bubble bath, so do our kiddos. Mmmmm. Bubbles are fun to play with and taste quite good. We were completely okay with them eating these bubbles because little twig is paraben and sulfate free, non-irritating and has no artificial flavors. Kiddo didn’t wince after tasting it and we saw no side effects. It’s definitely a great product. Our problem was that we went through it very quickly, so it ended up to be about $1 a bath. We think it’s very important to use  the good stuff when it comes to our wee ones, but we do use our little twig sparingly. Maybe not every bath is a bubble bath. Organic jojoba, Vitamin E. Great for sensitive skin. $16.50, here.

We’ve been on a mission to find BpA, pvc and phthalate-free bath toys and we found them. Aw, yeah. These three interchangeable bath buddies by BOON are super and the kids love them. The design is totally cute, orbish and rocket-like, and they’re the perfect size for little hands to hold on to. And now you can stop cringing when your teething tots put these in their mouths. They can even go in the dishwasher. Tots can practice scrubbing the bathtub, too, which will prepare them for tasks later in life. Wink. Great Value. $9.99 at Kangarooboo.

Rub-a-dub-dub, it was a good day when we found the original rubber duck by Rich Frog, particularly because everything has to be taste tested by the kids and we’re kind of picky about what goes in their mouths. This duck, we call it “duck”, is made from natural rubber tapped from sustainably-harvested rubber trees, is completely non-toxic and has good squeak, always fun. One drawback, however, that does affect the rating a bit. Duck molded after a few months, which means it should be dried off after bath time. May defeat the purpose for some. Comes in two sizes, small 3”x 3” and Large 6 ½” x 8”. $8.95, here.

The bilibo mini is one of the coolest little  inventions we’ve seen, counterpart to the original bilibo seat, the mini is great for scooping stuff of all kinds.  From water in the bathtub to dirt in the garden. It’s a seat turned crash helmet for the baby doll, a turtle and it has served as a temporary home to many a cheerio. We like objects with multiple uses and so do our kids. No rules here. Perfect for small hands and excellent for imaginative play. Hooray. Made in Switzerland. Non-toxic and 100% recyclable. They’re durable, stylish and an excellent value.