the pump saves us tons of money. my ds likes to make bubbles with the bottles that don't have pumps but for some reason he leaves the pumps alone.

Teaching your kids something isn't as hard as making sure they remember what they have just been taught. Using a bottle with a pump is second nature in my home. I have combined the pump bottle(s) with a reward system, most kids love rewards. Now and days, pump bottles should be easy to come by if your active with your friends and family, so don't go shopping around...just ask. I use bottles of different sizes, start small and increase size of the bottle when you see progress in what point your trying to cross, like the amount of shampoo or body wash to use. Every pump bottle distributes at different amounts so if they are regressing what you taught, you decrease the size of the bottle and re-teach, and save on your losses. Using the reward system, I let them choose the shampoo of their choice while in the store and use as leverage when they are wasteful. When they have their reward suspended they will want it back and learn whatever they need to be sure it won't happen again. Hence, they will remember next time they are bathing.

My mom bought a huge pump container of shampoo and condition once when I was little. I remember that thing lasting at least a year! I had really long hair then too. I think that it would help save on shampoo if the pump wasn't too high (meaning pumping out too much). I'd give it a try.

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This is a great idea!
What pump bottles work the best?

I have been doing this for over a year - just filling the same old pump bottle from a long ago shampoo purchase. I tried it after having too many bottles end up in the drain because the kids squeezed too hard or did not close the cap tightly and it "fell" into the tub.

It saves huge amounts of shampoo in this house!!

Just as a comparison, I recently got the kids Suave Smoothers on a good coupon deal and just used the regular bottle that it came in - big mistake. I swear that bottle is made intentionally to waste shampoo so you buy it more often. The dispensing hole is huge and it pours out really fast.

Anyway, just my 2 cents!

I buy BJ shampoo and it comes in a pump bottle, I use less than in the standard bottles, but not by much. Do be sure though that you tip that sucker over and pull that pump out. There is always tons left in the bottle. I got at least 10 more shampoos out of it (and I've got some long, thick, untameable hair haha)

I have very long hair, so it will take me more pumps to wash my hair.

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Nelda
Missing Ed 11/09/2008

I started putting our shampoo in pump bottles when my kids were big enough to wash their own hair.....I usually tell them "two squirts" because they have pretty thick hair....it definitly has guarded against spills or pouring out way too much...and the kids like having their "own" shampoo bottles too....

I'm still washing my kid's hair..good tips for when they are washing on their own!

When money started getting tight for us I quickly learned that I needed a lot less shampoo, body wash, toothpaste, etc, than I thought I did. For example, I used to put a line of toothpaste the entire length of the toothbrush, or filled my palm with shampoo, but I learned that "half a line" of toothpaste or a dime-to-quarter sized amounth of shampoo does just as good of a job. I'm sitting here wondering why the heck I never thought of getting pump bottles. The things I still have a problem with are body wash and dish soap--those are the ones I could really benefit from a pump.