How to bathe infant safely in bath tub?

Hi J.,
When my daughter was able to sit up, around 6 months, we moved her to an inflatable tub. Something very similar to this:

http://www.amazon.com/Safety-1st-Kirby-Inflatable-Blue/dp...

It worked great and the bottom of the tub was also inflatable so that she wasn't sitting on a hard surface. When she out grew this tub, pretty much when she was able to stand up on her own, we moved her to the regular tub. We got a soft squishy non-slip bath mat to put in the tub so that she wouldn't slip and fall. She loves it. We have a porcelain tub, so the suction cups work great.

There is another one made by Augababy and it comes in blue or white its about $30 and you can get it at Right Start. or on their website Rightstart.com. I have it for my son and the suction cups are amazing, I didn't think they would be as strong as they are but I can't pull it up with out releasing them first!! Good luck!

Jaime,

The inflatable duck is a HUGE blessing. Both my children loved the duck. It was so perfect for my son when I got it. My daughter was already too big for it when I got it, but she loved to squeeze the ducks mouth and make it quack. It is so awesome and I would highly recommend it. It sits right in the bath tub and it gets kids used to sitting in the tub. Whoever designed it must have kids who had the same problem that the kids were too big for the infant bathing tub.

Hi,
we used the same seat for 4 months and never had a problem. as with ALL tub seats you need to be there at ALL times. therefore if the suction cups came lose you would be there to save the day! enjoy these days! soon she will be running and jumping in the tub like ours! ha!

Hi, I forget the brand, but we have an infant seat (for our youngest) for the bathtub that actually hooks over the side of the tub to keep it steady. I had one of the suction cup ones for my oldest and didn't like it because it was too difficult to get the suction cups to stick to anything but a perfectly smooth tub bottom.

I recommend the one that hooks over the side.

Can you not just lay your baby in a couple of inches of water in the normal tub & let her splash around? My 7 month old loves it!

I did not read the other responses that you recieved. When my boys were ready for the bath tub, I bought the seat that had the arm rest that attached to the side of the tub. My boys didn't quite grow out of the baby tub, they just moved around too much for it. They couldn't quite sit in it, at that point, so I would stuff a towel behind them, to help them sit up. When bath time was over, you can take it out and lift up on the arm rest and it swivels around, to fold into itself. Not sure if this makes any sense without seeing it. I really liked it and I still have it. Oh the seat swivels also, but has a locking mechanism on it. I guess if you have a round tube, or something like that. I don't know I always kept it in lock position. If you have any questions, feel free to message me. I could probably find a pic of it if you want to see it.

Once our daughter outgrew her infant tub we just put her in the regular tub with an anti-slip mat.

With my 3rd child I searched for this seat and couldn't find it. Do they still make it? I loved it but always stayed with my children (#1 and 2) in the tub. For #3 I bought an inflatable duck tub that she sat in inside the tub. not the greatest but worked.

J.,
I recommend the following tub: http://www.amazon.com/Safety-1st-Kirby-Inflatable-Blue/dp...
We bought this inflatable tub for my daughter when she was about 8 months old, she's turning 2 next week and she still fits in it just fine. (She's average height and weight, and I figure we can get at least 3 more months of use out of it as a conservative estimate.)

I highly recommend this tub. It is easy to inflate, it is portable (you can deflate it and take it on vacation if necessary), cleans easily, easy to fill and empty, etc. It also keeps your child safer than in the large tub and doesn't use as much water as using the regular tub.

Your friend was correct, the bath seats are not safe and are not recommended.

Hope you enjoy the tub!

Me personally i didn't use a tub I just put a bath towel in the bath tub laid her on it and run the water just below her ears. Your baby isn't stupid she won't let the water go in her ears or eyes if it bothers her. Than she can slash around and have fun. You can put rubber duckies in the water and she will bat the with her hands. It's also easier to bath her she's already in the water. You'll see it's great. She will love it.

Hi, this probably puts me in the terrible mom category, but at 6 months my daughter could sit up by herself, so I just put a non-slip bath mat down and put her in the tub without any safety seat. personally i think it introduced her to the fun of the water at an age where she was ready to start exploring on her own, but that's just me :)

Hi J.~
First of all... thank you for your service - you and your husband. From one military family to another, I know the family makes a big sacrifice along with the service member. (Especially if he's gone most of the time!) Lean on us, we'll lean on you. ;)

As far as the bath: When my guys got too big for the baby tub, I used a bath sling in the big bathtub. It was just a mesh like (but very soft) covering over a metal frame. The fabric part velcroed on and off so you could toss it in the washer every now and then. Super easy to use, the baby is held in place while you wash and you just leave it in the tub to dry out. I never used the tub stopper either, just let the water run down the drain. I use a small-ish tupperware container to pour water over their bodies and over their head for shampooing. With the baby bath sling, the baby is laying back but not on the floor of the tub, making it easier to rinse the hair, too.

Incidentally, I still do the no tub stopper thing while I'm washing them. My boys are 4 1/2 and 2. We wash with soap and let all the soap suds go down the drain before we put the stopper in ... then they get a little time to play (depending on what time we actually get to bath time!;) before they get out. I can't stand the idea of playing in the dirt we just washed off! ...and they LOVE to play in the tub.

Good luck~ 6 months old is a fun time... and it just keeps getting better.

~J.

Hi J.! I tried a couple of different things for bathing my little one too and did use the inflatable duck that is from Target, by Munchkin. My daughter loved it and it worked out perfectly for us until she was too big for it!

I stopped using a baby tub altogether when my girls outgrew them (at about 6 months) I just put them in the regular tub and kept a hand on them at all times. By 12 months I would wash them and then just sit by the tub and watch they play!

After my kids outgrew the baby bath we started using a rectangular laundry basket. Try a smaller one for her at first and then a little larger one as she sits by herself better. This keeps her contained as well as her bath toys so she isn't reaching too far to get them. You have easy access and the water flows easily in and out.

get in the tub with her

make this a play time or relaxing time with her

those seats are such a waste of money.she should be able to sit up by now,

you just dont take your eyes or hands off them.

J.,
Your gf is correct, I had a bad experience with the tub seat for this very reason. I think it maybe safety 1st who makes a blow up tub that fits right in your tub. It is small and harder for your little one to end up having an accident during tub time. Last I knew Wal-Mart carried these and they were I think around $20, Babies R Us carried a similar item but if I remember correctly it was more expensive.

I used the safe bather with both of my sons and I love it!
It is made of fabric and is like a pillow for them to sit/lay on in the bath tub. After the bath you simply just hang it up with the hook it comes with and it dries. It is also machine washable so you can make sure it does not get moldy by washing it once a week or so. It is great!

http://www.amazon.com/Leachco-Safer-Bather-Infant-Bath/dp...

Hope this helps.

Hi J.,
I didn't get a chance to read through the other responses. I have two children and a third on the way. I always gave them baths in the big tub and never used an infant tub. I just got a yellow teddy baby sponge to lay them on. I got it from the Baby Depot at Burlington Coat factory. They are about $5-$6. I loved them and the kids did great...they have never been scared of the big tub or anything. With the teddy tub sponge you just have to ring it out every night so it doesn't get moldy and when it starts to lose shape just get a new one. ---Hope this helps! Take Care!

I understand your dilemma. What did our parents do? I used a towel under all three of mine once they outgrew the infant tub. All of them now are very comfortable in the water. I would fill the tub until it came close to the tops of their thighs to start with, and go from their as they, and I, got more comfortable with them in the water.

Also, suction cups only stick to a porcelain tub, most are fiberglass these days. I know, I have 5 kids and have bought countless bathtub toys that are supposed to stick to the tile or tub. You'd think I'd get it one of these days!! :)

I have heard the warnings to about these seats but I think the company just puts the warning out there to cover themselves. I have my arm on my baby the whole time so it is not a problem.

Both my kids used these tub seats and we never had a serious problem. The seat did tip over when placed on a tub with a rough surface, but we were right there to fix that. The problems with these seats have occurred when the babies were left alone in the tub and the seat tipped over. Since the vast majority of us would NEVER leave a baby unattended in the tub, most of us never had a real problem. You just have to use these knowing they were never designed as a way to leave the baby alone in the tub.
The seat also works well to help a baby learning to sit up. Just suction it to a linoleum or tile floor and the baby can sit up without fear of tipping over. You might need a pillow to help at first.

I like Kate H's suggestion of a couple of inches of water, especially if she's sitting. My Erin did fine in the tub at that age. Goes without saying, don't leave her alone for a minute!

Child-rearing is expensive enough, I say don't buy anything you don't have to!

-S. Kav

I think one of the other moms mentioned it, but when my son was too big for the infant tub, we got the infant seat that has an arm that hooks over the side of the tub. It is white with some blue padding. It rotates, so you can move the baby around for easier access to their other side. It's a safety first product. I got mine about 6 months ago at Buy Buy Baby. Also, we have a jacuzzi tub with a really wide side and the arm fit over that. This worked really well for us until my son was able to stand and was able to balance himself much better with no sliding. Good luck.

I used to take my baby into the tub with me. I did not like the baby bathtubs. AF

Right around 6 months old, my son was ready to get out of the infant tub. We got the Munchin duck tub that fits into your bath tub. It is just wide enough for a baby to fit in but snug enough for them not to roll over. It looks like a baby pool for your tub. I am pretty sure you can get it at Target.