Does Your Baby Try to Stand up in the Bathtub?

Updated on September 20, 2011
L.B. asks from New Rochelle, NY
14 answers

My baby is 8.5 months, and for the past month, he has been trying to stand in the bath, forcing me to abandon attempts to bathe him.

I use a Fisher Price tub in the kitchen sink, and he arches his back and pushes with his feet. It is virtually impossible to get him to sit back down. And I think he likes baths just fine; it's just that the shape of the tub allows him to do this dangerous trick.

Since he can't even sit unsupported completely (once he lies down, he can't get back up again) I haven't tried the regular tub. I am also afraid if he tries his back arching/ standing trick in the real tub, he could really hurt himself, even with me there to hold him. Also, I have one of those tubs that has a sliding door, giving me even less room to reach in and keep him safe.

Any ideas? And how old were your kids when you moved them from baby tub to real tub?

Thanks!

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D.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I don't remember exactly...but I know I ditched the idea of the baby tub pretty quickly. I had the little chaise lounge thing, the plastic baby tube, the duck blow up tub--you name it.
What worked best for us was O. of those bear-shaped foam bath mats in the big tub (about 3" thick) and I just laid my son on that in the big tub....I replaced it every month or so, because even if you rinse them well and stand up to dry, they get a little icky after a while. But they're about $3 at Target.

4 moms found this helpful

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K.W.

answers from Seattle on

I used a baby tub once and found it irritating and useless. I took my babies into the shower with me. We both got clean together. I usually had the baby in my arms. Sometimes I put the baby in the Bumbo seat. Sometimes me and my husband showered together and passed the baby back and forth. (Double showerheads are really nice and an easy retrofit to any shower.)

Note: DO NOT use the Bumbo seat in a tub. It floats and tips over. It's fine in the shower.

2 moms found this helpful
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M.C.

answers from Boston on

We moved our oldest to a regular tub pretty quickly after she could sit unsupported. Then our youngest was around the same time frame. Have you tried the sink? That might work for a bit until he is a bit more steady. Easily accessible for you as well.

2 moms found this helpful
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A.M.

answers from Dallas on

I have a 10 mo old DD and yes, she wants to stand up all the time in the tub. I keep telling her "sit down" and "no" and "we sit in the tub" but I do have to take her out early a lot. One thing I do to just keep my hands on her is that I put her baby tub inside the regular tub. I fill the baby tub with water. Then I get in the regular tub and that way I am level with her and can catch her real quick if she stands and falls. Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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H.1.

answers from Des Moines on

I started putting Henry in the regular tub, I think around 8 months old. Although, he could sit completely unassisted. However, my mom thought this was strange waiting so long and whenever she came - she just gave him a bath in the regular tub long before he was sitting solo. Just try putting very little water in the tub and also have a towel on the bottom of the tub so there's not so much slipping around. When Henry was in a standing int he tub stage (and even know when he does) - I would just say "sit down in the tub please" and set him down. We did this a LOT before he figured it out, but now he does great and knows what I mean when I tell him to "sit down!" anywhere!

If it helps, this is the tub we used in between his "baby tub" and the regular bath tub. It's the inflatable rubber ducky tub from Target. We found this SO HELPFUL when he was too big for one, not big enough for the other. The edges are soft and cushy, so he was fine when he slumped over or whatever before he could sit great. I recommend this for a few more months until he is ready for the tub and it's super cheap. Also really cute, Henry loved it and it makes quacking noises. We just set it inside the big tub for mess purposes and getting him used to bathing IN THE BATHROOM.
http://www.target.com/p/Munchkin-Duck-Bathtub/-/A-10209874

1 mom found this helpful
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S.R.

answers from El Paso on

I got a bath ring when my daughter started doing stuff like that. You have to have a smooth bottomed tub, but it has suction cups on the bottom and acts as a ringed seat for them. LOVED it.

This is the one I got.
http://www.amazon.com/Juvenile-Solutions-White-Aquababy-B...

1 mom found this helpful

L.A.

answers from Austin on

Yes.. but our daughter was walking unassisted at 6 months (really) so we got her one of those suction cup bottomed, seats for the tub she was so tiny, I would roll up a towel and place it as a back cushion in there.

.. She was super young sitting up so before she could sit up all of the way, I also used one of those sponge bear cushion things. She just seemed to go through these gadgets so quickly, I was so happy when she could just sit in the bath seat.

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A.H.

answers from Chicago on

I totally second the bear-shaped foam bath mat Denise P. suggested - it was a lifesaver for us! I'm sure you could find one on Amazon. Anyway until you get one, I'd just take a bath with him to be safe. Get a non-skid bath mat anywhere...Target for instance...and that way he won't slip around.

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S.B.

answers from Redding on

For me....baby baths were for the birds.
I sponge washed until their belly button nubs fell off and put them in the shower with me or the regular bathtub.
The kitchen sink worked okay once in a while.
My 4 month old grandson is a champ at taking baths in the big tub.

My daughter also wanted to stand in the tub, but she was walking at 7 months. She wanted to stand up all the time. We had sliding doors and I took them out and stored them in the garage. I got a tension rod and shower curtains so I didn't have to bend around the doors. It made it so much easier. I put towels along the bottom runner slats so it wasn't uncomfortable to bend over them when she had a bath.
Your son might be happier being able to stretch out in the water in the big bathtub. Tell him he has to lay down for his hair to get washed and then you can hold him and rinse with a cup to make sure you get the soap all off.
Make sure you have no slip pads on the bottom of the tub.

Best wishes.

1 mom found this helpful

L.L.

answers from Rochester on

I had to move mine to the big tub around that age, because she would stand and jump around in the little tub.

Bought a bath mat. She stood in the big tub...so I'd just wash her quickly, and take her right out with no toys. She eventually sat down.

Then, this summer, I took her down a huge waterslide on family day at the pool, and my feet slipped when we landed and we both went under. I don't know if that traumatized her or what...I had a tight grip on her the whole time, but we were probably under for a good 4-5 seconds (felt like an hour, it was the scariest event I've had with her) but ever since she won't sit in the tub. She doesn't mind at all if I dump a bucket of water right over her head, she still plays, etc, but she just does not want to sit down.

I've started bribing her with bath toys...I don't give her the toys unless she sits. I did win the battle just yesterday, and she sat for the first time in about two months. Yay!

They have special bath seats that suction to the bottom of the tub. I had one that I loved for my first...it looks like a cross between a potty chair and a restaurant high chair, I guess, with a ring around their tummy and a bar between their legs. Worked great for her...she wasn't a great sitter, either. We never even tried a bath seat with this one, because she just didn't need it.

You can lay a folded bath towel down in the tub...yes, you'll have a sopping wet towel to deal with afterwards, but it offers more protection than a bath mat.

You also might want to consider having the sliding door removed from your tub and replacing it with a shower curtain. I think the door is going to continue to give you trouble...that'd be a real pain in the rear when it came to bathing a baby or a toddler.

Good luck!

R.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

Get in and take a bath or shower with him, or get proficient at superfast "wash, rinse, get out" baths until he can sit in the big tub safely for longer.

L.U.

answers from Seattle on

We have been in the real tub for about 6 months. My baby is 8 1/2 months too! I have taken baths with her, she takes showers with the husband, and she takes baths. She is sitting by herself and crawling all over the place and she loves to pull herself up. Bath time is a bit of a hectic nightmare right now since she does want to stand all the time. I just keep sitting her back down and tell her "no no Olivia. We SIT in the bathtub" If she keeps it up then I take her out. Bath time is over!
L.

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A.C.

answers from Raleigh on

I think we used the baby tub like twice. My son has been in the big tub since he was little. It sounds like your son is uncomfortable. I think it's time for a move.

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L.A.

answers from New York on

our son is 11 months. we use the baby tub in the real tub. he like yours has been standing up, stepping out, and doing all sorts of acrobatics since 7 months. by putting the baby tub in the real tub, we save water and time, as it doesn't take long to fill the baby bath. We keep the toys contained, and we keep the mess contained too. trying to reinforce tubs are for sitting in, but making little headway.

good luck.

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