Infant Bathing

I have used the inflatable tub and a seat. both worked well. If you get the seat don't get one that hooks on the side of the tub because you have to have the right size tub.

My daughter baths with her dad, in his lap, since she was 4 months. No bath tub and no need to worry about the cleaners!!!

We used an inflatable tub from about age 7-14 months for my son. You can just use a regular bath tub - we liked the inflatable because (1) it was soft in case he fell (2) quick to fill up (3) can double as a small swimming pool on the deck. Plus it was cheap and portable.

We switched our son to the bathtub when he was able to sit up by himself. Was that 6 months? It seemed a little overwhelming at first, because the tub was so much bigger for him! We got used to it quickly, though, and it's so much easier. I've read that you can put the baby in a plastic laundry basket inside the tub, water and all, to wash him but to kind of contain him. (I've read that those baby seats give parents a false sense of security and babies end up getting hurt because they're left alone).

As for a cleaner, I use Method products. They're non-toxic and smell nice.

I used the bathtub seat also. Another fun thing was to use the kitchen sink. Just clean the sink before you you give him a bath in the sink.

As for not sleeping through the night he should of been months ago. I know this is not easy but let him cry it out and he will go back to bed. Right now he is only waking up for comfort and because you run to him so if you let him cry it out he will just go back to sleep. You could put a bottle of water in the crib before you go to bed.

I used a bath seat. It was blue and I could put thier. It suctioned to the tub and it was great. So I had them in the tub but not "in the tub".

We used a sponge mat. It goes on the bottom of the tub and it's comfortable for the baby and they can't go anywhere while they sit on it since it is a sponge material. Since this was 2 years ago, I really can't remember where I got it, but I think it was Target.

Hi T....
I bought an inflatable tub when my son was too big for the infant tub. Our tub just seemed so BIG for him. Then I came across this inflatable solution in ONE STEP AHEAD catalog. It was around $12 and it was perfect. We used it for about a year.
Good luck!
S. in Lisle, IL

I used an inflatable tub. It was fabulous. He just now switched from the inflatable one to a regular tub at about 17 months. It is great.

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=262724...

I got a bigger tub for my son about that age that can be put inside the bathtub. It is called the Primo Eurotub. I did not feel comfortable putting a child that small in a big tub....plus he freaked out when I tried it. I don't know why they make those baby tubs sooooo tiny! And this thing is big but fits perfectly under the crib. We kept using it I think till he was almost 2! http://www.amazon.com/Primo-340W-PRIMO-EuroBath-Pearl/dp/...

We also use the EuroTub. It fits in the big tub, but gives some stability. This is the only baby tub we ever had and we're still using it with our 20 month old.

As silly as it may sound, I still bathe my 3 year old in her baby tub. Its just easier for me and she loves it. I had back surgery a year ago and bathing her in our bathtub is painful for me. So I place her bathtub on top of our bathroom sink vanity which is very long and bathe her there. She sits in it with her legs stretched out and she still has room left over. The baby tub is big in my opinion. She just stands up for me when I have to clean her private parts and then she sits and I wash her face, hair and the rest of her body. It works for both of us.

We use the kitchen sink for our 20 mo. old. LOL! We have a larger farm sink -- we wash it well and disinfect w/ Method or Melalueca cleaners first, of course. It's the perfect size and great height for a baby bath. I have a non-slip mat for the bottom so she doesn't slide around. We often throw our 3 yr old in after the baby because he enjoys the novelty of bating in the kitchen sink. This probably won't work for everyone, but it's a great solution for our family.

We bought one of those baby bath seats at around 8-9months. It kept him contained (tee hee) but allowed him to sit up and move around and reach his bath toys.
My son just turned 1 and we are now transitioning out of that seat.....
P.s. He doesn't sleep through the entire night either! HA. Glad to hear I am not alone....

Not sure if this would work for you, but since our baby has been 4 months old, he goes in our regular bath tub with me while my husband assists from outside the tub handing me everything we need and taking the baby from me when we are done.

There are bathtub 'rings', they are like little boppee chairs, made of hard plastic, they have suction cups for the bottom of the tub -- we were given one by a friend but am sure you can find them at toys r us. We used that until our son was bout a year old, and he was sturdy enough to go without it.

I bought a blow up tub from Target. It was a duck and I found it easier than the big tub.

I used a blue ring bath seat. I had to get it from E-bay because they are not sold anymore (due to people leaving their children unattended and having drowning accidents). It was cheap and I just sanitized it when I got it. It suctions to the bottom of the tub and keeps baby from falling over.

I think Baking Soda makes a good scouring cleaner if you are worried about the ingredients in the typical bathroom cleaners. Although we tend to use regular cleaners and just make sure to scrub/rinse the tub thoroughly afterward.

I used a blue bath ring in the kitchen sink until they outgrew that, then we went to the bath tub. Or you can have him sit up in the baby bathtub, while it is in your big bathtub. Let water mess this way too, and he will get used to being in the big tub, for when he is ready.

IKeA has a baby bathtub that is a little larger. We used this for my daughter after she outgrew the smaller baby tub and before she was ready for the regular bath tub. She loved it!

I see everyone answered about the tub but not cleaners. I use Method from Target (all natural and no harsh chemicals) for all my cleaning products. They also have some baby safe cleaning products out as well.

We use the Blow up tub from onestepahead.com It works great and is easy to clean and hang out of the way. We started using this tub when she was 6 mo and are still using it at 15 months!

For cleaners we use babyganics(available at babies r us) or 7th generation(we get it at whole foods).

Good Luck,

m

I have been using the blow up duckie tub from Target since my 9 month old was born. When he was little I put a sling seat in it but now took it out and he loves to sit in it and splash. It is nice that it is padded in case he slips a little and he loves that it quacks at him too! It is awesome and he will fit in it for quite a bit longer until he is ready for the big tub.

Once my son was too big for the infant seat that we put in the bathtub we bought a non-slip mat for him to sit on in the bathtub.

Don't put too much water in there while they are bathing, make sure you never leave unattended, and he will be fine.

As for cleaning...clean with anything as long as you thoroughly rinse the tub out. Unless he's allergic to cleansers, you'll be fine. Also, a lot of stores sell "Greener" cleaners now, more natural.

Good luck.