Batht Time

I had my daughter in an infant/toddler tub until 10 months and now she takes a bath using the whole tub.

I would let him try the tub. You will be in the bathroom with him, so I think it will be fine.
T.

Hi Mary,
I've been bathing my son Josh in the tub since he was born(he'll be a year on 8/15). It's really easy. I bought a big Nemo fish bath mat at Target to help keep him from sliding around. Do the tub!! Peace, L.

I have a 14th month old and have never used a baby bath,he has always bathed with me,my hubby or on own, I think its best get him used to the big bath asap.as some day he will be in it on his own why not now????
stephanie

Mary,
You can probably repair your blow up tub with a P. kit. I think that nine months old is too young for the big tub. If you can't find the leak, get a big plastic tub like the Eurotub.
We are still using this tub and my son is three! It is much easier than washing the big tub every time. However, he is getting too big for it, and we'll have to use the big tub soon. It is a good idea to use a non-slip pad if you do decide to use the big tub.
Diana

I think that your son is definately ready for the big tub. As long as he can sit up, you shouldn't have any problems. We put our daughter in the big tub when she was about the same age and she did great!!!

hi mary,

i started putting our son in the big tub at around 8 months..only because he was sitting up so well on his own, crawling and almost walking. it was a little scary at first because he had to learn the whole depth perception thing and i had to watch to make sure he learned the basic rules like, no standing because it is slippery. but it only took him a couple of days to feel comfortable (and me too) and he loved it. so i say if your son is pretty stable and sits up well, go ahead and try it. just make sure the water only covers his thighs and that you are close by, especially at first.

good luck!
R.

My 10 month old has been in the big tub for 2 or 3 months now. We have a big claw-foot tub with very high sides, so I usually get in with him. We have great fun splashing around. He sometimes goes in by himself, but prefers the security of having myself or my husband with him. You will need an anti-slip mat. We don't have one but when my son pulls up on the side, he often slips a little (I catch him).

Good Luck & Happy Bathing!

R.

I wouldn't. 9 months is still fairly young. I have 2 daughters 20 months old and they still use the same blow-up tub and we love it.

We had the same problem with our previous blow-up tub--I had ordered it from One Step Ahead (the one with the ring toss built on one side of the tub and a squeezable fish on the other side).

After purchasing 2 of these tubs, finding a slow leak in both and repairing both a number of times, I finally called One Step Ahead and explained the issue and asked if they guarantee their products as we went through 2 tubs in less than 6 months!

They did--they suggested I mail back the tubs and they were willing to send me a new tub for free or if I wanted 2 new tubs, I'd just needed to pay the price difference for the new tub (a couple dollars each). They sent me the new tub which is larger and so far, we're very happy with it. Its been a couple months and no leaks! The larger size is ideal for my two daughters who can still bathe together.

Hope this helps. I would definitely explore getting a new tub vs. moving your daughter to the big tub too soon. In the inflatable tub, I don't worry as much about their hitting their heads on the faucet (we move the inflatable tub back) or slipping (you could use a slip-proof mat, but you should launder/wash them often & air dry them after use) and less room in the inflatable tub gives me comfort that they won't topple over and/or slip as often--less risk of any accident and/or having a scary experience in the tub.

For now, our girls enjoy their tub--with all the little fish printed on it. Its like a big toy for them.

PS--Noticed that Babies R Us now sells inflatable tubs for around $12.95 as I recall. Not sure how large and/or good these are in terms of leaks, etc.

Good luck with your decision!

The bath seats that suction to the bottom of the tubs are great. You just seat them in that and it keeps them from slipping all over the place.

My son was about that age when he started taking a bath in the big tub, but he was already sitting up, crawling, and pulling himself to a standing position. As long as your son is sitting up on his own (and hunched over doesnt count!), I would say try putting him in the big tub. Definitely use some kind of gripper thing on the bottom -- whether its a mat or the ones you stick on to the bottom more permanently. With a bathmat though, make sure you remove it after every bath and let it air dry -- otherwise mold will grow quickly and you could risk bathing your son is moldy water....ew.

If you don't feel comfortable with the big tub quite yet, you could also use the bathring or patch the leak in the inflatable tub. A patch kit is inexpensive (duct tape works in a pinch, though not as well).

If you decide to let your son venture into the big tub, make sure to watch him even closer than you do in the inflatable -- a child can drown in a half inch of water in under a minute. Never ever leave him alone. You might also want to get one of those inflatable faucet covers... once he realizes he can explore the whole tub he probably will and it might make you feel better to know that if he somehow bumps his head, he'd be bumping it on a cushion of air and not the faucet!

Good luck & happy bathing!

Mary,
I think your son is too young for the big tub. If you cannot patch or replace your inflatable tub, you might transition into a bath seat. I use a Safety First seat for my 14 month old. I got it at a Jewel. It is blue. It's like a seat with a rail around it. The child sits in it and rests his or her arms on the rim. It has suction cups on the bottom, swivels and has some toys on the front so they can play. I have used this seat for both of my kids. It is so much easier to bathe them once they can sit up on their own.
Good luck.
Amy

I have always sat in the tub with my child and bathed her. Not certain if you would be comfortable doing this, but my daughter loves the extra security. She has also used the bath ring. I agree with the other mothers to always watch them even in the ring, cause they can be slippery.

9 months is plenty old to start him in the big tub, but only if he is sitting up well on his own. You might want to try one of those bath ring seats, so he can sit, but he's still contained. My kids had what I called "roller bottom" and it literally seemed like they had wheels on their bottoms the way they rolled and slid all over the tub, so the seat was very useful to us! Hope this helps!

HELLO,

THAT WAS AROUND THE TIME THAT I LET MY CHILDREN BEGIN TO SIT IN THE TUB BY THEMSELVES AND IT WAS NO PROBLEM. THEY ACTUALLY ENJOYED MORE ROOM IN THE TUB BECAUSE AT FIRST I HAD THEM IN A PLASTIC BOOSTER SEAT TUB.

Hey Mary,

Provided your top has a non slip surface, or you put one in yourself, you should absolutely be able to bathe your son in the big tub. I think I did with mine as soon as he outgrew the infant tub and could sit up on his own safely.

I would say if he can sit on his own, try the bathtub. You only need a couple inches of water in there and of course, you will be right there with him anyhow. He will love the new environment to explore, splash around and have fun.

Hi Mary. I used the blow up tub within the big tub for my 1st child. I think it's a great way to get them used to the big tub and it seems a little safer than the big tub. HOWEVER, I didn't bother with my next two kids -- they went right from the tub that fits in the kitchen sink to the big tub. I've always used a rubber matt in the tub so they don't slip. I'm sure he'll be fine in the big tub -- he'll probably love the freedom! You just have to stay that much closer and tuned in because he'll probably fall over a few times while getting used to it. Maybe don't put too much water at first. Good Luck!

Hi, Mary ~ He is definitely ready for a big tub. When my daughter was about 6 months old we got her this big sponge type thing to put on the bottom of the tub. I think I got it at Target. She loved it and it was more comfortable for her. After she turned about one or so, we replaced that with a non-skid bath mat. Hope this helps! L.

Hi there, yep, if he sits up unattended and is relatively stable, then put him in the big tub. Always stay there though, never leave a child unattended in the tub. I put the stickies on the bottom of my tub to prevent slipping. Happy bathing!

T.

Jump in! The water's fine.

We started our girls in the big tub (with little water) at 6 months - as soon as they grew out of the plastic sink tub. At first, they just laid on the bottom as we washed them. As they became able to sit up, we gave them more water and LOTS of toys.

As always, remember to NEVER leave them unattended in the tub.

Hi Mary - I never used any sort of bathtub aid with my daughter (who is now 2.5) and she did just fine. Even when she was tiny I just stuck her in there on her back and watched her closely, without incident. There were times when she was learning to sit on her own that she would tip over, but being that she has a bit of a daredevil personality that was fun to her. So I would say your son can just go in the tub as long as the water isn't too high and you watch closely (which I'm sure you're already doing:-)

--U.

Mary,
My son has been using the inflatable for months now. He is 1 year old and actually tonight I am going to try to get a non-skid mat for the big tub. He probably would have been ok at 9 months but I just needed a little more security. He is a maniac in the bath so I kind of wanted him more contained. Now he really is trying to venture all over the bath, even trying to climb out. So for me it is time to move on. As long as you can keep good control over him and have some type of non-skid bottom than I think he will be fine.
Happy Bathing!

I think it depends on how well your child is sitting up and/or crawling. Definitely if he is crawling, just go for the big tub (obviously don't let the water go any deeper than his belly button though)--just be sure that you've got some sort of non-slip pad down. My 8 month old has been in the big tub with her big brother for the last 4 months and absolutely loves it. I had the inflatable tub with him; and only didn't pull it out for her because it was easier to give two kids one bath than two baths. And because she's crawling she's really enjoying moving around the tub and splashing the water in different places.

Have you thought about trying to patch the blow up tub? I am sure a vinyl patch kit would work if you want to keep using the blow up tub for a little while or if your Son doesn't like the big tub.

Try putting him in a clothes basket....they get used to being surrounded by the larger tub water but they are still secure within a space and then after time he'll be ready to move into the larger tub...

If your son is able to sit up on his own I would try him in the tub. Just be sure to stay close in case he gets scared after being used to the other tub.

My daughter went to the big tub about this same age and she loved it.

Good luck

I think as long as your son can sit up you should be fine. I used a bath seat for my kids. Its like a blue seat where it suctions to the tub floor, I think the newer models actually attach to the tub side as well, so he won't tip over if he try's to get out. I loved it and used it probably until my son was like 18 months to 2. It's also easy to take with if you go on vacation.

Good luck with your decision.

Hi Mary, Your son will probably love the extra room to move around in the tub. My 9 mt has been taking baths in the big tub for several months now. I use a large nonslip bathmat inside the tub and only fill it up with about 4 inches of water. He loves scooting all around and splashing. He also loves to lie on his back and kick his legs.