Ditching the Baby Bath

I think I asked a similar question a couple of years ago when my son outgrew his baby bath. Best advice I got (from here and from friends)? Just use the adult bath tub with a non-slip mat with plenty of toys to keep him occupied while you scub him down.

We stopped using the baby tub as soon as my kids could sit up on their own...so about 6mos old or so.

Couldn't you just put him in the adult tub?
We liked those bear-shaped, yellow foam mats (<$3 @ Target) for the tub at that age.

We stopped with the baby bathtub once he was sitting up really well on his own, then we put him in the adult bathtub. Once he was walking really well my husband would take him in the shower with him. My husband bathes our son first and then he sits in the shower and plays while my husband showers.
Like Christine said, make sure you have everything ready and don't leave him alone for a second.

My DS is 18 months old and still gets in the shower with us. However, our shower is big enough that I let him stand on the floor by himself. He loves to put his head in the water and play.

Never used the baby tub, went from kitchen sink to bathtub as soon as they could sit up on their own, with the occasional shower as well. I usually spent bath time cleaning up the bathroom, sorting laundry, etc. while baby played in the bath :)

Just transition him to the adult tub. We stopped using his baby bath at around 6 months because he was sitting just fine, and like the big bath way better. We got a bunch of fun toys for him to play with and havent looked back since. Its so much easier!

We use the regular tub with our 14 month old. He has not figured out that tilting your head back to rinse will not get soap in his eyes, so we still use the baby sling to lay him back and rinse his hair. Other than that it is just the regular tub, a little bit of water, and some tub toys! It has been that way since he was about 9 months or so.

Put him in a regular tub. At 15 months old, I assume he sits well on his own. Put an inch of water in the tub and a few toys - could be two plastic cups at this age - and let him play a few minutes while you rinse him off. I've been putting my son in the tub without a baby tub since he was about 8 months old. You must have towel ready and anything else you might need...because you can't leave them alone at all! My son is now 16 months old and loves his bath. My biggest problem - making him sit in the tub. He is learning that if he stands up, then bathtime is over:(

If your tub has no skid surfacing that might hurt his bottom, then put a lightweight baby blanket or a towel in the bottom of the tub and pour the bath on top of it.

Enjoy! C.

My son always preferred showers and we followed your system for a long time. When he was too big to hold in the shower, we just let him stand up. At first with one of us in there too, then alone at around age 2 or 2.5. Obviously we are right in the bathroom and watching him, and he knows he is not allowed to touch the faucet knob. (Luckily he couldn't reach it until he was old enough to understand this concept!) We just have a non-slip mat in there, and he brings in his toys -- cups, etc.

With our first we NEVER used the baby bath after the first few weeks. We also showered him with us, with the other parent drying/dressing baby. When he was about 18 mos my in-laws moved out, so we had access to the full size tub and bathed him there from then on.

With our 3rd we used the baby bath until he gained head control, and then into the tub, on either a towel or the bath sling that came with his baby bath. Once he could sit up unassisted I started just sitting him in there & bathing him. Now that he's 9 mos, I am quite comfortable bathing all 3 of my kids at the same time. The older kids are really gentle with him in the bath.

So, I say any day you want to put him in the big tub is ok. I just sit next to the tub on a short footstool, with his towel on my lap. It takes me less than 10 minutes to do bath time, and it is really the easiest way.

Time for just regular tub. with a mat. You just have to teach him to stay sitting down the entire time he is in the tub. .

IF he will not stay in the sitting position you can purchase a tub seat.

We had a neighbor whose daughter always wanted to stand.. She refused to sit down.. Finally when her daughter slipped and knocked herself out on the edge of the tub, they purchased the tub seat.Never had that problem again.

Inches of water in the tub is an easy wash and fun!

I never had a baby bath. When DD was a newborn I bathed her in a small bucket. After that it was the sink and as soon as she could sit up she went in the big tub. If your son enjoys a shower get a good anti-slip mat for your tub and let him stand or sit in the shower. My nephew has been doing this since he could sit and loves the shower... it is faster and saves water.
I would love if my DD took showers, but she's scared of getting water in her face...

Well since no one else seems to have had this experience, I'll add that my son, just turned 3, is somewhat afraid of water. He doesn't dislike water, he's just very cautious about it as he is with many things. He didn't mind getting baths in his baby tub as an infant, and he loves to splash and play in water, but at the beach he's very nervous. Finally at 2 and a half I got him to play with a bucket along the edge of the tide. But if toes touch water, he's backing up! I have gotten him into a pool a few times, carrying him, but it took a long time and a lot of craft on my part. He eventually liked it, but it was pretty silly seeing other little babies go by with their swimmies on, laughing and splashing with their parents in tow.
He definitely gets this from his dad who can't swim. My side of the family are all swimmers and beach-lovers.
Back to the bath issue. Starting around 6 months, I began attempting to get him in a shallow bath with me. Hysterical crying each time. Thought after a while he'd calm down, but never happened. So I gave up and tried again when he was older, still the same result. Just trying to get him in the kiddie pool on a hot summer day took coaxing! Now that he's 3, he is still in the toddler tub, which you can imagine he is about to outgrow. It is just enough water to get him clean and play with a toy, but I am about to embark on another venture to get him in the big bath. we'll see how it goes! I can't wait because I look forward to all the toys we could fit in there and the fun he'll have. I will say that all and all, the toddler tub has been an efficient and safe way to bathe him, and it gets the job done quick when you are in a rush and don't have to do alot of clean up if you do it in the big tub.

We started showers around age 2-3 with my kids. But DON'T TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF HIM. They can't stand on their own and shower for quite a while. The shower is a good quick option. but my kids love bath playtime, so we do the shower only about 1/2 the time. We do baths in the big tub starting around 18 months or so, only a few inches of water and always supervised.

We never used a baby tub with either of ours. Just don't leave him alone, and he should be fine! (And have lots of fun!!)

I loved the baby bathtub that expanded. It was white and had a blue half ring that popped into a groove. It was the perfect size since the 5 yr. old loved to use it too. I would sit the baby in the ring and let them play for as long as they wanted while I cleaned the toilet, sinks, and counter tops. I even washed wall a few times too. Then the baby stands up and gets rinsed off and everyone is happy and clean.

For the 5 yr old we popped the blue half ring out and she would fill the little tub and play for half an hour or more. The little tub uses way less water and is safe for various ages. I loved the safety of it and that it could be make smaller when it slid shorter. Then it would store easily and out of the way.

When the kiddo was sitting up very very well up until they were too big we had one like this that we could use. I preferred the little bathtub due to the water usage but this one is just as safe as the little tub one.

http://www.diapers.com/p/dream-on-me-baby-bath-seat-pink-...

But I still liked the one that expanded and had the ring. It held so much more potential.