I think I'm way behind on this one. My 9 month old appears very ready to transition from her baby bath tub into the big bath tub - her little legs are hanging out of the baby tub.
How did you keep your babies steady and safe in the big tub? I've seen some devices that they sit in, but that seems like those would make it difficult to wash all of the "critical parts" maybe? If you used some kind of baby bath seat, would you recommend it - and if so, what brand was it? Thanks for your help?
I have used a baby bath seat with all three of my boys, I think it is by First step, anyways it can be a little difficult getting the critical parts while they are in it. What I do is wash everything else then let him play a bit and when it is time to get out I pick him up and wash the other parts then we get out. I just feel it is safer to use one even though I am always at arms length.
Susanne,
I got in the tub with my little one for the first few times. Then when I started to bathe him by himself, I sat him in the middle of tub and only filled the water up to the tops of his thighs. When cleaning the private areas, I'd just lean him over my arm and use the soapy washcloth. I also used(and still use) a big plastic glass to fill with water and pour on him. I always pour baby soap into the running bath water while its filling to get it nice,bubbly,and soapy. The hair washing is the hardest part,but if your little guy doesn't have much, you can use the washcloth. Mine had a bunch of hair from birth and now at 18 months its a big mass of unruly curls. I cannot for the life of me get him to lean his head back, so I have to cover his eyes with a wash cloth and use the glass to pour water over his head.
I never used a bathseat. Just a plastic mat(Target) on the floor of the tub so they don't slip and slide. :)
Once my children learned to sit up around 5 months I used a bath seat for the first couple of days, but it was so hard to bath them. So then I just went to Target and bought a non-skid mat that covers the whole bottom of the tub and sat them right inside. They love it because the can crawl around and never slide. I would not suggest buying a seat I feel like I wasted money getting one and using it maybe six times.
I have used the Safer Bather for both of my kids. It is a cushion that is machine washable and great for balancing them in the tub! I swear by it!
We bought one of the inflatable bath tubs when my daughter was too big for the baby tub but not quite ready for the big tub. I got it at Babies R Us and it worked out great. We used it for almost a year before she outgrew it.
I personally never used a baby bath tub. I fill the bathtub with a few inches of water and just lay him flat in the bath. He has done that since he was about 2 months old. He loves it because he is free to kick, splash, whatever. Good luck!!
Hi Susanne. I discovered that the best way to trans over to the big tub is to let your son bath with you. I know some people may have a problem doing this but i enjoyed the one on one play time that it gave me with my boys. Take him into the tub and use your legs like a cradle. Prop your legs up and rest his head close to your knees. It makes it easy to hold him securely and reassures them. I found that it made my sons feel safe and comfortable because i was right there with them. They slowly transitioned their way into being able to sit up and that is when i stopped bathing with them. Now bath time is one of their favorite times and they are completely fearless of the water.
My son is just 9 months old (yesterday as a matter of fact) and he's bathing in the big bath tub by himself now. When he was small I took a bath with him until he could sit up on his own. I received one of those inflatable bath tubs that was in the shape of a yellow duck and he really likes that too. He loves it, but you can tell that sometimes he wants more room to play around. I never bought a bath ring or seat because like you said, it's hard to wash the "critical parts" and their legs can get pinched and scratched moving them in and out of there. You can lay him on his back with just enough water to come up to his ears but not in his ears so that he can splash and play to his heart content in the big tub. I highly recommend the slip resistant mat for the bottom of the tubso when he's sitting he doesn't lean over and slip under the water. Just watch him to make sure that he doesn't try to roll over in the tub like mine does when he's lying on his back! Have a fun time!
As soon as my son could sit up by himself we let him get in the big tub. He was scared of the baby tub, so we had to let him take showers with us until he was able to sit up. I think the first few times, we got in the bath with him so show him it was fun to splash and play with toys. After a few weeks of taking baths with him, we put him in there with his toys and let him play. We did not buy any seat or special thing for the tub. I would suggest the little stick on things that make the tub non-slip. Our tub is naturally non-slip. It didn't take long until our son was laying down in the water, and putting his face in it, just experimenting. He loves the bath now.
The blow up tubs worked great for us. It helps keep them in one place, but still gives the feeling that they are in a tub. It also adds cushion in case they topple over.
