Tips for using a WashPod/Tummy Tub with a newborn?

[HeatherB]

We were gifted a WashPod for our newborn.  I put it on my registry because I'd given them to friends who really liked them, too.  I just tried it tonight (she's 2 weeks exactly) and am wondering if I'm missing out on tips for dealing with a newborn in it.  She liked the depth and the water but trying to bathe her AND keep her face out of the water was none-too-easy.  Her bath was quite short (just long enough to wash her hair) and I didn't bother trying to "scrub" her skin; still, it was tricky.  I'm wondering if I put in too much water, or was she just tipsy because she's so little?  The whole "hold them under their chin" *sounds* easy enough, but in practice, it didn't feel so secure.

Thoughts?  Tips?  I will bathe her with me, as well, but it's nice to have a quick and easy way to clean her, too.

[hakeber]

hmmmm, I would be reluctant to put a baby in a tubby like that until they could hold their head up by themselves.

When DS was small we had a sort of floating bed that he lay on while I took a bath with him, and then when he got big enough to hold his head up he went in a baby tubby.  DD just went in a shower sling with me in the shower.  Then once she could hold up her own head she went into a makeshift tub...I mean it was not called a washpod...it was just a biggish bucket, really.

Those look really cute, and they do have pictures of really small babies in them, but I think I would feel like you.

BTW I loved having DD in the shower with me, and she loved it too.  It really took care of the whole..."when am I supposed to shower?!" dilemma of those first three months of infancy.

[P.J.]

Congratulations on your baby!

We were thinking of getting a tummy tub, but my midwife told us they were more for giving a womb-like feeling and helping the baby relax...not really for bathing and getting clean. I've never tried one so I don't know, but we didn't bother getting one because of that.

[Knitting Mama]

Originally Posted by hakeber 

BTW I loved having DD in the shower with me, and she loved it too.  It really took care of the whole..."when am I supposed to shower?!" dilemma of those first three months of infancy.

This is true for us too! Cecilia hated being in a tub by herself when she was tiny, and so I stopped using the baby tub and started hopping in the big tub with her. Then that progressed to showers and it works well for us!

One quick other thing, OP. I noticed you saying that you are washing her hair and wanting to "scrub" her skin, and I just wanted to point out that babies don't need all that! Just water works totally fine, and a bath isn't necessary more than once a week or even every couple of weeks for a non-mobile baby! Although I will admit that there have been times that Cecilia has had one more often simply because she loves being in the tub with me. But too much washing with even gentle soap or cleansers can lead to over drying of delicate baby skin, and a loss of that perfectly soft, perfectly smooth skin that babies are so lucky to have!

[HeatherB]

Sorry not to be more clear in my sleep-deprived state!  I was washing her hair, but not at all interested in scrubbing her (I'd never actually scrub a baby, anyway! ).  After being soaked with milk and covered in big brother kisses, she needed it.    I don't even wash my big kids on a regular basis so I'm definitely not one who's going to end up over-bathing the baby!  

She did seem very happy in the water though I may try less water and more carefully adjusting the cushion that goes in there.  Perhaps that will help her sit better.  She does have excellent head control for a newborn, but she's still only two weeks old.  Hopefully it'll prove to be a good investment even if it is only for relaxing!  My favorite way to bathe babies is in the big tub with me - I just don't get that luxury as often as I'd wish! :)

[dancingflower]

We used a tummy tub and loved it.

It is true that in the first weeks, and I can't remember for how long, it required both parents. While one held the LO, the other did the work.
So he would be bathed only, let's say, twice a week in the beginning. As he gained more head control, it became real fun and his papa took charge of bathing without any help.

As for the fact that this tubs hold such little water so it's not really for cleaning. In my opinion, bathing such young babies are not so much for cleaning as it is for relaxation, bonding and creating a bedtime routine, so we were ok with the tummy tub.

Tip: DH used a separate container of water to provide rinsing to our LO's hair. Also, the tub makes a bit of a mess, even more as baby starts becoming more active. We used a towel underneath. We may have reached his 3 months before transferring to a regular tub. I thought we had a giant in a bucket but DH would have used it until the kid was walking around and speaking if I hadn't intervened.

[HappiLeigh]

We used our washpod right from the start.  For the newborn baths I would put the pod in the bathtub, scoot it over to the shallow end, then leave the bath water on low down in the deep end.  I'd swish DS around while holding on to him with both hands and would kind of casually use a little soap if I felt like it, to make him smell like the homemade soap I made him  (since as previous posters have mentioned they aren't really dirty except in the diaper area, which you're already cleaning as you go along), then I'd support him in the tub with one hand while I used the other hand to fill a cup with water from the running faucet and pour it over his head, neck and shoulders.  As the baby gets more head control it gets easier--I loved our washpod!