baby bathtub

[Narleegates]

is this actually a necessity?  I mean, would the sink work just as well?  I haven't gotten a baby tub yet and I'm just wondering if I even need to think about it

[motherhendoula]

I have used the sink since day one...well - ok more like day 19...but yes i still use the sink , my DS is 25lbs and 10 mo old.  I do think soon he will be too big  (read - messy, splashes water EVERYwhere, grabs at the dish soap with too much enthusiasm etc..) 

i have  shower doors - i so hate hanging over those tracks!

[SuburbanHippie]

I've never used the sink because there are usually dishes in it.    What I like to use for little babies is a spongey thing that lays in the bathtub.  Once they are old enough to sit up, I use a bath seat that attaches over the edge of the tub. 

I've tried using a baby bathtub in the past and it just doesn't seem very comfy for my babies.  They slip and slide when they squirm and it always made me feel paranoid like they were going to slip and hit their head on the side or something.

[~Katie~]

I used a baby bath with my first because we didn't have a tub, I just used a cheap $10 one and it worked out okay. Once we moved to a house that had a tub he took baths with me at night and then eventually switched to laying/sitting in the regular tub. With my second she took showers with me in the water wrap (and usually my then toddler as well) and then eventually switched to laying on a towel in the bottom of the tub with a bit of water and I washed them both together. I've used the sink occasionally and it can get kind of messy and isn't always comfortable for a non-sitting baby, if you do use it I recommend putting a towel in the bottom first to keep them from slipping. For this baby we'll most likely do baths with me and then laying in the bottom of the tub like DD did, in the very beginning they really don't need baths that often.

[greenmama66]

Never used one even with the twins, I bathed with them (love nursing them in the tub).........

[lovelylisa]

I usually give the baby sponge baths and then wash em in the sink (that way I actually DO the dishes lol)

I actually got a little tub in the hospital with my son that I use for sponge baths, but I got a baby bathtub for my shower with my son that I use once he got bigger. Now I actually have a standard bathtub (in my old apartment I had a clawfoot tub that was too high to comfortably reach over) so I will probably use the baby tub evne less this time. 

[javilu]

not a necessity, but we have one and used it for baths until my son was about a year. i don't have and complaints about it. will use the same tub for newbaby, too.

[DrBrockBaca]

From my experience as a nanny, if you have counter space to put the baby bathtub on, it can be nice to have one if it has the built-in cushion for babies that can't sit up. But you can just put a towel in the sink, too. Just make sure your kitchen sink is clean - kitchen sinks typically have more bacteria than toilets! 

We haven't gotten a bathtub yet either. We are planning to just bathe the baby with one of us, or use the bathroom sink if the baby needs a bath when we don't want to take one. DH wants to get a baby bathtub, but we just don't have anywhere to put it, and I don't want another piece of plastic junk in the house. 

[Narleegates]

We haven't gotten a bathtub yet either. We are planning to just bathe the baby with one of us, or use the bathroom sink if the baby needs a bath when we don't want to take one. DH wants to get a baby bathtub, but we just don't have anywhere to put it, and I don't want another piece of plastic junk in the house. 

yes, this is my problem, I feel like it would just take up more space than would be practical.  I'm leaning towards getting one of the foamy things to lay the baby on in the big tub

[~Katie~]

I saw this a long time ago and thought it was neat: http://www.giggle.com/eng/product/infant_sink_tub/20101p

Seems to have some drawbacks based on the reviews but it seems like it could work if you want something to fit securely in the sink and are short on space.

People seem to use this one in the sink as well and it's a lot cheaper: http://www.giggle.com/eng/product/infant_bath_seat/23246

Otherwise I'd just go with using the regular tub if you don't want to purchase any extra gear.

[DrBrockBaca]

I'm leaning towards getting one of the foamy things to lay the baby on in the big tub

We actually did get something like one of those (it was on our registry), but when we received it, I read the tag and it said it was filled with polysterene (Styrofoam), which is potentially toxic, even though it's not one of the "major" toxins like BPA, PVC, or phthalates. So I returned it. But perhaps I'm hyper-vigilant about toxins.

Here is a buying guide for BPA, PVC, and phthalate-free baby bathtubs (although this post includes the Leachco polysterene-filled product I returned):

http://thesoftlandingbaby.com/2010/02/22/bpa-pvc-and-phthalate-free-baby-bathtub-and-seat-buying-guide/

I'm just going to wait and see if we really need something before I buy any bathing equipment. I like the idea of the upright bucket tubs (like the SpaBaby tub on the link above), but I've never used one, and I'm not sure how well you can actually wash off the baby in those. Anybody else used one of those?

[Mommy Kahdib]

I really really like the Euro Tub: http://www.amazon.com/Primo-340W-EuroBath-Pearl-White/dp/B000056OV0

I had a couple other tubs and just felt like it was a place for babies to get cold evaporated water poured on them.  We also had a bucket type submerge tub where you pop them in upright and I didn't really love that but maybe because I was using it with my tiny son and it just felt like he was going to go under.  The Euro Tub was nice because it has a good place for them to sit their bum before they can sit up but they can still be under the water up to their chins and therefore warm.  

I think if I had a nice big bathtub I would just bring baby in with me...but in a regular tub that isn't too fun.  And showering with slippery babies was always hard for me unless DH was home to hand them in and then take them out again which I couldn't always count on.

[mamahen2coop]

I loved the tummy tub once DS wasnt so floppy. He bathed with me or DH until then.

[tea_time]

Not necessary, but I liked ours.  It has a hammock for when they are tiny and then can be used w/out it when they are bigger (until 1'ish IIRC).  It was a shower gift w/DD1 but they're pretty cheap, maybe $14?  I see them all the time at consignment or thrift stores for only $3-5 so if space isn't an issue they aren't a big expense.  We'll be using the same tub for this baby.

Really most baby care items aren't "necessary" but they can often make life easier!  You just have to decide how much $$ you want to spend and how much space you have to store all of it!

[mumofmak]

We got one with son #1 but hated it- he just never liked baths in it, got cold and it took up too much space. Since then, I've just always bathed with them when they were little infants not old enough to sit up - nice relax for me, cozy time with them and they don't get cold. A friend has been using the Tummy Tub with her baby from birth this last year and it looks great. For little, littles ones, you really don't put a lot of water in and they still get covered up enough to stay warm. If I could convince my mum to bring one with her from the US (but won't because it's just too bulky to fly with!) I'd get one in a heartbeat - who can't make use of a bucket later on?  So we'll just go on using the big bathtub....

[tourist.]

Originally Posted by SuburbanHippie 

I've never used the sink because there are usually dishes in it.    

Ditto that!  It usually seemed like too much work to clean/sanitize the sink good enough for putting baby in so we did go with the baby bath.  I think we only used that a handful of times before baby would just bathe with me.  Newborns are so slippery though, I had to keep him from slipping around with many washcloths strategically placed on him and me.

[Gismobabe]

I always just used the sink or a small bucket - see my first born's picture on a camping table in Greece with grandma giving her a bath at 3 months:

[Emalin]

Sorry if there is any duplication here. Wasn't able to read through the thread. I had the same question before I had my first baby three months ago. The kitchen sink with a towel in the bottom is perfectly fine! I found this little pad that goes in the sink to be really nice before they are able to hold their heads up. http://www.amazon.com/Leachco-Safer-Bather-Infant-Bath/dp/B001QBXBQM/ref=br_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I12FKZQWSYHMG8&colid=1A12BNBTJJZ49 It also makes a nice pad to keep on the counter to rest on after a bath. Not necessary, but nice and doesn't take up much space. Someone also gave me a "Washpod", which is basically a glorified bucket. Not so great during the first six weeks or so, but now that she's bigger and has head control, I have to say she LOVES it. Her body gets largely submerged, and it totally relaxes her. Can stop a meltdown instantly. I thought it would be just more baby junk to clutter up my house, but I'm getting a ton of use out of it. For baths with soap, I use the sink, but the washpod is great for routine calming, evening baths.

[Katarianna]

Tried the baby bath. He hated it. Now one of us just takes a bath with him. So much more fun.

[HawaiianBlesing]

Originally Posted by mamahen2coop 

I loved the tummy tub once DS wasnt so floppy. He bathed with me or DH until then.

We just picked up one of these at Once Upon a Child--brand new for a great price.  We were also given a standard baby tub with the insert so we will see which works best for us.  Heck we may just end up showering with him but DH likes really hot showers so that is an issue.