Baby Bath Tub Safety

We always used a bath seat until the kids were old enough to understand not to stand up...they are a little hard to find now but you can usually get them at second hand stores!

Hi,
We bought an inflatable bathtub that goes inside the regular tub. It works great. It has cushy sides so if she bumps her head it doesn't hurt. My daughter is 22 months old and she's still using it after more than a year. we purchased ours from a catalog called One Step Ahead.

You probably already have a ton of responses, but just in case you haven't seen this yet:

http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId...

We bought this inflatable tub for our son when he grew out of his small infant bath (and was able to sit up) and used it until he was two. It's small, cushioned and uses less water than the tub, and is a lot easier to manage a little one in.

If she is ready to stand up I would suggest letting her bath in the big tub without using the baby tub. this way there will not be something for her to grab onto to pull herself up. You are there with her so she will be safe in the big tub and it will give her more room to move around so maybe she won't be so inclined to try to stand up. As long as she can sit up on her own it is safe to bathe her in the big tub. Just remember to never leave her alone, not even for a second. You want to also make sure you have a none slip coating or mat on the bottom of the tub.

i was giving my daughter baths in the big tub by the time she was 7 months old. i put had a shower mat that was used just for her baths so she couldn't slip around a bunch (we had non slip decals in the tub for the rest of us) and i only put an inch or two of water in the tub. the mat really helped once she started pulling herself up to stand. i made sure i had absolutely everything i needed so i'd never have to turn by back, and i never left her side so i could guide her with my hands as she made movements that could have potentially ended in her hurting herself.
also, get a faucet cover to protect her little head. i actually slipped in the shower when i was 8 months pregnant with my daughter and broke my tailbone on the faucet. that could have easily been one of my stepdaughter's heads so i was extra careful after that to ensure it was covered. you can find the faucet covers at target i think.

the make some infant tubs with straps, that will help restrain her. We, however, used a blow up tub instead of the baby tub when our son was able to sit up. There is also a border from One Step Ahead that blows up and goes around the perimeter of your bathtub...but, in the end, you just probably need to be really strict and tell her not to stand (repeatedly until she gets it) and watch really well.

M.,

We used the Safety 1st brand tub that has a ring that snaps into place that you then stick her feet through to keep her on her butt. When she gets older the ring turns around and becomes part of he edge of the kid tub.

You could also take a bath with her.

Good luck,
Melissa

If your daughter is 10 months old, you can probably transition out of the small tub and into just the big tub. We did this when our daughter was 9 months and was definitely ready to be more mobile. We actually discovered she was fine in the big tub while we were on a trip to visit family and saw how well she did with a bath mat and just a little water (enough to cover her thighs when she was sitting).

The only "special gear" we purchased was a long rubbery tub mat so she could sit on it and not slip. We got two at IKEA and they line the entire bottom of the tub. We had a spout cover from our baby shower that we used.

Aside from that, just be as diligent as possible and when she tries to stand make sure you're there to help her. This is a crucial developmental time for her, so you probably don't want to "suppress" those needs!

At that age, its what they do!! You just always have to be ready and waiting, with your hands free to keep her safe. You have to keep repeating to her, we sit down in the tub. After I do that I always sit my daughter back down. You just have to teach her bath safety starting now!

At 10 months you should definitely give up on the baby bathtub. We only used ours until our son could sit up, which is what most people I know did (around 6 months). then you can fill the bathtub with an inch or two of water and it's easier all around to handle your baby.

We used one of the giant round plastic toy buckets (the kind with rope handles that stick up...5-10 bucks). Now, granted we have a big boy (Six footers are the shrimps in my family), but one of the benefits of those toy buckets is that while they can sit in them...they can't slide down & lay out (they're maybe 18" at the bottom, 24" at the top).

Standing isn't a problem for some time, because the weight of the water keeps the bucket upright, and everything is semi-rigid plastic (ie waaaaaay softer then porcelain).

We had a water baby, so I would actually fill the bucket half pull, plunk him in with bubbles/toys and drag the bucket from room to room with me as I cleaned. Half the time he wouldn't want to get out...so I'd add a little more warm water to keep it at temp.

Boy did it feel CONFINING to have to get trapped in the bathroom for the duration for the next several years once he outgrew the bucket!!!

And yep...I have a friend whose 4 year old (swimmer) drowned in the bathtub while they were getting pjs on the 2 year old...so I AM one of those paranoid mums who still sits next to the tub and reads a book while their 6 year old bathes. Boy do I miss that bucket!!! I got soooo much done.

Drats. Oh well. Have some great pics though :)

Z

HI there-
Before my daughter was big enough for the big bath tub but she was too big for the little tub, I just got in the tub with her. It was so easy that way and she loved it.
Since I didn't put much water in it, I would get kind of cold, so I wore a tank top.
It worked great for that in between stage.
Good luck.

At that age I either hopped in the tub with her or had my husband take a bath with her.

The most important thing... you never ever take your hand off your child, no matter if they are in the big tub, a baby tub or a pool. I line up all things I need to I can always have one hand on the baby and one to grab things.

Other than that, this is the age when the head bumping starts, so don't feel too guilty. Mine just the other day walked straight into a wall and bumped her head. As they start standing and walking and climbing...they will fall and sometimes get hurt. All you can do is try your best to babyproof what can be babyproofed and keep an eye on them at all times.