How to Get Kiddo to Sit for Bath?

We used the exact same bathseat as Toni did in the full-size bathtub. No safety concerns on my part whatsoever -- as long as you never, ever leave his side (no more than an arm-length away), you'll be fine. I think the danger comes from people who kid themselves and think "he will be safe for 2 seconds while I grab a different towel."

My son was particularly ambitious and tried to stand while in it, but we used a very, serious voice to say "sit down, no standing" and physically sat him down again. He quickly learned that when we said that, he knew what he needed to do.

hi melissa,

If he can sit up by himself, get a square sturdy laundry basket and put in the tub. the water will flow through the holes and he can have toys that won't float too far away. Then when he gets older, you have an extra laundry basket or toy basket.

good luck,

M.

Hi,

Both of my kids "survived" the bath ring - lol. You should never leave the room when they're in the tub anyway - I think the concerns of rings are for the same reasons some public pools won't allow floaties - people have a false sense of security with them and accidents happen so quickly.

Also a heads up on a bath issue you might come upon - both my kids had a couple weeks out of the blue where they FREAKED when you put them in the tub. It's got something to do with developement of fears and it passed quickly for both of my kids - but when it happened with my first I was completely shocked and thought something horrible had happened in the tub that I hadn't noticed - funny now, wasn't funny at all then. I've seen other posts from moms who had the same shocking experience - it's one of those things I'd never heard of.

Good luck!

N.

Yes I would start to use the big tub. Fill it up so that when he is sitting it covers his bum. I think it is important to teach him that it is safe to stay sitting. so you may have to continue to keep sitting him down on his bum so that he learns. I would buy some more toys that encourage him to sit and play. In the tub play with him while he is sitting to help encourage and reinforce it.

That is what we did! We did have an inflatable bathtub that goes inside your regular bath tub that is cushioned on the bottom and sides to help with the inevitable tumbles. Then, they can play in the tub and you wash as they stand and crawl about. One thing that helped (sometimes) was I would sing "This is the way we wash your X, wash your X, wash your X. This is the way we wash your X, when you take a bath." to help him be more involved in the washing process and to help him learn the parts of his body. Good luck!!

-KC

My first born LOVED the inflatable bath tubs. They are safe and soft. If he fell he fell on air for the most part. I used it for several, several months. We will be using it again as soon as #2 can sit up on his own!!

http://www.onestepahead.com/product/osa/442787.html

They have them at Target and Babies R Us.

I have a wiggle worm, too. I put him in our tub on his tummy with an inch or so of water and let him play. When he starts to stand up, that's when I call it quits on bath time.

Don't waste your money- Just use your regular bathtub!!

Fill it about 6 inches of water and let your son sit and splash away in it!

My son is 7 months old and loves bathtime in the big tub. My daughter was 6 months old (3 yr old now) when i put her in the big tub as well.

We used a bath seat for both boys. Some say there are risks, but only if you leave them alone in the bath...which we never did. I attached a link.

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2969577

The reviews are mixed because it IS bulky and a bit hard to get used to, but your son won't be able to stand up.

You also have to turn it over to drain all the water out after a bath.

Again, we used it (the same one) with both boys and never had any issues.

Edited to add: I'd really have to see why it's so bad to use a seat? What are the risks if you are RIGHT there with your child? Are there other risks I need to know of?

I hate baby bathtubs partly for this reason. And they can be slippery. I used a baby bath seat instead. I would put her in it to wash-with about 2 inches of water in the tub (even though it says for safety only one inch) and then when done place her in the tub to splash a bit. I used to seat until she was about 9 months and totally able to sit up. I let her stand if she wants. It makes washing her legs and back easier.

I say, no point in buying another piece of equipment at this point. In no time he'll outgrow any seat you would buy anyway. Put something in the bottom of the tub to help keep him from slipping - a towel or non-stick mat - and use the big tub.

I broke a golden rule of parenting safety and sat him in a bath ring/seat. In my opinion, it was either that with 100% hawk-like supervision or always having the fear of him slipping and breaking his face on something or slipping and drowning. Another option might be to use an inflatable tub in the bathtub.