My 8 Mo. Old Has Outgrown Her Infant Tub

My son was in the tub when he was an infant. I had the tubby teddy for him and only a little water. The tub is only unsafe if the baby is left in there alone. She will be fine.

We used the same safety first seat for both of my kids and it was wonderful! They loved it and I knew they were safe. Good luck!

Hi A.--Oh, go ahead and put her in the big girl tub! As long as she can sit up and you will keep a close eye on her she'll be great. She will love the increased freedom to splash :) Those infant tubs usually say that they are for up to 6 months anyway (probably because most kids will outgrow them at that point). Both of my babies went into the big tub as soon as they could sit up and they LOVE their nightly bath time.
You do not need to go out and buy yet another big plastic contraption that you will no longer need in 3 weeks--just be very vigilant about supervision.

Good luck and enjoy!

My son is almost 10 months old and I never used an infant tub! I did use the kitchen sink a few times. I believe if you are careful and don't let her out of your reach or watch, she will be just fine.

We do use a cushiony rubber bath mat and he loves his bath time with his toys!

We used a laundry basket with holes once our daughter outgrew the tub. Its a little more confining and she would sit in it and we could fill the larger tub. She loved it. good luck

Hi A.

My daughter is 8 1/2 months old and outgrew her tub and the kitchen sink 2 months ago. We have a bath tub ring for the big tub. She loves it! You can buy them at Walmart/Target. Check out the websites....Good Luck..

I LOVE the laundry basket suggestion!!! I had never heard that one before! Along those same lines there are "bath seats" you can by that suction to the bottom of the tub for the baby to sit in. I used one for my second and third child and loved it. You still need to be right there when they are in the tub but you don't have to break your back holding on to them. Your daughter will be fine in the big tub. You'll just put a couple inches of water in there anyway and she'll LOVE it. Have Dad there too when she takes her first bath in the big tub and he'll wonder why he ever had a problem with it!!!

My 7 month I just put in the regular tub the other day. I think as long as she can sit up well and that your tub is not huge then it should be fine. Out tub is older and does not have high sides and I can hold onto him comfortably in the tub. 8 months old is not too young...good luck!

Hi, I'm no expert but my little girl was out of the baby tub as soon as she could sit up on her own...she loved sitting up and splashing in the water! I bought a non slip mat which has worked very well. I'm not sure how you feel about such things, but a lot of times I get in the tub with her as it is so much easier than trying to bend over the side! This also prevents any accidents. As other moms have mentioned you only need a couple inches of water, and of course you would never leave her unattended anyway so there's really nothing to worry about. There are tons of protective items out now for the tub too (seats, bumper cushions, faucet covers...) Talk to your doctor and see what he/she thinks if you are concerned about weather the time is right

my son never liked being in the baby tub so I had him in the big tub pretty much since he could first take a bath.. Keep a good hand on her and bathe her in the big tub. I would hold my son with my arm under one arm, across his back and I would actually grip (lightly) his other arm right below the shoulder so if he arched or anything, I had him ..

We used an inflatable baby tub that we got at Babies R Us with my daughter... and will be buying one this weekend for my 5 month old who has already outgrown the infant tub! :O) The inflatable tub is great because baby can lean against the soft sides, or be propped in the corner if she's wobbly. It is roomy enough for baby to be cleaned, and to play a bit... without having to fill the real tub with so much wasted water. You can also use the inflatable tub as a really small pool for summer fun. Hope this helps!

My sons did fine in the big tub from the time they could first sit. I think as long as you are staying there with her, she'll be fine. It is so much fun to see them enjoy the water and freedom in the big tub.

I just decided to take my 18 month old out of her baby tub a couple months ago (our regular tub is on the larger size and just seemed like too much space for her) and I got an inflatable tub from babies r us. It is perfect. There is so much more room for her to splash around and it's big enough where she could lay with her head on the side and still not really hang her legs out (not that I let her do that mind you). Plus it's very handy for traveling.

She's probabaly too young to be in the tub alone- she can easily slide and be emerged and get a big boo boo. I would recommend one of the safety seats for her- you can get them at Target, Walmart and of course baby specific department stores. It has suction cups and allows baby to soak safety (always attended of course) as I'm sure you know.

Enjoy her!

if shes sitting on her own shes fine, only put like 2 inches of water in the tub and of course stay right there. if youre really concerned, they have those tub seats that suction to the tub and hold the baby up. Also, my daughters both used and inflatable ducky tub that fits into the big tub, until they were over a year, its a great buy i think walmart or babies r us or target, will carry them for about $10.Have fun!

Hi, how about one of the tubs that sits up? I have one that my son sits in and he loves it. They sell these kind at Babies R Us. It is basically just a seat that suctions to the bottom of the tub but with a bar infront and between the legs.
Good luck!

Hi A., i never cared for the baby tubs, myself. I thought they were to restricting, i felt like i couldnt get them clean. I used to buy ( in the baby section at Walmart) a large sponge shaped like a bear that i put in the bottom of the bathtub. Its about 2 inches thick & yellow. You only need an inch or 2 of water in the tub. I'd lay my kids on it to wash them up, & sit them up after to play before getting out. As long as you dont leave them there alone they're just fine. Dad needs to relax, its fine to move to the big tub. He may feel a bit anxious about it, my husband did. He wasnt sure of himself. My olderest daughter has LONG legs, & the sink didnt work for us long. Try it out, couldnt hurt & thy're only a couple bucks! Also we used an inflatable tub & put it in the tub, that was a good alternative too!

Go ahead and do it, we put my son in the tub the day before he turned 8 months and i we probably could have done this a bit sooner. I would recoomend buying a mat before putting your little one in the tub for the first time. We got a bath mat so that our son wouldn't be able to slip and slide once we sit him in there and it works well. The first time we put him in he was a bit scared, he cried and try to pull himself up to get out, it's a bit overwhelming for them at first but it doesn't take long for them to get use to it. Once our son got use to it he loved it. He had more room to move around and play and bathtime now is something he really looks forward to!! I would not spend the money on any other softtubs or tub seats, as long as you are right there watching your little one should be fine.

A.,
I do a variety of things to bathe my daughters. Both of whom are extremely tiny. With the first we couldn't afford an infant tub, so I put her in the bath with me, would clean her up and pass her out to my husband. Starting around 6 mo of age I also starting short times in the shower, which she LOVED. It helped her adjust to the spraying water without fear since I was holding her. She is now 3 and loves bathtime/shower time.

My second was born extremely prematurely. We did get an infant tub for her and although she will still physically fit in it, she's way too active for it, and putting her in it is more of a hazzard than putting her in the big tub. Now I tend to bathe both my girls at once. My oldest is so good at "helping" mommy that it works out really well. She keeps my 1 year old occupied while I'm scrubbing her down and then she's a lot less likely to try to climb out of the tub (this one's a little escape artist!).

Something my mother in law does when she watches my kids is she puts a laundry basket into the bathtub and bathes them in the basket. On one hand I find it brilliant, and on the other a bit excessive as she bathed my husband that way until he was 6! The laundry basket does help contain the toys so they aren't falling over trying to grab them, and it offers a place for them to grab on to that is more their height level and less slippery.

As long as you are watching your baby and don't leave her in the tub unoccupied (even for a few seconds) then putting her into the big tub is OK now that she is sitting on her own and you are there to watch her. Try to involve your husband ~ maybe even the first few times you hop in the tub with her and then pass her out to your husband to dress (it helps if diapers, outfit and everything needed are prepared for him so all he has to do is attend to baby). Then you get to finish your time in the tub baby free and get in some extra relaxation! After a while your husband would be more accustomed to her being in the tub without you, or any other "aide" since you're there the whole time.

Best wishes! Bathtime can be a handful when they are so small.

We had our daughter go into the tub with out the baby bath at about 7 months, which was when she could sit up perfectly fine by herself. I personally think that it poses more of a danger if you are putting her into the baby tub and she no longer fits. She'll be fine so long as you are there with her, which I imagine you wouldn't just leave her to bathe herself. :) Pick up some bath toys to hold her attention on those while you are bathing her and it should go over with out a problem.

Go for it! That is the same age my daughter went into the tub and she had a BLAST. In fact, check out our video! She went in with her older sister (who, though not on the video, can be heard enjoying the company) loved the splashing. You only have to put in a few inches of water, so they are safe. You can see her have to stop herself from falling a couple of times, but she never fell, and we never had to help her (though we were both very close by just in case). Have fun with it!

http://www.vimeo.com/445411

Take care,
K.

Both my 5 yr old and 1 yr old were bathing in the tub by 5 months. I feel as long as they can sit up you should be fine. Of course never leave her side and until she is well balanced on her own keep one hand on her for some closness and sopport.

My niece has a tub that she can blow up for her daughter of 9 mos. It's shaped like a duck and the beek actually quacks when you squeeze it. They sell it at Sears and maybe even Wal-mart. It's big enough to hold her in and she loves it.

I have 3 children and none of the 3 were EVER bathed in a baby tub. When they were really little I bathed them in the kitchen sink and then once they were too big for that I put them in the regular bath tub. I would lay them on their backa and fill the tub with about an inch of water. I would then use a cup and wash cloth to wash them off and they would be good to go. My oldest started this practice when she was about 3 months old and LOVED it! I think 8 months is fine and if you are worried about her toppling over then just have her lay down as I did for my kids.

A., I am amazed that she has lasted this long in the infant tub!!! I am sure your kitchen sink will do -- I have a double sided sink rather than one big basin in my kitchen, and although my kids are typically in the big tub now, once in a while I can still squeek them into the sink and mine are 19 months and 3years!!! Be sympathetic with your husband, it sounds as if he is already reluctant for your little one to grow past "infant" stages. enjoy her!!! L. C.

The same thing happened to our daughter-along with the fact that she doesn't like to sit stll which makes bathtime an adventure. We bought an inflatable tub at ToysRUs that fits in the bath tub, and she absolutely loves it. It's plenty roomy for her and her toys. I've also seen them at WalMart and Target, and they're usually under $15. Well worth the money.

Hi,
I have a 10 month old son and he too is too small for his infant tub so I use a seat I bought at Wal-mart for my other two children. It's a circle seat that spins 360 degrees(or you can lock it so it won't spin) and your child can sit right in it while it sits on the bottom of the bath tub, it has an arm that you pull up and attach over the side of the tub(with elbow padding for you) so the seat is safe and won't topple over. I really like this handy seat, it's made by Safety First, it's white and has blue padding for the baby to sit on and your elbows while leaning over to wash. I think 8 months is still to young to sit your child in a regular size tub because they can still topple over very easily in the slippery tub. This seat is great and I have used it with all 3 of my children without any problems!

My 7 month old baby girl goes in the big tub. I usually go in with her, it's easier on my back than crouching next to the tub. In fact, we have never had an infant tub. Often it is quicker if I bring her into the shower with me.

I say if she is sitting well, then let her explore the big tub. But keep a close watch on her, of course.

I had the same problem with my daughter when she was about that age. At first, I put her in the big tub with barely any water in it. Then one day, I was at Babies R us and I saw a bath seat. I bought it and it was great! It fits over the edge of the tub and swings around so you can have access to wash all over. It has the perfect back support and my daughter loved it. It was perfect to get her thru that not quite able to sit up in the tub stage.

Hi! I have a 8.5 month old and we have a blow up tub that we use. It is great because it is just big enough for our son to play in, but not huge. I really like and so does my son.

Our daughter is almost 1 year, but we've been putting her in the big tub for several months now. I bought a mat that suctions to the bottom of the tub- (got it at Babies R Us w/ little Elmo's on it! but you can find plainer versions in any bath section- it's just a no-slip mat) it helps to make things not so slippery- as others have said, we're always right by the tub and have never had a problem... she loves being able to move around a little more too!

Babies R Us carries an inflatable tub that fits down into a larger tub. It's less than $10 and provides just the right sized area for baby to sit and recline in. We transitioned both our boys around 7 months when they were sitting up strongly. It's similar in size to the laundry basket, but the sides are lower and would provide better access to the baby when holding her and bathing her, in my opinion. Plus, it uses less water than filling the big tub for such a tiny little person. Good luck!

Hi A.,

Both of my children grew out of their infant tub quickly and I remembered an article that I read many, many, many years ago way before I had my babies. The article suggested using a laundry basket in the regular bathtub. I used one of those sponge bears on the bottom of the basket under baby or you could use a bath towel folded up to help prevent slipping. The bath water goes through the holes in the basket and the basket also helps keep baby bath toys close by. It works wonderfully!!! As long as your baby can sit up it will work just fine. be careful how much water you fill in the tub - too much and the basket could tip. but, I am sure you wouldn't put that much water in the tub anyway!

Hope this helps!
Good luck and God Bless,
M.

I have both the inflatable duck and the bath seat. Didn't use either one very much. By 8 or 9 months, I think you can just use the big tub with a couple inches of water and a LOT of supervision. If your husband is still uncomfortable with that, get in the tub with her.

After that bit of advice... do you live anywhere near Merrimack, NH? I've got an inflatable duck and bath seat I wouldn't mind parting with.

Once they can sit up - there is no reason not to bathe little ones in the bathtub - with constant supervision, of course! What does your husband think the difference is?

If anything, the sooner you introduce them to the bath tub the faster they become acclimated to it and in my opinion, the better shot you have of having a child who is comfortable taking baths - not resisting and not afraid of water. And one step farther, once our daughter was standing well - we let her take showers with us and now she chooses, every night - if she is going to take a bath or a shower (on her own). It empowers her and gets us through our bath/bedtime routine.

An infant bath is for parental convienence, so if it's no longer convenient - take a step forward!
8-)

Hi A.,
When my kids were little I used a seat like this http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=7977227
There are many on the market. That is just an example. When they outgrew the seat I used a suction cupped mat in the bottom to keep them from slipping.
Good luck.
D. C.