Need Ideas for Infant Bathing

I know there are some inflatable tubs out there that I think would be good for you to use. Then you can put it in the shower itself on the kitchen floor/bathroom floor. I hope this helps.

Hello, I work for a baby store and there are many things you can do. You can purchase a bigger tub and use it on the counter. If he is able to sit up you could just bathe him in the sink no tub, just continue to support his neck and back with one arm using the other to bath. Another way is just to take him in the shower this is the way I bathe my daughter. Hold him in one arm make sure the temps ok and shower away, I let it hit her back and keep her head out of it until it is time to rinse but usually I use handfulls of water. There are other items sold that may help like a sling it is mesh on a metal frame that is made to fit in sinks.
Hope this helps!
H.

Have you considered ditching the little tub and using the kitchen sink itself? My daughter was huge when she was born and quickly outgrew the little tub, but wasn't strong enough for the big grown-up tub. She loved the kitchen sink and bathed there for quite a long time (I remember her standing up in there once and that was the end of the kitchen sink baths!).

Otherwise, time for a mother/son shower together. They're slippery little suckers, but if your husband can be there to assist, there is nothing like a bath/shower with mom or dad. It also teaches them to be comfortable with all that water falling in their faces and can feel close to you while getting clean.

Good luck!

You could just get rid of the tub all together and use the sink. i just cleaned it with a bleach and washed it out with lots of water befor i put my son in. I have the same bathroom issue. It did not work real well however until he could sit up on his own. They also have those diapsable wash cloths that have soap in them that you could use if you wanted to stand in the shower with him. we did that a few times. it worked out better if my husband was the one in the shower.
A.

I started taking showers with my baby. She loves it, as long as I don't let water spray in her eyes. I keep a dry wash cloth near by to dry her face when I have to wash/rinse her face and head. I got the idea from other moms on this message board.

Give him a showe, my husband and I trade off and my son LOVES the shower, the steam the noise is so soothing.

Hi M.,
I hope you can stand one more response -

I was bathed in the kitchen sink. Both of my kids too. I put a towel in the sink for the baby to sit on - makes it a bit less slippery.

We did the shower thing too. My husband didn't like this because he was too nervous about dropping the baby. Definitely works better with two people - one of you in the shower cleans the baby then passes him out to the other, dry parent. They do get slippery, especially with heavier babies.

Good luck.

Hi M.. I've seen a little blow up bath tub at target I think. You can put it in the bottom of your shower and the baby will be protected by the soft plastic sides. I think your baby has to be able to sit up though so hopefully he does. Good luck!

My friends have the same problem. They use a big plastic bin--the kind you use for storage. When they aren't using it the just turn it over to dry in the shower stall.

My daughter loves showers. She's three but has been taking showers for about a year. Kids just get used to their environment, so eventually, showers instead of baths could just be how he gets clean.

cheers

fill the kitchen sink with water and bathe him in that. There are little seats you can get to stablize that will help. that is how I was bathed, and I loved it.

take showers with the baby. my babies loved showers with me. i just had to wait until Husband came home to intercept baby so I could do what I needed to do...
good luck..

Like the previous poster, we used the infatable duck tub with our son from BabiesRUs.

Yes, get a plastic storage tub, one that is easy for you to work with. Set it on the kitchen floor or if the weather is nice outisde(if approp). Bath your little one where you can play with him. We have had so much fun with it. They think it is play time and can't wait to have a bath. If bending is hard then set it on two chairs or something to make sure it is safe and have some fun. I personally like the kitchen floor because usually it is the easist to clean and then in the summer when it is hot, I can play in the water too. In the winter it is warmer as well.
Good luck. Hope you find something that works for you.
Pam

I can understand your dilemma, however, I have to tell you....my daughter-in-law still bathes the kids in the kitchen sink and they are now 2 (28 pounds) and 1 (22 pounds). So even tho' you think he is big it probably will still work okay given your other options! Good luck.

We too only have a shower in a small apt. I use my daughter's Bumbo seat in the shower! She really loves it. She is very secure and it's quick and easy. She does like to relax for a while with the water hitting her...so i have to coax her out sometimes. hope this helps!

J.

Shower with him. I did this with my littlest one and at 2 he was able to take showers by himself (with a little coaching from outside the shower door). As he gets older, if you don't want him seeing you naked, wear a swim suit.

a friend of mine used a blow up bath tub when her baby got bigger. you may want to look into one of those.

We always shower with our 10 month old because we hate pulling the tub out every other day. She's only had a handful of baths and she loves her showers and we get to have a nice time together.

N.

Target carries an inflatable rubber duck bath. We use that for our 19 month old fine. The cost was reasonable, $10 I think and he loves it. It could go on top of a table or counter or in your shower.

We have a house with two bathrooms and no tubs. My husband and I do the shower pass together after some great advice from a dear friend. He gets the water ready and stands there with open arms in some board shorts for play time in the shower. Our son absolutely loves it, and daddy holds him, soaps him up, plays & rinses him, then passes him back to the warm towel waiting for him on the outside with mommy. =) We've got it down to a 5 minute process.

You could always just use the kitchen sink without the baby tub if it isn't divided or just take him in the shower when you bathe. We have done this with both of our kids, mostly due to time not space, but it has always worked well. Maybe bathe him and then hand him off to the other parent so you can get your hygiene ritual completed. My kids both became very relaxed in the shower with us. Good luck! L.

We had the same dilemma. We found a larger infant tub at IKEA that I put on the shower floor and bathed my son there. The problem with using your kitchen floor is that he'll start splashing and kicking and your kitchen floor will be covered in water. My oldest used the tub until he was a year and a half. Now, I do the same thing with my 5 month old.

Do you ever shower with the baby? My oldest one loved it and my middle one couldn't stand it; hopefully you'll have one that loves it!

Hi M.,
We used an inflatable tub for my daughter until she was almost a year old. I got it through BabyCenter for less than 20 bucks. She loved it and it fit in stall showers when we traveled.
I just checked and it's on sale now.
http://store.babycenter.com/product/code/8136.do?intcmp=S...

Best of luck!
A.

Can you just bathe him in the kitchen sink itself without the tub ? You can get one of those foam 'seat' things if you think it will help. We've always bathed the little ones in the sink without a problem. It's much easier on the back, and works fine until about a year,. when they get more and more curious about turning the water on and off.

Hi - Have you tried family shower? Jump in! Wear the yellow rubber dish washing gloves though as the baby gets really slippery. I had one mom grumble when I suggested that to her, but it's the best idea for safety and really saved me. My hubby was in Asia for our sons 2nd-4th **month** so I had to shower with him as I was in your situation too. And remember to bring the tub in. Fill it with water too if you need rest your arms/back to put the baby down for a brief second, but don't turn your back (as you well know). Good luck, stay strong!

Hi Melani,
I got one of those hand held shower heads with a long hose...blocked up the shower drain with a plastic baggie and a towel..sat down on the floor cross legged with the baby in my lap..great fun...Or just take baby into the shower with you....lots of daddies do that with Mom to help with the hand off!
Best wishes...

I just bought a large blue plastic tub at Target for $5.99. I bet it would be perfect for bathing a baby (assuming he sits up at 6 mo...or you could use one of those spongey things I guess). It was in the same aisle as storage containers for rooms.

Of course, you'd have to heat water and never leave him alone even for a second... they have all kinds of colors.

K.

You might try changing your shower head to a hand-held shower head. This way you could place your baby on a mat on the shower floor or a bath seat and use the hand-held shower to wash him without worrying about the water hitting his face too much or spilling out of the shower stall. You'd have to get manager's approval to make this change, but if you explain the situation, I'm sure they'd have no problem with this change.

Good luck and enjoy your baby. Every day I'm amazed at how fast my boys are growing!

N.

You could just get in the shower with him. Have you husband ready to take him from you when he's done being washed and then you go ahead with your shower.

What about showering with him? We started taking our kids in the shower around that age because sometimes when on vacations etc... it was just easier. Granted we didn't do it all the time. I wonder if you could even put a bath tub seat in your shower so that you could be hands free for part of the time. Just a thought. Hope you find an answer that works.

Once they can sit up in one of those little support rings both my boys loved sitting in the kitchen sink for their bath or sitting in the shower.

My kids love taking showers and have done so since they were about 6 months old. We have a shower head that you can remove from the wall w/ the long hose and it works out great. They sit on the shower floor and it's almost like a bath....just a lot less water. I can sit on the oustide of the shower on a stool and it works out great. Good luck...happy bathing!

Would it work to get a small stool to place outside the shower and sit on that to bathe him?

If he sits up on his own then use an 18 qt dish pan filled with water and some toys and stick him on the drain behind where the shower hits you. He is in the bath and you can get your shower too! This was the only way for me to bathe with my boys and get them clean too. When you are done showering then you can lather him up and get some one on one bonding skin to skin without the mess! It may seem weird but try it!

As he gets to the point where he's very good at sitting unsupported, you could get a high quality floor mat (preventing slips and maybe find one that's fairly soft/"cushiony") and have him sit on the floor of the shower w/o the tub.
My son really enjoyed that and I'd bend down and sit with him on the floor and bring the shower head down with me. He got a kick out of being in the "shower" instead of the "bath"
Hope this idea helps a little!
~K.

You can give him a bath in the sink without the plastic baby tub. What I did was put the large sponge that lays on the plastic tub on the bottom of the sink so the baby won't slip. Or you can use a towel on the bottom of the sink. When he gets too big for that, take him in the shower with you. He is still young enough.

Hi M.! Small spaces are so hard with a baby. I think using the kitchen floor is a great idea! This tub from Ikea http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70098121 is a really nice size. Not too big or small for a baby that age, and I think if you put a towel under it on the floor that would work.

How well does he sit up? Once my kids were very stable sitters, I just sat them in the corner of my shower with a small pile of measuring cups and/or small bowls, etc. to keep them busy. I took my shower and washed them up as well. Great fun for all!

The easiest on your back would be getting a little bigger tub - IKEA has one and bathing the baby on the kitchen counter. The tub might be heavy to dump back into the sink, but your hubby can help you. The other option is putting on your bathingsuit and taking a shower with the baby,

Hi M.
If you son is old enough to sit up on his own, give him his bath in the kitchen sink. I did that with my oldest for a few months, until we were able to get a bathtub that was working. I made sure that the kitchen sink was cleaned prior to giving him his bath. He actually loved it and hated it when we moved him to the bathtub. If you want something in the bottom of the sink, you might want to get an inexpensive shower mat and cut it to fit your sink. The water will still be able to drain out but he won't be directly on the bottom of the sink.

I started taking my kids into the shower with either me or my husband starting when they were very small - maybe a month old. You think they'll be too slippery, but they're really not. It definitely works better with two people when they're so small- one to wash the baby in the shower, and the other to get her out, dry and dressed. I've also heard of people using those tub seats with the suction cup feet. As soon as they're old enough to sit up by themselves, you can take them in with just you, and set them on the floor while you wash, if you want. Just be sure not to get soap in their eyes... My youngest (of 3) is almost 18 months old now, and she take a shower with me everyday, and loves it.

Hi M., They grow out of the baby tubs really fast but you can just bath him in the kitchen sink or give him a shower with you and hand himm out to dad after you clean him.

How about taking him into the shower with you? I did it with both my kids, just have to be careful not to oversoap, gets a little slippery. I also used the sink without any extra contraptions, just the sink. I liked the sink because it was the perfect size and required no bending over. Happy Cleaning!

Hi M.!
I'm a 40 young mom/grandma and had my oldest son at 18! I was a young mom and was so scared when I had to bathe him myself.

So, what I did was wear a t-shirt and socks on both hands. I used the socks to keep him from slipping and used them to wash him with. My t-shirt kept him from slipping while holding him to wash his hair and back! =D
I would then lay him down on a baby bath rack, the ones that keep babys head elevated, while I showered. Seemed to be in the shower a little longer then expected but we had fun, he loved the mist of the water on his face!! =D

Hope this helps...and Fun bathing!! =D

Take care & God Bless!
I.

We started about that age just giving the baby a shower with one of us. Works much better if one is waiting outside for the handoff. But I have done it by myself too. I end up not getting the best shower, but hey, with two little one, anyshower is better than none at all ; )

I will say that I was very nervous the first time because of the thought of being wet and slippery while holding the baby, but honestly, once you do it, you realize that you would risk injury to yourself before that could ever happen.

Make it fun, it really is a great bonding/playing experience. I prefer it now to the bathtub, because it is so much faster and easier.

Good luck!
G.

PS - Have a towel or wash cloth handy to keep their eyes dry.

We also lived in an apartment when my son was a baby. Once he was able to sit up on his own we started taking him into the shower with us, both my husband and myself. He loved it, and it was great for us as we didn't have to bathe him seperately or try to squeeze in a shower for ourselves when he was asleep.

Dear M.,
You might think I'm crazy, but from the time my kids were basically newborns, I put my kids in the shower with me. If dad was around, I would wash the baby first and then he would take the baby and dry it while I finished my shower. Or vice versa. I became so adept at it, that I could do it even by myself. I had an oversized terry robe that I could put on and wrap around us when we got out and then dry the baby and put it in it's crib while I dried myself off. My kids loved "playing" in the tub, but they always preferred showers. Still do. I've got pictures of them, little bitty things, standing in the shower all by themselves. And singing. I always sang in the shower with them. The other thing you can try is to put a Rubbermaid mat down in the kitchen sink over the drain/lid and a towel to reduce slipping and bathe your baby in the sink without the baby tub. It will be a lot easier on your back. Try both you and baby in the shower. My kids loved it.

Good luck!

Take him in the shower with you. We've done that with our daughter since she was 4-5 weeks old and she has loved it the entire time.

hi there,
we also only have a small shower. When the boys hit about 6mo I got an inflatable duck bath at babiesrus (years ago!) It's only about 3ft by 11/2ft. You can put it in the bottom of the shower and fill it up and then put your little one in it. Ours has turned into a play thing and the boys would love to go in there and splash around and play like a tub (and it doesnt get your floor all wet)

Hi M.-

Try taking him into the shower and actually give him a shower while holding him. My husband used to do this and our child, when he was a baby, actually liked showers much better than baths. I think he liked it better because he stayed warm since he was in the water the whole time and he also found the water coming down (on a more gental setting) to be soothing. One parent does the showering and the other takes the baby when he's done and dries him.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Hi M.,

i'm a mom of 3, ages 25, 23 and 2yrs. I have to say ever though what i'm about to say sounds a little out of the ordinary, when my kids out grew their little tubs i use to bathe them in the kitchen sink and at times i still do to my 2yr old. i would first clean it very well, rinse it with very hot water and let it dry or if i was in a hurry i'd dry it myself. Then fill it up, then put them in and they loved it. i also liked it too because it gave me time to do things in the kitchen while they were bathing and it was very easy to wash and rinse them because i wasn't breaking my back over the bath. hope this helps a little.

Roni

I have used the kitchen sink when they are little. Also I had a blow up bathtub that you would put in the big bath tub so something like that could be used and easily stored. I think it came from safty first.

The sink idea is great, but I started taking my son into the shower with me when he was about that age and he LOVED it! He took a rubber ducky in with him and would play on the floor while I washed my hair, other than that I held him and it was great close time for both of us.

SHOWER WITH HIM!! Are you afraid your going to drop him?????
We've been showering with our son from day one. He now is almost two and stand in the shower by himself and LOVES IT!

Just get rid of the tub and start using the kitchen sink when your son can sit up independantly ([put a rubber sink liner in the bottom to prevent slipping snd sliding). It's not something you can walk away from EVER... but soon you'll be able to just pop him in the shower with either you or your husband and he can just hang out on the floor of the shower. Been there done that.... OR move, lol. Sometimes you just gotta get creative.

I bathe my son in the kitchen on the counter, but once he gets older I'll just use the kitchen sink. You might want to try that.

Hi M.,

I don't know if this would work and maybe you have already tried it, but I just bought the Munchkin Duck Bath and I love it! My daughter is 8 months and was getting to big for the sink bath, so I thought I'd give it a try. I do use it in the tub but I could easily see it working on the kitchen floor. It has a suction cup on the bottom so it sticks well to the surface. If you're son is anything like my daughter though, you'll probably need some towels around the tub as the splashing gets serious! It's $10 at Target so it's pretty reasonable. I hope this helps you.

E.

If your kitchen sink is big enough, use that. I would clean it out first with dish soap or baby shampoo before I bathed my kids, just to make sure there was nothing gross in there, and so they wouldn't be around chemicals. I also put a towel in the bottom of the sink so they wouldn't hurt themselves on the drain plug.

If your son is too big for the sink, what about the smallest-size kids pool you can find, filled with only a few inches of water? Though that may seem too big!

All these ideas are great! I have done it all! (Since I have 4 kids ages 6 and under and had to get creative when we did renos). Also, when its nice, don't be afraid to fill up the baby pool and bathe him there. I'm sure there's a mommy and tot swimming class. Then you do the cleaning at the pool showers while you are there. (Look for salt water pools).
My husband and I would take turns showering with the babies and pass them too the other when they were washed up and ready to go so we could finish our own shower. The sink Idea is a favorite of ours. Good Luck! Remember they only need to be in a few inches of water to get clean.
Also, do you have family nearby with a tub? Just take advantage of visits. Use their tub!

I travel for work, (I do Medical at national Disasters) when it's in driving distance I took my motorhome to which my brother made a crib rail for 2 of the beds, and I got a huge Rubber maid tub and bathed Mousie in that, it also worked great in summer to cool her off, I set it on the picnic table or my kitchenette table, worked til she was 3

Replace the showerhead with a handheld shower -- easy enough to put it back when you move. Then you can get down on his level while he sits or lays on a padded bath mat on the floor of the shower. I used a handheld even when we had a tub - made getting the hair washed SO much easier.

If you shower with him, try wrapping a light towel or cloth diaper (the kind you have to fold yourself is really thin when not folded for use as a diaper) around his body so he doesn't feel too slippery. I imagine he can get pretty wiggly if he's having fun!

I would just use the kitchen sink without a bath tub until he gets too big for that (depending on how big your sink is). Otherwise using the tub on the kitchen floor isn't a bad idea either :). Or you could give him a bath while you take a shower, you'll just have to do it when hubby is home so you can hand off your son :).

i also ran into that problem with a fussy and tall little girl. i just started to take her in the shower with me. she would sit on the floor and splash while i was washing, then i could easily wash her up. of course, we did not have just a small square shower. it did not have a tub though.

well a couple of options. since you have help at home I would try just getting in the shower with your baby and hold them and see if he likes it when he is done hand him to your husband to dry off. also you can just use your kitchen sink fill it up and put him in. i have heard of shower chairs but think it may be something my babysitter had for her kids in the phillipines but you may be able to find a chari to set in the shower and he is secure, you could get a shower head that actually comes off and you can direct where the water goes as well.

J.

you could get the water sling and shower with your baby...good luck

My daughter loves the shower. We would take her in with us as a time saver at first. Now she begs to come in every time one of us gets into our shower stall. When she was little, I'd just sit her on the floor and she would splash around.

Hi M.,
You really can do quite well in kitchen.. you can use any larger tub we had one about 18 inches wide by 30 inches long. If you had rubbermade storage tub that is the shorter height that would work also. The lower height is better for your back. IF you could hook an attachment to kitchen faucet so that easy to fill that would help.
Good luck and enjoy.. I had one friend with just shower adn when their boy was older they got a square rubber tub that fit in shower stall and the boy could sit and play.

I recently started taking my 8-month-old in the shower with me. I put a bath mat on the floor and lots of toys. He's been sitting up a while, so I'm not terribly concerned he's going to fall over. He loves it! I aim the shower head away from his face, but he gets the spray anyway. My older child (almost 4) hates water on her face, etc., so showers are out for her at the time being. So, I'm hoping starting my baby younger in water will help him not have the same fears. If you're worried about the baby falling over, you might consider a bumbo seat. I put that in our shower the first time (it seems to be waterproof). Or, if your shower is big enough, you might be able to put the baby bath tub in the shower. From my experience, more water comes out of it than stays in it once the kids hit 6 months anyway. For this reason, putting the tub on the kitchen floor may leave you with a lot of mopping to do. Lastly, if the shower is just too tight for both of you, I would put a bath or sink mat in the kitchen sink and bath him in the sink without the tub. Good luck, and enjoy that little boy.

I used to wash my son in a clean kitchen sink using something called an aquababy baby bath ring - http://www.shop.com/Aquababy_Bath_Ring_Blue-49347853-p!.s.... This is one of many places which sells them. Check with your local baby store and they might carry it to save on shipping and handling. I love this ring and since it is small might help you. I now use this ring for my 1 year old daughter. It has suction cups on the bottom of the ring so it cannot tip over. If your little one can sit up you probably can use this ring. If you wanted to do a quick wash you could put it in your shower. I sometimes put my 1 year old in it in the bathtub, but don't fill it up and just pour water over her. Hope this helps.

Our nearly 7-month-old outgrew her baby tub early, too (at about four months), which was a happy day because it was bulky and didn't fit on any sink or countertop, making bathing tough, and was impossible to stow away. To replace it, I found an inflatable duck-shaped bath at Target for $10 or $12. We both love it! She sits in it comfortably and in her active water play doesn't get banged up because it's soft and inflatable. The tub bottom is non-skid, so she doesn't slide around, either. I use it in the bottom of our (small) shower/tub, but you could easily use it on the floor of a kitchen, etc. Best of all, it's easy to deflate for storage, or keep inflated for a great toy (it quacks!). As an alternative, my mom has her one day a week in a small condo, and she bathes her in the kitchen sink (sitting) with a towel placed underneath her, and says it works great. Good luck!

J.

Have you considered the kitchen sink?

Hi,

At 6 months, actually prior to that, I showered with my son. maybe, if you have someone to stand by, you can shower with your baby, and then do the hand off and finish showering yourself. Or keep baby confined somewhere in bathroom, bouncy seat etc, shower yourself, then get baby and shower baby. Dry baby off, back into bouncy seat, and finish drying yourself. Creativity at it's finest.

Good luck.

I. b.

I was in the same situation with my first baby. We lived in a rental house with no tub. I just used a large clear storage bin from Target. I would fill it up with the shower (a bit tough at first, but i got the hang of it.) Before he could sit up on his own, I had to but one of those little circle things that help babes sit up. You can get them really cheap at stores that sell used baby items. Mine was $3. When he was sitting on his own, I just put one of those slip mats on the bottom of the bin. Actually one of my favorite pictures of my son was when he was in the bin, in the shower, reaching up to get some bubbles i had blown. Good luck! S.