BABY BATHTUBS

[sallen]

What baby bathtubs are the best? The tub with a "sling" looks neat - but maybe complicated. Any suggestions? Thanks!

[gentlemommy]

If you're referring to the bathtubs with the net, then I can tell you from our experience, it wasn't complicated but my son screamed when we tried it. Which we did, twice. Then we broke out this huge bath sponge we'd been given (and had previously thought was useless) and laid him on that inside the baby bathtub, with the warm water already in the tub, and baths were, thereafter, a very enjoyable experience.

Later, I was talking with a salesperson at Babies R Us (I think it was there) and she told me that a lot of babies don't like them (the nets) b/c they don't feel secure in them. I don't know whether it's a true statement in general, but it was apparently true for my ds.

If I were buying a new bathtub now, those tubs with the ring in them (for when baby is older) look appealing, but I'd still recommend having the sponge, too. They're cheap ($5 or less, I believe) and, at least for my ds, I don't think we could have had happy bathtimes without it!

[restless]

Don't know if this helps but my friend suggested The First Years Bath tub. She said with her 13 month old it's just as good as a bath seat! It's item 792101 in the babies r us catalog. Hope this helps.

[joodyjr]

I used the simple evenflo tub with a separate foam sponge insert when my son was born. I didn't like to use the tub w/out the insert, but I didn't care much for the insert either because it was such a pain to dry out (which it never did, leaving no where to store but our tub) He's now four months old and has outgrown that one. Based on reviews at babycenter.com, I purchased the Euro Tub. It is simply wonderful.
It is designed to accomodate as young as newborn all the way to toddler. One end of the tub has side supports and a crotch support and the other is a little more open to accomodate the child in a sitting position. The thing I like is that he is very secure without my holding him, which I had to do in the evenflo to keep him from falling sideways or scooting way down. It is very large (fits inside our bathtub) but well worth the money in my opinion. Best of all, ds loves it! He can kick and splash till the water turns cold. Although it was nice being able to bathe him in the kitchen sink w/evenflo, I must admit the backaches are worth the fun we have at bathtime now! I purchased this tub from babycenter.com for around $35 I believe. I actually paid less because I think I used a 15% off coupon (dealofday.com)

[MarchMom01]

My friends like the First Year's 2-in-1 Deluxe Bathtub giftset. It's a blue bathtub for newborns and infants, and it includes fun toys: a rubber ducky, stacking cups, a vinyl squeaky book, washcloth and fish links. Available at Toys R Us/Babies R Us for $20.

[jkangas]

When I first brought my son home from the hospital, I had one of the "normal" slanted baby bathtubs and did use one of the sponge inserts. My aunt then gave us a EuroBath that was purchased from "The Right Start" catalog. I can't say enough about the EuroBath. This is a bathtub that is for children from birth to 2 years old. One side has a molded reclining position with a couple of supports that go under the baby's armpit. This prevents the baby from sliding down under the water. When they begin to sit up, you put the child on the other side of the tub. There is another support that goes between the child's legs to help keep them in a sitting position without allowing them to slip under the water. I can't say enough about this bathtub. It was definitely one of the best gifts I received for my first child and will definitely be used for my next one. I recently saw one at Babies R Us and just checked out their website. They are $24.99 and are made by Primo. This is about $10 less than mine was purchased for and I wouldn't hesitate to spend $40 to get another one.

[amanda]

We bought this one - from The First Years company. We liked the sling in terms of its safety, and our infant seemed to like it too. She would hang her legs over the sides, which was a pretty funny sight to see! However, we did take the sling off when she reached about 15 pounds and used the second part of the tub that has the ledge to support the baby under the bum. It is a little challenging because she likes to splash her legs around and it really takes two of us to complete the bath - one to hold her in place and the other to clean. The sponge sounds like it might work even at this stage. This bath-tub is nice because it has the three stages for use.

[bjessen]

My mom got us the 4-in-1 tub by Safety 1st. I can't say enough good things about it! My husband is a Marine and had to deploy for 3 months the week after our baby was born. Now that he is home, he is often gone on weekend trips. So, with my family on the opposite coast, I am on my own most of the time. This tub has made bathing my daughter fairly easy. It has a sling, but it isn't the type which is like a hammoc (which could be confining). It is a sloped net which you lay your infant on. It can be used in a sink when very young and then in the tub as they get older. Then, when a baby gets old enough to sit up by herself it has a swing out bath ring that converts it to a bath seat. Finally, by detaching the sling and leaving the bath seat unconfigured you can use it as a toddler tub for up to 2 years of age.

It has a drain and four suction cups on the bottom. I have only used it out of the tub once, it appeared not to leak.

BabiesRus (or amazon.com) sells it for around $20 I think.

[sarsah]

For my son (now 15 months old), I used a simple Fisher Price infant tub which I bought for $2 at a yard sale. I put it in the regular tub since my son like to splash (tried it on the kitchen counter once -- what a mess!!!). When he got to big for the infant tub, I bought a small inflatable tub -- can't remember the brand, but it was a major one sold at most discount stores. Once my son was around a year old, he just used the regular tub.

Sarah

[webma]

I have a primo eurobath infant seat which works for about six months. I think it was $10 at Babies R Us. It sits upright so I don't have to hold her up as much and can concentrate on geting her cleaned up before the crying starts. It's small and slim and fits in the sink well which has been a godsend after a c-section plus I can tuck it in the corner when I'm done. The plastic cleans up fast even if she has a little accident during bath time (all that warn water must be encouraging). The foam inserts aren't so accomodating and really have to be dried throughly or they get pretty gross with mold/mildew type stuff and general bath time dirt.

[CarrieMaro]

I'll just add my name to the list of EuroBath lovers. Ours worked great for us. Very safe and secure. It was nice to be able to move easily from reclining to sitting up just by using the other end of the tub.

Good luck in your decision!

[almostamom]

Eurotub here as well. We still used the foam insert in it, but this was a wonderful, easy, comfortable tub. Well worth it.
~Linda~
http://lilypie.com/pic/060427/fDdc.jpg http://b2.lilypie.com/qW3mm7.png

[caroliner]

I've had the same Eurotub since I had my first baby... it is wonderful! To make it more comfortable for the baby, I cut a tub sponge in half and put it in as cushioning when they were little. My younest is now 9 months old, and I guess I'm done w/ it, but it was by far one of my favorite baby products.

[wimama]

Add me to the list of Eurotub lovers. My little guy is only 7 weeks old and we love using this tub. I don't use added sponge inserts and he seems comfortable enough.

One thing though, it is really big. That doesn't bother us, we hang it on a suction hook on the wall of our shower/tub, when we are done using it.

[jhrabosk]

Another Eurotub user...love it! Started using it as soon as her cord healed. When she was really tiny, we laid a large bath towel in the bottom to keep her from slipping. I don't think we needed that for more than a few weeks. Now, we've still got her on the reclining infant side, but she LOVES her bath. Loves to splash!

We had a sling-type bath chair that a friend handed down to us, but my baby hated it. I think she was cold.

[secchick]

Ditto on the Eurobath.

I used a towel behind DDs head for the first month or so. The crotch support really does the same thing as the sling, in that it keeps the baby in place so your arms and hands are free for cleaning. It's as easy as anything to use!

We fill it up and put it on our bathroom counter and then store it in the tub.

[essnce629]

Another Eurotub lover!!! It's the only tub I recommend. It's so big that it can be used for a long time and baby can actually be fully submerged which keeps them warm and happy. And it's so big that baby can kick and kick and the water will stay in the tub. I had one of those Sure Comfort Deluxe Newborn-to-Toddler Tubs at my mom's house (which gets good reviews on BRU) and my son looked huge in it at 2 months old. It wasn't deep enough for him to be submerged so he was probably freezing the whole bath and any time he kicked he'd get water everywhere! I used it about 3 times before getting rid of it. The Eurotub cradles a baby and keeps them supported so you can have both hands free to wash and play with them. All those other tubs you have to constantly have one hand holding on to baby so they don't slip around.

***Latia
Birth and Postpartum Doula

Conner 8/19/03 (homebirthed water baby)
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/a/aug2003angel
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_sapphire_24m.gif Self-weaned at 24 months!