How do you bathe older babies?

[KrisM]

DS is 8 months and is still in the infant-to-toddler tub. He's getting a bit big for it though. We tried just putting him in the big tub, but he and it are so slippery, it was not a good thing! What do you do for an older baby?

[slknight]

We just put DS in the regular tub and kept a very firm grip. I know he was in the big tub by 6 months because I've got pictures. But he was sitting up really well by then and was huge (almost 20 pounds). You could get one of those non-slip mats that goes in the bottom of the big tub that might keep him from moving too much.

[icunurse]

We just bought an inflatable mini-tub for DS. It fits inside a standard tub and has plenty of room for him to splash around, but the inflated sides protect his noggin if he tries to get too adventurous. We bought ours from One Step Ahead (use code PARENTB to save 15%) it has some built in toys - stacking ring, squeaky fish- and has a suction cup to hang it on the shower wall when not in use, but even Target and Walmart have a version available.
Traci
~Connor's Mom~
http://lilypie.com/baby1/050204/1/0/1/-6/.png (http://lilypie.com)

[mamaturk]

We use the same thing, it has worked out great for us!

[Saartje]

We either bathe Ishie in the sink (we do have a big sink, though) or in the big tub with one of us (usually me) in the tub with him. In the sink, it's nice to be able to use the spray attachment to rinse him -- a baby shower of a different sort. ;)

[Momof3Labs]

To this day, Colin either gets a bath in the Eurotub or takes a shower with one of us. We've been doing it this way since he was 8-9 months old.

[Java]

Kael LOVES the big tub. Unfortunately, it means more water, bigger slashes and a longer post-bath mop up.

At first DH or I bathed with him. I don't remember when Kael went solo but he was definitely ready for it - he was trying to "swim" around but mom or dad kept getting in the way. We purchased a large bath mat that ran the length of the tub and a shower attachment to spray him down, and he's been happily splashing away since.

[megulis]

In the kitchen sink! I have a spray, and no sore back. My dh bathes him every day because of his eczema. I would love to bring him in the shower with me otherwise, but he has scratching problems.

[KrisM]

Thanks everyone. Our sink is way too small for bathing even an infant. I think we'll try to get a bath mat to make the tub less slippery. If that doesn't work, we'll try the inflatable tub.

We tried the shower, but it took me and DH to do it. DH does baths and I like having the time to myself, so I didn't like the shower idea :)

[sdjeppa]

I have one of the infant tubs that has a ring at one end, and I still bathe DS in that and have since he could sit up. Its just much less water, and he doesn't try to stand up in it like he does in the big tub :).

Jenny, Mommy to Zachary 9-2-03

[geochick]

We use lots of removable, non-slip, suction cup rubber duck decals on the bottom of the tub. Then, one of us (or both of us) rolls up our pants, removes our socks, and then we sit on the edge of the tub with our feet in the water and baby between our legs. Our ds gets some tub freedom and we don't have to lean over the tub trying to hold on. Good luck.

[fauve01]

i bathe DD in the Eurotub on the kitchen counter with a big yellow sponge ($4 at BRU) in it for her to sit on so she doesn't slide around. it's so much easier on my back when we don't have to bend over into the tub! i also like that her ducks and toys are within her reach!

When we visit my mom, we bathe DD in the regular big tub. we use a bathmat that sticks to the bottom of the tub so she doesn't slip around and the big yellow sponge on top of the mat and then DD sits on the sponge. I spend the whole bath chasing her ducks around and giving them back to her!!

i know some people on this board use the eurotub in the regular bathtub. we LOVE the eurotub. :-)

GL!

Anne + DD 10-03

[priscilla73]

We bought this inflatable tub on vacation once. (targe for $10) When we returned home, it was the perfect solution for a transition tub for ds.


http://www.onestepahead.com/jump.jsp?lGen=detail&itemID=107755&itemType=PRODUCT&iProductID=107755&change=117

[tigalig]

I bought the ulti-mat bath mat at one step ahead for our ds and love it.

http://www.onestepahead.com/jump.jsp?lGen=detail&itemID=14761&itemType=PRODUCT&iProductID=14761&change=117

But he's three now so that's not my point... I bought the bath seat for our dd (who is very small at a year of age) and I'm not sure I like it. I put the mat in and let her swim around (and splash, lots and lots of splashing) and I think it's more fun for her that way. Of course, I keep my feet in the tub at all times so that I can reach her quickly if she slips, but so far she's having a ball. Because I just bought the seat over a month ago, I'm keeping it handy just in case I change my mind or I need to do a quick bath without getting my feet wet, etc., but I think the regular tub with a good bath mat works very well.

[HannaAddict]

We have the inflatable duck tub by Munchkin. It fits inside the big tub, is sturdy and has nice high padded sides and bottom. And it quacks! He loves it. I think we'll need a bigger inflatable tub soon though (he's a tall almost 10 mos old). I've put him in it on dry land too as a different baby containment device for when I need him to be in one spot. He thought it was pretty fun to sit in on the floor and play sans water.

Kimberly
DS 3/18/04

[writermama]

We also have the inflatable duck tub. It was $10 at Target -- I've also seen a Blues Clues version. We got it on vacation and use it for travel. We also used it outside as a small baby pool. DD loves to play in it when it's dry, too. She'll sit in it to read a book, pile her toys in it, or best of all, sit in it while one of us pulls it along the floor to take her for a ride. When you squeeze the duck's bill, it quacks.

We also have a Eurotub that we use for baths at home. We use it on a large bathroom counter. It uses less water than a big tub and it really saves my back not having to lean over a grown-up tub.

I know it seems silly to have 2 tubs, but I really like them both for different reasons and recommend either one.

-Karen