A fun and exciting way to spend time and bond with your little one is while bathing your baby. YES, bath time can be made fun for both you and your baby. Most babies love water, and it’s a pleasure for them to kick and move about without clothes on.
Bathtime is also a good opportunity to talk to your baby and let him learn to touch and make sounds while playing in the water. But at the same time, Bathing your baby can be surprisingly stressful too since there are chances of accidental drowning, too cold or too hot temperature, a false feeling of security and more.
Choosing the right bath tub for new born baby can make a big difference towards improving you and your baby’s bathing experience.
While choosing the appropriate bathtub for baby, you should look for one with high-quality materials, ergonomic design, sized correctly for your room and adequate safety.
Let’s take a look at the various types of Baby Bath tubs :
Bath buckets: These are traditional methods, and many mothers prefer to bathe their baby in a bucket since it allows newborns to sit up with water up to their shoulders in a supported sitting or fetal position, hence leaving your hands free to wash your baby. These can be used for babies up to six months of age. They use minimal water and space than most other baby baths, and they are easy to carry when full because of their shape. These provide limited space for your baby to play with bath toys.
Standard Bathtubs: These are no-frills, inexpensive plastic tubs which are always a reliable option. Smaller tubes are usually placed in the sink for younger babies—and many have a contoured design to help infants to be placed in a slightly upright position.
Bath Tubs with Mesh Slings: Some standard tubs come with a baby bath sling. These slings with fabric or mesh will keep your little one in place. On most models, the sling can be removed when you don’t need it. You can use them with the provided infant insert or sling from birth to about six months. Then, with the sling removed, you can continue to use the bathing tub until your little one’s about two years old or until your toddler can sit upright in the tub independently.
Convertible bathtubs for babies: These are tubs designed to grow with your child. They are secure enough for an infant since it comes with a sling but also large enough to hold an older child. With this type of bathtub, babies can be bathed in a reclining position from birth to about six months and can be used when they can sit upright, that is, from about 6 to 24 months or even possibly longer. This can be a good option from the financial point of view.
Sink insert baby bathtubs: These are foam inserted tubs that you can easily fit into your sink to create a secured space to bathe your baby. You can stand upright while bathing your baby, rather than having to crouch on the side of the bathtub, which is an added advantage. Moreover, the inserts can easily fold down for easy storage when not in use. These kind of baby bath tubs can be easily carried along while travelling.
Baby bath tub with stand: These bathtubs come with a stand that elevates the bathtub allowing the convenience of bathing your baby without having to lean awkwardly over a standard bathtub or kitchen sink and say bye-bye to back pain and muscle pulls.
Inflatable Baby bathtub: These tubs are space-savers since they can be deflated for easy storage and travel. They also come with a suction cup or an attached hook so you can hang the tub for air drying. The main drawback for this is you have to inflate it each time before your baby’s bath, which can be tiresome for some parents.
Sit up bath and bath rings for babies: These come with a seat that goes between your baby’s legs that provides support so that your child can sit upright in an adult bathtub and a plastic ring, which goes around your baby’s waist. Some types have toys attached to the ring. Unfortunately, they can provide a false sense of security to the parents. These bath seats are not recommended since they can easily tip over, and there are more chances for your baby to fall into the bathwater and drown.
Rest-on-rim baby baths: These are designed with an extra-wide rim around them which helps to fix it firmly on top of an adult bathtub. They also have a plughole at the bottom which allow water to drain out into the main bath. With this, it’s possible to bathe both baby and toddler at the same time with your baby in the baby bath and the toddler in the adult bath. They are usually more high-priced than standard baby baths.
Bath toys can bring in more fun to your baby. So, add some non-hazardous toys in your baby’s bathing tub. While doing this, avoid using toys, which may result in baby choking.
Safety tip: Whatever bath support, bath chair, bathtub or bath ring you choose, never leave your baby unattended in the bath, even for a moment.
