Kathy,
mum of 6 week old Alex, has some questions about putting her baby in the bath.
“Since we brought Alex home from the hospital, we’ve been bathing him in the sink or taking him into the shower with us which has been working great. Now he’s starting to get bigger, though, I think it’s time we started bathing him in the big bath. Only problem is I’m really nervous about dropping him – he’s really slippery when he’s soapy and our bath seems so huge!
I was thinking about getting him one of those plastic bath seats but a friend said they can be really dangerous so I’m not sure whether I should or not. I know you can get plastic baby baths but at the rate he’s growing he would be too big for it in a couple of months and it really doesn’t seem worth the trouble.
I suppose what I really want to know is how other parents of newborns bath their babies. Do they use the big bathtub or do they have a special baby bath? Are there any special techniques for holding them so they don’t slip under the water? And are those baby bath seats really as bad as I’ve heard?”
How do you bath your newborn baby? Do you use the sink like Kathy or do you use a special baby bath? If you have a newborn baby or even an older baby and can remember what you used to do, please share your thoughts here and help Kathy and others like her find a solution to their bathtime dilemmas. Thanks, Shona x
Our survey results are in and it seems like the main bathtub is the most popular choice when it comes to bathing a tiny baby with 60% of you preferring to use the big tub. Baby baths came second with 22% of our mums opting for them as a portable and convenient solution.
When it comes to baby bath seats, overall your responses were positive with 60% reporting to have used them, at least occasionally. The main upside of bath seats, according to our mums, is having your hands free to wash your baby although they need to be constantly supervised. Downsides were safety concerns.
Our mums had some great advice for Kathy and anyone else who might be struggling to keep hold of their slippery baby in the bath...
“Buy a piece of bath foam from Mothercare, put it in the big bath and fill with a few inches of water so they can kick about but not too much that it covers them.” – Rachel, Leeds
“Buy a big baby bath from mothercare (my first adventure baby bath is still big enough for my 5month old) or bath him in the big bath when you have someone to help you -one of you can hold him and the other can wash him!” – Sal, Berkshire
“If you’re feeling unsure, why not ask someone to help you at first; your mum, partner or even a friend,” – Peta, Bristol
“As long as baby can sit up aided or unaided I would use a bath seat, obviously you have to supervise at all times, but I've never had a problem! It’s easier for me as I then have 2 hands free to play & wash!” – Zoe, Plymouth
“Lie the baby in the big bath with only a couple of inches of water, that way they can wiggle to their hearts content and don't need your support. It saves your back and keeps them happy. All you need is a slip-proof mat for the bottom of the bath and a sponge or flannel to wash the water over them.” – Becky, Wales