Making Baby Bathtime a LOT Easier and Safer...

Something we're noticing with our second child (Carter, now 8 months old) that we didn't with our first (Miles, turning three this month) is that we're getting smarter about certain things. With Miles, we had him in his own little bathtub, which was okay, but would sometimes get messy.

We gave that bathtub to some friends who had a baby, and when Carter came along, we just sort of gave him baths in the kitchen sink. But as Carter got older, bigger, and more mobile, that just wasn't practical anymore. Adding to that, we had to bathe Miles too, so giving them both baths could take up to an hour some days. But you can't just put Carter in the bathtub with Miles...so what do you do?

About a month ago, we picked up the Safety 1st Tubside Bath Seat, and since then we've been much happier with Carter's bath time.

The Bath Seat is a supportive chair that supports and holds a baby in a normal bathtub. It's only intended for use for babies who are old enough to sit up on their own, and use should be discontinued when they're able to stand up on their own. Even though it's for babies who can sit up on their own, and it does a good job of supporting them, you should still NEVER leave them alone in the bathtub.

The Bath Seat comes fully assembled, and has an adjustable arm that attaches the seat to the side of most standard bathtubs. The small manual that comes with the product is fully illustrated and makes the tub seat easy to set up and use, even though I had never even seen one before. The adjustable arm locks into place on the wall of the bathtub, and has an elbow cushion in place which makes bathtime more comfortable for parents. The seat where the baby sits swivels so it can be in variable positions for your particular bathtub.

The instructions to use the Tubside Bath Seat have a few tips that helped me the first time I used it, so I'll quote them directly from the manual here:

1. Fill tub using a minimum of water and check water temperature before putting child in seat.

WARNING: Babies can drown in as little as one inch of water. ALWAYS bathe your infant using as little water as necessary.

2. With bath seat attached to the tub, carefully lower your child into the seat.

3. As your child sits down, his or her weight will depress the passive restraint seat which decreases the size of the leg openings for added security.

It's very straightforward and easy to use, after you've done it a few times. The first time I used it, I wondered if I was using it correctly (I was), and Carter had some problems warming up to it too. But from the second time on, I've loved it, Carter's loved it, and the two boys will frequently bathe together, and they both like it.

Cleaning and storage is also simple, and the bath seat should be cleaned after each use, so the water can drain completely from the seat. To store, you simple slide the adjustable arm back up, fold it up over the seat, and tuck it away. It's small enough when folded that it fits neatly under our bathroom sink, and we haven't even noticed it's around when we're not using it.

This is one of those simple, inexpensive ideas that really simplified our lives this time around. Even if we only use it for six months (or even less) it's been well worth the twenty dollars we spent on it. Bathtime is less stressful for us, more fun for the boys, and safer for the baby. If you've got an infant who can sit up on their own, but isn't yet walking, the Safety 1st Tubside Bath Seat is for you.