My question today is about transitioning out of the infant bath tub. Does anyone have any suggestions? She hasn't fully outgrown the tub, but she will be very soon. My husband has back problems, so he doesn't really want to move her into the big bathtub as he will have to miss out on bathtime, but we can't think of much more. We have talked about the sink, but she freaks out when she sits in there. Do they still make the bath rings for babies? Any other ideas on how to deal with transitioning so that daddy can still help? Thank you in advance, I know you all have some great ideas!
We did the bath ring in the kitchen sink for a long time. Then we transitioned to bath ring in the tub. I also bathed with my little boy. He seemed to love soaping momma and it made him realize that bath time could be fun.
Once my sons outgrew the baby tub and could sit well on their own, we simply put an in or two of warm water in the tub, and let them sit on their own. Because the water wasn't very deep, we didn't need to hold on as tightly since they could move side to side without getting their face wet--even crawling in the "puddle" eventually. They loved to splash in the water, and there was just enough of it to wet/rinse the baby with a cup or washcloth.
What about Daddy taking a bath with baby? That's what we did. Leaning over the bathtub is hard work.
They still make bath rings for babies (if you mean the kind where the child is held secure in a seat that is mounted to the side of the tub). Both Target and Babiesrus carry them.
I use a bigger sized inflatable tub, and it can hold still hold our 5 year old with plenty of room for water toys too. I've only found two on the market. Munchkin makes one with this annoying and very huge duck head on it. I hated it because storing the tub was a pain. I found a normal tub at Babiesrus, and once it dries in the big tub, I hang it on the back of the bathroom door.
Since your guy is still under 1 year old, there are also bath slings that work great. Summer Infant makes a cushioned bath sling (kinda looks and works like a waterproof bouncy seat) that can hold a child up to almost 2 years. I put my youngest in the larger tub seat in this, and use a shower sprayer to wash him. It works great. Just hold the seat steady if he sits forward to get rinsed off.
I highly recommend the little inflatable tubs that go inside the big bathtub!!! We got one at Target for $10 and it has lasted over a year.
We bathed our infant in the kitchen sink until she could sit up on her own, but was too big for her infant tub. It actually forced us to keep the sink dish-free (which meant more help from Dad on this) and I scrubbed it thoughly before each bath, but she liked it in there. :)
