I like to think I am a bit of a pro at bathtimes. Over 4 years under my belt and 3 of those with two monkeys to get washed and changed means I’ve had a fair bit of experience. I actually don’t mind bathtime. Probably because I know it’s nearly bedtime if I’m being honest! My husband on the other hand seems to avoid it all costs. After talking to friends it seems a lot of men go out of their way to get out the nightly splashing. We’ve never figured out why!!
It is a lot easier now the girls are older as they only need supervising rather than the constant holding of teeny babies so I thought I might be useful to share my essentials for a successful baby bathtime.
What You Need
Baby Bath – It is most likely that you will need a baby bath for when they are tiny. We opted for the Hoppop Bato Baby Bath. I’m ashamed to say it’s because I liked the deep grey colour scheme and actually in retrospect it probably wasn’t needed. It was quite big but did have a handy plug at the bottom. In truth a standard basic baby bath will be fine and I know a lot of friends who had a lot of love for the blow up baby baths. Great for storage and easy to take on trips to family or holidays. This Shnuggle bath or Stokke bath also look fab.
Baby Bath Seat – These are great if you want to have a free hand when washing baby. When I had Alice I ended up just popping her straight in the big bath with Molly so this was a life saver. Be careful though as they can slip down a little bit if they are wriggling around. This Angel Care version has a nice mesh support or I just had a simple version like this.
Toddler Bath Seat – Once baby is sitting up you will be better off with a toddler seat that supports them as means they can have fun reaching and splashing without you having to hold them the whole time.
Bath Mat – A bath mat is essential once you start using the big bath as stops them slipping around. My girls constantly stand up and down too so it’s a definite safety feature. I also like these little dots versions as well.
Thermometer – I am ashamed to admit I didn’t buy one of these straight away and once plunged a tiny Molly in to what I thought was an ok temperature. Apparently my toasty warm baths are not appropriate for babies. We quickly bought this Philips Avent Thermometer which we could also use in her bedroom.
Bath Toys – Bath Toys are a great way to occupy the littles and mean that bath time becomes a fun time for them. My one pet hate with bath toys, especially the squirty variety, is the disgusting mould that seems to grow inside them and deposit gloopy black slime in to the bath with every squirt. It took me a while to work out what it was! I can’t recommend the Boon Bath toys enough. A bit more pricey but worth it for the lack of slime. The ducks are brilliant and such fun colours. We also had hours of fun with the net and bugs.
Toy Basket – You will need somewhere to store those toys unless you want them bobbing around you as you try to have a relaxing soak! Get a simple mesh bag or a more sturdy bucket style that can be moved away from the bath when needed.
Sponge – A natural sponge is the best thing for cleaning baby in the bath. So soft.
Cotton Wool – When baby is tiny keep a supply of cotton wool pads by the bath for cleaning all the little creases.
Toiletries – What toiletries you use, if any, is entirely up to you. I’ve used everything from Johnsons to expensive organic varieties. Alice has horrible eczema as a baby so I tried to be careful with what I used but I will be honest and say I didn’t see a vast difference. When she was a baby I liked a nice baby oil to apply afterwards but mostly used a good bottle of olive oil. The poor thing stank but it honestly is amazing for their skin.
Towels – There is nothing cuter than snuggling up your little one after a bath. Little hooded towels are the best as keeps their heads warm and allows you to wrap them up snug and warm. Opt for a multi pack or two as you will get through more than you think when they are little. I still buy them for the girls now and love the Skip Hop designs for the cute animal hoods and they are big enough to still wrap round a 4 and a bit year old Molly. I also heard good things about the cuddledry towels which leave you with your hands free.
That’s my baby bathtime essentials. Any top tips of products to make it a bit easier?
The most amazing thing we bought was this bath buddy from Minene https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00MBBPXT4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_gFbZwbPATYFBX
It’s like a little raft that the baby can float around in comfortably, Fern loved it and it made bathing her so easy. Everyone we’ve recommend it to has loved it.
I didn’t get on with baby baths or seat supports as I found them slippery and hard and uncomfortable so Fern would always fidget around. In the bath buddy she always completely chilled out…
I also love Green People organic baby bath products. Great for sensitive skin and amazing fragrances.
Oh and I wouldn’t be without the clevermama handsfree towel. I love a gizmo….
I wish I had had one of this floats. It looks ace! x
Oh those towels are the cutest *goes shopping hope husband doesn’t notice* We only have a shower in the house so even though Spencer is rapidly approaching his first birthday he’s still content in a baby bath in the bottom of the shower, does anyone have any recommendations about when and how to introduce a shower to a toddler?
They are the best Claire. A lot of my friends have used showers with their kids for a long time. They love it. Try giving him the shower head for a bit when he’s in his baby bath and see if he likes it. xx
I am currently 20 weeks pregnant so very much looking forward to having bath times! I have a few questions – we have been looking at the Tummy Tub for when baby is little. Does anyone have any experience of these? Are they worth the money? They look very cute – although I can’t see much difference between the Tummy Tub and a bucket! One thing that appeals to us about it is that it’s small and we are very tight on storage in our bathroom. So tight in fact that we don’t actually have a bath and only have a shower and basin – has anyone else had a baby in a flat with no bath? Can you make it work?
Both our girls adored the tummy tub until about 6 month old. It’s a beautiful first bath as they fit in it in the same comforting position they are in the womb. Both were very happy to bathe and we didn’t have screaming bath times. My husband did extensive comparisons to a bucket (!) and it’s definitely worth getting the purpose made tummy tub, the bottom is non slip and it is contoured to fit them. Would recommend.
Tub fans here too. Our daughter was born in October so it kept her warmer in our flat than the baby bath. And you get way cuter photos than you do in a baby bath **instagram face**
I must admit we’ve never had half of this stuff. I used my elbow, not a thermometer and we got our bath towels from Aldi in their Baby Sale.
Our biggest successes have been some bath numbers and letters which were a few quid in Aldi again and bath books I got from Amazon for a few quid.
We have the most amazing whale themed bath jug from M&S which helps with hair washing since the spout is curved to fit snugly next to a baby’s head. This prevents less water getting into eyes and thus tears so it’s been a lifesaver all round. I’ve tried to have a look for it on the website but can’t find it so I hope they haven’t stopped doing it. We are also huge fans of the natural sponge but now that Hector is bigger we’ve found that a flannel is brilliant too for that bit of extra coverage.
This looks rather good. Bad mummy here just pours it in their eyes. Poor kids! x
my daughter actually likes having the water poured all over her head and face- strange child!!
Embrace it Danielle – honestly it makes life so much easier!
We bought the jahgoo bath support and i loved it. http://www.jahgoo.com/ It meant that baby could go in the bath from the beginning and stopped her slipping around. Just dug it out the bath to use with baby number two (imminent!) who will be bathing with her big sister! The Angelcare version looks good too.
*Should say just dug it out the loft of course!
I read an article saying how dangerous those toddler bath seats are (not the lie back baby ones) as children topple over in them and can’t get up so can drown which is horrendous so I thought I should just mention it.
On a happier note, Munchkin do good bath toys and White Company hooded towels are lush!
I had read that too Victoria when we bought ours and almost didn’t include it in the post. I think the advice was that so long as you are there supervising it is ok. I didn’t have problems with ours but it does make your wonder. I read the same thing about Bumbo’s too…. Oh, I forgot a cute hooded towel xxx
I read that too Victoria but we have one for Hector and I think as Lottie mentions as long as you are supervising then I think they’re ok. Same with anything really – we stay with him the entire time he has a bath and the moment he starts wiggling out or trying to stand up, we either take him out of the seat completely or pull his legs back through. It’s actually been a lifesaver for me especially on those nights where there aren’t two of us around to help out as it frees up my hands to grab towels/ play with toys/ wash hair etc. I wouldn’t be without it 🙂
For bathing products that are 98% organic and free from sulphates and parables try child’s farm which do a good range and are stocked at boots and waitrose. Great for children with eczema or sensitive skin and don’t cost the earth like some other brands.
I’ve always looked at the Child’s Farm products. Must make a purchase. xx
We had the Tippitoes mini bath for our daughter, which we used till she was about 5 or 6 months (not bad going seeing as she was a bad girl at 9lb born). I loved that I could use it anywhere in the house, we bathed her either on the dining room table or on the floor in the living room for quite a while, so for those without a bath, this could be an option for the early days. Ah, seems like such a long time ago now and she’s not quite yet 2!
I adored our angelcare bath support, was one of our top buys, and actually avoided buying a baby bath by using it! The rubber mesh warms up, so it is nice for the baby to lie on. When she grew out that, we chose the aquapod bath seat and mat from mothercare-http://www.mothercare.com//on/demandware.store/Sites-MCENGB-Site/default/Product-Show?pid=455603 as we didnt get on with the safety first seat. Would most definitely recommend!
I would second the Mothercare bath mat and seat, I’ve used it for both my little ones although unfortunately my husband was rather heavy handed with the bath mat when pulling it out of the bath (they really do stick!!) that he ripped it! So we just have the seat for J but he’s quite happy in and the suckers are good to keep him in place!
We also had the Angelcare bath support until he was about 6 months, which he loved, it’s loved and soft and as you have the holes you get a bit of water through them as well keeping them warm, much better than the hard plastic ones that I find not very warm or comfortable.
I always put a little flannel over their tummies to keep them warm too and add warm water, apparently it makes them feel a bit safer!
xx
… But if funds or space are tight, the kitchen sink does actually work fabulously for small babies – and saves your tummy and pelvis in the early days!
The best thing I bought has to be a baby bath seat from Amazon!