Baby baths are cute and convenient early on, but sooner or later, Baby will look beyond the walls of their plastic tub with the gaze of a fishing boat captain and wonder what uncharted waters await beyond.
How to transition your baby to the bathtub
Once Baby outgrows their fun-size bath spot, it’s time to move them to the next step. At some point all parents must start washing Baby in a regular bathtub. And when that time comes, you can make the transition easier for you both by sticking to these baby-centric traditions for the high seas.
Provide a captain’s chair:
Many parents start the baby-bath-to-big-tub switch once their babies are able to sit independently for short periods of time, which might happen around 7 months after birth. But since there’s so much space in a grown-up tub, even the parents of strong sitters sometimes add a baby bath seat to the tub floor. Not only will a bath seat offer Baby plenty of support, it will also keep them from laying down or crawling around in the tub.
All hands on deck!
Baby bath time needs to be supervised at all times, especially when the bathtub itself is designed for adults. Big tubs present some potential hazards such as water level, and on-demand water that can range from icy to scalding. For Baby’s first big-time baths, fill up the tub with no more than 1 to 2 inches of lukewarm water, as any more could frighten them or shock them off-balance from their seated position. And if the temperature is too hot to the touch for you, there’s’ a good chance it is for Baby‘s more sensitive skin, too.
Stick to clear waters:
By the time Baby has comfortably settled into the big tub, you can keep the cleaning routine simple and safe by using only tear-free soaps and shampoos that are specifically designed for infants. This way, when they spash some bath water around the tub, the odds of getting irritating soap residue in their eyes will be comfortably low.
