I'm over using the baby tub and want to just put my DD right into the regular tub. I'm curious if there are any products out there that you would recommend...like a mat for instance. Our first try last night left me hoovering over the edge of the tub becuase my DD was slipping all over the place. I'd love to find a mat that had a headrest for when I need to lay her back to wash her hair. Any products out there like this that you know of? TIA!
Re: Bathing your 12mth old - need recommendations
I don't have anything to recommend for products...just wanted to say that my girls went straight from the baby tub and into the big tub (both around 7/8 months when they were sitting well without tipping over).
I put a duck cover on the faucet, throw a bunch of toys in and just sit within arm's reach. Sure they've tipped over, but I'm right there...they've both bumped their heads on the tub. They learn pretty quickly how slippery the tub is and how to handle that.
One thing we do not tolerate is standing in the tub--that scares the crap out of me. So the minute they stand up, we sit them back down. If they keep doing it, they are done in the tub and we take them out. Since both of them have always liked baths, they don't do that often because they like to stay and play. I'll admit that I feel we're pretty lucky that they stay sitting.
To wash their hair, I just use a cup and dump water on their head. DD2 doesn't mind water in her face so it isn't a big deal--she is finally getting the hang of looking up when I ask her to so I can avoid her face. DD1 is finally at an age where she can lie back in the tub to rinse her hair.
After the baby tub we used the inflatable duck tub for a few months. I got mine at BRU (Munchkin brand). Worked great until he got bigger. Now he just sits in the regular tub and does well 90% of the time. He will slip and start to fall once or twice a week. But I'm sitting right there to catch him.
You could get any kind of non-slip mat I suppose? They have them everywhere.
We just put him in the big tub as soon as he outgrew the baby tub. We tried an inflatable tub for a little while, but we stopped using it.
We don't use a mat on the bottom, but you could always get one. Our bathtub already has a non-slip surface. We do not allow him to stand in the tub.
You could always get one of these for laying her back to wash her hair. We used one at my ILs lakehouse last summer while T was a newborn. I bought it at Wal-Mart for less than $10.
We still used this and it's awesome. If he stands up and falls then it cushions him really good. Ryan's a big boy too and he fits fine in it.
We've tried the regular tub a few times, but he won't sit down and it's a real hassle to get him clean. I've decided to stick to the duck tub until it no longer works for us.
ETA: Ours is Munchkin brand.
We just got a cheapo mat from Target or Walmart in the regular bath section. It is machine washable. If I forget to put it down, DD asks for it
She knows she isn't supposed to stand in the tub. I have a major fear of her hitting the faucet, so that is covered with a plastic frog thing. It would still hurt to hit it, but wouldn't cause as much damage.
Anyway, we just let her sit in the tub and do our thing. Now, she takes "showers". I move the shower head down and prop it up on the faucet. It's right at chest level for her and she feel so grown up. It's faster than a bath too which I like. I usually just use a cup to rinser her hair. My sister has a cup made for rinsing hair that has a rubber part to conform to their head. I've seen them in the baby section of stores.