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August 2020 Moms
emiliadkay
member
Product Spotlight Series 3/6: Bath Time
emiliadkay
member
This is a place for FTMs to ask questions about, S+TMs to share their prior experience with, and everyone to share what they're eyeing in the world of maternity, baby and postpartum products. Each week we'll spotlight a new category of product to help streamline and make it easier to refer back. This week we're discussing BATH TIME.
To view past Product Spotlights or the upcoming schedule, see here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1DzmfbSu7toufv3p1VWNu1XOXDaU-tbI5FEfV8av46pc/edit?usp=sharing
Re: Product Spotlight Series 3/6: Bath Time
Minimalism over here, again. We've never had any special bath gear. We just fill the tub with just a few inches of water and put them in there. If you don't have a bath mat, you can lay them on a hand towel to help keep them from slipping around.
We've used aveeno shampoo/wash combo and a storebrand organic shampoo/wash combo. Both have worked fine. The aveeno definitely smelled better. It doesn't have a strong scent, just a nice subtle clean smell.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0796BLCXS?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
ETA You can really go down a rabbithole with baby tubs but ultimately, I would try not to overthink it. I think most of them will work up to two years, no problem. I remember having decision paralysis with the tub and eventually I just had to go with something that looked good to me, and it did the job! :)
The lotion you put on your baby after they are done getting washed and clean is gonna be cold.. that bottle is air and water tight though and will probably float, so stick the bottle in the tub/sink with the baby to warm the lotion up to the temp of the warm water while you're washing your kid. It'll help, especially if you're a bed time bather. Cheers.
When they are tiny you mostly just do a washcloth bath anyway. we did the standard fisher price tub with infant sling and it worked for us, but it does require more storage space than we really have.
I do recommend some soft infant wash clothes. May seem silly if you already have wash clothes, but these are smaller and more gentle and you will go through several a week. We still use them all the time.
For shampoo, we got a lot of free samples and could have lived off of those for a year. They are great for travel. We were pretty happy with aveeno baby wash and our normal sized bottle hasn’t run out yet (babies are small and don’t need as much or bathe as often as adults). Mustela is also really good for cradle cap - I ended up buying that when she was a few weeks old and used for a few months.
You don’t need bath toys until they are at least 1. We have a small folding stool we sit on when she’s on the bath (she also uses it to wash hands, etc) and that may be useful.
We weren't picky about soaps or shampoos either! I like the suggestion for mustela for cradle cap. That is something that came in handy for us but we didn't get it until after he was born.
We did a bath maybe twice a week until he was 6 months and started eating with us. At that point he went right in the bathtub after dinner because he was usually a mess. We still dont really scrub him down with soap every night. It can be really drying for their skin. But it is a nice part if our nightly routine.
For the early days, we did a sponge bath on the kitchen counter (just on top of a folded towel) and then baths in the kitchen sink. And when we first moved to the tub, we had the Angelcare seat you see everywhere and it worked just fine. DS really loved the water and having something supportive let us extend bath time longer, otherwise it gets pretty tiring to support them over the edge of the bath. Once he was solidly sitting up, though, the seat became useless.
https://www.amazon.com/Angelcare-Baby-Bath-Support-Aqua/dp/B008VWVS14
Someone bought us the munchkin "shampoo rinser" (glorified cup) and honestly, it's been kind of nice to have. A measuring cup would do the job just as well probably, but it's nice that it's soft and doesn't get appropriated for cooking and/or dog food scooping.
https://www.target.com/p/munchkin-shampoo-rinser/-/A-13296332
We have an older tub so couldn't get one of those faucet cover thingys to stay in place, but I do highly recommend if they work for you. Sooner or later, baby's going to bonk her head, hard.
https://www.amazon.com/Moluk-Plui-Rain-Cloud-Tub/dp/B00IS5DJ5M/ref=asc_df_B00IS5DJ5M/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312031083993&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7572333532062418212&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9027583&hvtargid=pla-628340950277&psc=1
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B011EVXIIE?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
I also very much liked the pigeon nail scissors when she was tiny, and mini clippers once she was a bit bigger.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000FHS97Y/ref=ya_aw_oh_bia_dp?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000FI3QSK/ref=ya_aw_oh_bia_dp?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I think the price must be up a bit atm from what I remember paying for them, tho. :/
Puj Flyte - Compact Infant Bath (White) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008PZ9VXY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_6tczEbDV0M89G
I used this once she could sit
Munchkin White Hot Inflatable Safety Tub and Bath Ducky Set (Discontinued by Manufacturer) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BNEBL6E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ozczEb9T7KTAK
I liked the Mustela for cradle cap
Craft Blog
Dating 4/2008
Married 6/2016
TTC #1 9/2019
BFP 12/13/2019!
EDD 8/27/2020 Baby Girl
I also highly recommend the Burt's Bees gentle face wipes for easy, no-bath change-table baths in early days. I used to keep a pack in the kitchen for her face after meals times (but now I pretty much just use whatever lol).
Dating 4/2008
Married 6/2016
TTC #1 9/2019
BFP 12/13/2019!
EDD 8/27/2020 Baby Girl
Sort of silly, unrelated question, but I just realized I was so clueless about when to bathe them, what kind of baths to do when they are brand new, etc. STM+... where did you learn all of this? Is it covered in infant basics classes? Starting to realize how little I know about newborn care!
You're supposed to do sponge baths until the umbilical cord falls off and then you can do more normal baths in a little tub or the sink. Or you can stick with sponge baths! Too much bathing can dry out a baby's skin so we just did a bath maybe once a week or as needed. I didn't do a newborn class but they might cover some info there too!
@rivercitynik I learned everything from my BMB and then at some point your own judgement kicks in and you are like “this kid still smells good, doesn’t need a bath.” Or “explosive diaper! Let’s put you straight in the tub.” However, there are also books that some people read that have a lot of this info, but not the how to use your mom instincts stuff.
@rivercitynik I feel like the only thing that was not intuitive for me was that you don't really need to bathe babies that much! We did it weekly for the first year unless obvious dirt/diaper blowout happened. Even now its twice a week for DD who is 2. I do however have some mommy friends who did it daily for routine/the calming effect and it worked for them so there isn't really a wrong way to do things.
We had all the bath toys and accessories the first time around and I feel that I found less was more. The more toys and assistive items you have, the more you have to clean/monitor for mold (Keep an eye on the toys that squirt and bath mats! I found most of these to get mold at some point in time). This time around we plan to be a little more minimalist in terms of bath time.
edited for spacing