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AIBU?

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AIBU - The Baby Bath Incident

355 replies

ExhaustedRaccoon · 08/08/2026 09:30

SIL and I both have toddlers of a similar age ( only 3 months age difference) and I also have an 8 week old.

When the grandchildren were born, MIL bought lots of lovely baby things for us to share ( MIL lives abroad close to SIL and we are in the UK).

DP and I are currently on holiday and staying with MIL and DC. DS 2 ( the youngest ) has had severe colic and reflux and during the wee small hours of searching the internet, I read a nice warm bath before bed can sometimes relax the baby. At this point, I am willing to try anything. MIL only has a shower and a sit on things for the baby borrowed from SIL.

I remembered about the lovely bath with a pillow MIL purchased and asked where it was. She said SIL had borrowed it. MIL messaged SIL to ask if she could bring it back please. SIL said no, she still uses it. MIL explained our colic situation and how we are all incredibly sleep deprived and also how she is the one who bought the baby bath and she still refused to bring it back ( we are only here for two weeks so she would get it back!) she suggested we buy our own.

SIL has just moved house and has a lovely big bath in her second bathroom she could use for DN.

DP got a bit annoyed and messaged SIL saying he will come to pick it up himself and they ended up having an argument about it.

AIBU to think SIL is being incredibly unreasonable and childish about a bloody baby bath? Children’s things are not cheap here and we will only be using it for two weeks to try an ease a bit of pain for our DS2 which she clearly doesn’t care about!

OP posts:
Loulou4022 · 08/08/2026 09:41

You’re all arguing over a plastic baby bath??
I can’t see why MIL bought a bath to share if sil lives close to her anyway?
I’m guessing sil is using the small baby bath in the bigger bath which I thought a lot of people do so a young child isn’t in too much water and she doesn’t want to do without it. One solution would be for the bath to keep being passed between households so she bathes her child then it goes to MIL house which all seems rather time consuming!
When we went away camping and there obviously weren’t baths mum used to just bath us in the sink in the laundry room does MIL have a sink big enough to use instead?
TBH I think you’re all being rather silly! Just buy another plastic baby bath! I certainly wouldn’t fall out over something so trivial!

Itsthewoluff · 08/08/2026 09:40

Six of one and half a dozen of the other.

SeraphinaRainbird · 08/08/2026 09:40

Use the kitchen sink!

Lexibletheflexible · 08/08/2026 09:37

I cant think of a country where you can't pick up a baby bath for a few quid.

Littlebobbin15 · 08/08/2026 09:35

Sorry but I think all parties are a bit unreasonable here, MIL for ‘buying things to share’, this is proving it’s difficult for this to work in practice,

SIL for being a bit peevish about it, and I understand it will be tough through colic and sleep deprivation, but you are a little too for expecting SIL to hand over some equipment that she uses, probably part of her routine.

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