AIBU - The Baby Bath Incident

Your DH is an unreaspnable arse here. Making a mountain out of a molehill. Give the kitchen sink a good clean and put the baby in it.

Because it doesn't belong to her and she doesn't need it. The person who owns it has asked her to return it. I think people are right, she's sold it.

Exactly

But the OP never thought about the bath until a couple of days ago. Why is it the SIL's issue to deal with this when there are multiple easy/cheap solutions open to the OP?

My parents only had showers when they lived in France so we used the kitchen sink to bath our youngest and it was fine. You don't need a baby bath. Where are you that a baby bath will break the bank?
Is it really worth falling out over?

You don’t like your SIL very much do you?

And the partner doesn’t need to wash the baby, OP can do it. Let’s be honest, after arguing with his sister about this he’s pissed off and wants the baby bath on principle. But they can’t make that happen and they don’t want to buy a new one so OP can wash the tiny baby in the sink like millions of other people do, safe in the knowledge it is easily just as clean as the baby bath.

Or a bucket, I’m pretty sure you can buy a bucket or a very large bowl in an Italian village.

I must be from another planet then. Your SIL is being awful for not helping you out and loaning you the bath. You're only there for 2 weeks! Why on earth should OP buy one?

SIL is entirely unreasonable- no one bathes a two year old in a baby bath and she should’ve returned this and any other newborn stuff to MIL’s house before you arrived.

i agree she’s probably sold it.

If it was a fancy baby bath and her child doesn't use it I bet she flogged it or gave to a friend....

SIL doesn't need a baby bath for a toddler, she's the unreasonable one. How horrible to criticise the GM for doing something nice.

She has probably sold it or lent it to a friend . You are all unreasonable , your SIL for either not giving it you or being honest and you / your husband for not just using the kitchen sink . It is really not worth falling out with family over a baby bath , which likely won’t make any difference anyway .

Partner has OCD and will not use the kitchen sink as obviously, it where dirty dishes are washed

FGS 🙄 just do it anyway

I get the mother in law buying things to share if keeping at her house when two of her children have babies/toddlers. Makes absolute sense for when staying with her. Sometimes things change, SIL needed a bath at hers, MIL had one, she borrowed it, she uses it. It sounds like you didn’t go to MIL’s expecting it to be there, you suddenly read that a bath before bed relaxes a baby, is more odd to me. How has this only just occurred to you after a google search? How have you been bathing baby up until now whilst away? I think unfair to put her on the spot, if you take it from her she’ll have to go and buy one. Why don’t you just buy one instead? You can get a basic baby bath quite cheaply. Or as most posters have said just use the kitchen sink, obviously just clean it first.

Does he have OCD? it doesn't need to "make sense" if you have OCD

I get that’s it annoying that she won’t let you use the baby bath but you are making this into a mountain when it’s really a tiny molehill. All you need is a tub large enough for a small amount of water and a small baby. The support comes from your hands holding the baby you don’t need a special pillow. People the world over for millennia have been bathing babies in any body of water that will do the job. You put water in a tub, your arm under the baby supporting their neck/head and you scoop water over them with the other hand. It’s not hard, it’s not complex and it doesn’t need any form of special equipment.

It makes no sense that your partner won’t allow a kitchen sink, which is either metal or ceramic and can obviously be very easily cleaned, but he’s fine with a shared well used baby bath, likely made of plastic.

Clean the kitchen sink and bath baby in there. Don't share still with SIL

MIL has let her go home with it years ago, so that ship has long sailed.

Use a sink , washing up basket /bowl. You all sound ridiculous

Yes, I too suspect this baby bath has been sold on Italian EBay. The SIL doth protest too much.

Agree that if she's just moved the she's probably either sold it or passed it on or if she has it then it may not have been unpacked yet if she doesn't use it. This buying things to share wasn't a good idea.

She sold it before she moved...decluttering esp if DN doesn't like baths.... I'd put money on it.

I’d clean the washing up bowl and use that on the floor on top of a towel. How is her toddler fitting into a baby bath still?! Do you think it outgrew it and she sold it?!!