Are baby baths safe?
Babies of any age can drown quickly in just a few centimetres of water, often silently and without struggle. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) advises against using bath seats, as they can create a false sense of security. If you do choose to use one, follow NHS England guidance:
Keep your baby within arm’s reach at all times
Never leave your baby unattended
Ensure the bath seat is firmly attached to the bath floor
Remember: bath seats are not safety devices
Do I need a baby bath tub?
A baby bath isn’t a necessity and many parents will tell you that they got by just fine without one. However, some do find them to be very useful. If you have any issues with your back, a freestanding bath offers you the freedom to bathe your baby wherever you like. Alternatively, a bath support or baby bath sink insert, designed for a kitchen or bathroom, will allow you to be completely hands-free and bathe your baby while standing up.
First-time parents often like the security of using a baby bath and, if your bathroom only has a shower or you’re going to be staying somewhere with no bath, it can come in very handy. While parents can get by with using a sink or a washing-up tub to bathe their baby, many parents will prefer shelling out for something designed specifically for the job. And as we’ve demonstrated above, there are options out there for all budgets.
How long can you use a baby bath for?
That depends on the bath product. Some bath supports or sink inserts are only big enough to last until around six months, while others can be used all the way up to six years of age. Once a baby can sit unaided, many parents move onto a non-slip bath mat.
Types of baby bath
These look like a large bucket and you simply pop your baby in it in a seated position. Lots of babies with colic prefer this as they remain upright and newborn babies find this soothing as it reminds them of the womb.
You can buy baby baths that are a bit like mini paddling pools. These can then sit inside your full-sized bathtub or on your bathroom floor.
Shaped like an old-fashioned metal tub, these are small baths, usually made from sturdy plastic that you can use on the bathroom floor or in your baby’s nursery. They are typically shaped to support your baby’s head and shoulders and sometimes have a built-in seat for extra comfort.
These are used in a full-sized bath and are more like a bath seat, but they allow your baby to lie back on a specially-shaped base.
Usually made out of something squishy like foam or soft plastic, these fit straight into the sink.
What to look for in a baby bath
Make sure it’s safe, solid and unlikely to tip over. Although you’ll never leave your baby in the bath, drowning can happen in a matter of seconds.
Many baby baths have supports for the head and shoulders or come with a sling to keep babies secure. Gently curved supportive areas will also make the experience more comfortable for your baby. The more comfy your baby is, the more likely they are to take to bath time happily.
Look for non-slip areas on any hard plastic parts so that, as they get bigger and move around, they're less likely to wriggle and slip. Also check the base to make sure it’s not going to slide about on a hard surface. Some baths have built-in temperature checks so you know the water is at optimum temperature, which is a useful feature if you’re nervous about getting the elbow test right.
How do you bathe a newborn?
The NHS has a good step-by-step guide on how to bathe a new baby, but the key things to know are:
Have everything (baby shampoo, a baby towel, nappies etc) to hand first because you mustn’t leave your baby in the bath unattended, even for a second.
Ensure the room is warm enough.
Fill the bath with 8 to 10cm of water, running the cold first and then adding hot. Make sure it’s the right temperature (37 to 38 degrees Celsius) and that there are no hot patches.
Strip your baby down to their nappy and wrap them in a towel while you first wash their face and then hair, leaning them over the bath. Dry their hair off gently with the towel, then remove their nappy, clean the nappy area and get ready to lift them into the bath.
Gently lower them into the water, with one hand under their bum and one arm behind their head and shoulders, supporting the arm furthest from you. Keep this arm around them while they're in the bath if you aren’t using a tub that supports them with a sling or similar.
Using a flannel, muslin, sponge or your hand, clean your baby gently from top to bottom. You don’t need to use any soap for a new baby.
Lift them out onto a towel, wrap them up then dry them quickly so they don’t get cold. Apply nappy rash cream if needed before putting a new nappy on.
How do you stop a baby from slipping in the bath?
Using a baby bathtub with some kind of support and a non-slip floor helps with this, but if you don’t have one with those features, just keep one arm behind their head and shoulders at all times, with your hand supporting them.
How often should you bathe a baby?
It’s up to you. New babies don’t need a proper bath more than once a week – a top and tail will do. But as they grow, three times a week is fine. If your child loves having a bath, you might want to do it every night as part of a relaxing bedtime routine.
What’s the best baby bath to buy?
This will of course depend on your lifestyle, budget and home. We hope our list gives you some options of what could work for you and your baby. We chose the Shnuggle Baby Bath as the best baby bath of 2026 as it’s lightweight, easy, comfy, can be used anywhere and popular with Mumsnetters.
About the author
Mum-of-three Jenny Wonnacott is a Content Editor for Mumsnet, specialising in writing, editing and optimising baby, pregnancy and general parenting-related articles, guides and reviews.
Before joining the content team at Mumsnet, Jenny worked as a journalist for newspapers, radio, TV and b2b trades magazines for over a decade. She is also a bestselling sci-fi author (writing as J M Briscoe) and parenting blogger.
As mum to three primary school-aged children, Jenny is passionate about making parents' lives easier through rigorous research of all items recommended in Mumsnet buyers' guides, reviews and articles.
How we choose our recommendations
Because we believe parents who have been there before know best and are honest about what they like, we looked at recommendations from Mumsnet users themselves. We trawled the Mumsnet forums for posts about which baby baths they rated highly and why, and which left them a little lukewarm.
We also consulted consumer watchdogs such as Which?, and took note of what they looked for in a baby bath and which brands they were recommending to their readers, weighing up which ones we think will appeal most to Mumsnet users. Additionally, we collated information from other review websites to see how the baby baths they featured had performed in testing, had impressed parents and were bestsellers. Then we looked at advice from the NHS and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) to check that the baths we were looking at complied with their bath safety advice. We pooled all that information and research to come up with our final list of the best baby bathtubs right now.
Why you should trust us
We work hard to provide unbiased, independent advice you can trust. We do sometimes earn revenue through affiliate (click-to-buy) links in our articles. This helps us fund more helpful articles like this one.