To think i don't need a bathtub, despite having a baby?

[TheMagicalChicken]

we only have a shower in our bathroom- as neither of like baths and we wanted a nice big shower instead. never thought of it as an issue. DS is 6 months old. First washed DS in sink, now too big really and is now washed in the shower tray every few days. but a friend at group keep suggesting that somehow this is 'wrong' and i "need" a bathtub, so he can have bath every night? first i don't really want to do a 'full wash' of him every single day. so like a face, hands, bits and bum before bed etc. And a "full" shower every 2-3 day for hair and everything else. (obvs, i break the 'rules' for poonamis and sick incidents etc where he gets hosed down!)
anyway - schedules aside, he'll be fine in a shower? just laying for now, sitting when he can,.standing when he can safely?
we sometimes have a shower together and we sit on the floor, he is on my lap and gets washed.

am i somehow denying my boy? he can have baths at Nanna's, or Uncles etc

AIBU???

Because they're a good size for a baby and at the perfect level for washing without needing to bend/kneel down

Aren't there some basins that you can place on a countertop? I'm just thinking of the hygiene issue.

why not use this?

Get a baby bath in mothercare and pop him in.

We had the same thing and there’s no way in hell I’d deprive my dcs the joy and fun of a playful bath time.

Babies love water, it’s a totally different experience for them and IMO is essential for their development. Water isn’t just about cleaning, by hosing off, it’s very pleasurable to have immersion in water... very calming too.

Bring your DS swimming also.

Paddling pool hack is a great idea! I agree most kids love to play in the bath, so for that reason I would want one. Also when my dd was little she didnt really like the sensation of water on her head (washing her hair was a nightmare) so she much preferred baths.
But I wouldn't put a bath in specially the paddling pool would be fine.

I was brought up in a capital city in Europe where only the biggest mansions had room for a tub, everyone else had showers, and had done for generations.
Also I was at a festival last week where they offered baby baths in those big plastic brightly coloured gardening buckets/ trug things. Could work for you if he fancies a splash about when he is sitting.

We had a large baby bath probably from mothercare and they still fitted in at 5/6 for bathtime in the shower tray

You can get a special thing from the Netherlands to make a really deep bath in a showertray looks fab but can never remember what it's called!

My sil and her 2 sisters grew up not in England, in a city centre apartment where people just don’t have baths in their bathrooms. They have all turned out just fine. So it’s definitely not essential imo.

You’ve had plenty of good suggestions for adapting what you’ve got if you want a more bathy experience for dc.

To all those saying how awful for the dc to be missing out on the fun of bath time, not all children enjoy it. My dd has been a spectacular bath refuser for almost a full year

Like others I’d really miss a bath. My toddler enjoys a shower but she doesn’t stay in for as long and doesn’t get as clean. She loves her bath though and it’s a really important part of our evening routine. We’ve got a massive baby bath that still lasts her though and will do for a while yet. And you could get something like that for the shower so it isn’t an either/or debate.

At 6 months you can get away with less frequent washing but at 2 my daughter needs one every night as she’s frequently disgusting by the end of the day, particularly after nursery days.

Not essential, but fun.

A few of us in the family can spend a good hour in the bath, good taps where we can top up with hot water with our toe, I can read, have candles, DD loves bath bombs OH likes his bubble baths.

I also find a soak in the bath can soften the skin unlike a shower does, I can exfoliate and rub off dead skin that a shower doesn't touch.

I do mostly shower, we have a couple of showers in our house, but a bath does things that a shower can't.

Get to Ikea and get one of these TORKIS washing baskets. At £5 it seems like a cheaper solution to redoing your bathroom.
You can have the bathtub style trug outside of shower tray and just pour it down the shower or toilet when done.
At the end of the day you are managing to wash your baby and everyone seems happy so why change it!

We stupidly bought our house with a giant shower (can fit 2 people in) rather than a bath. We knew at the time it was a massive compromise as I was pregnant at the time. We have talked about getting a bath put in since we moved in, the only issue is the bathroom is brand new and it'll basically mean ripping up a nice new bathroom. We've struggled on with a 2 year old and 1 year old but it's a pain.

We've just returned from holiday where we have had a bath, the kids have been bathed together everyday, it's been so easy and the kids loved it, it also helped to chill them out for bedtime. No having to clean the kids in relay and the fact it was so much easier meant they had one everyday not every few days as they do at home.

I am picking baths, cannot wait to get one!!! Sad but true!

If you can manage with just a shower then fine, personally I can't believe how much easier it has been having one.

Seriously @holidaycountdown54321 get a paddling pool!

We thought about it but I can't fit in a paddling pool if I want a soak. Well I could curled up, but I can't imagine myself relaxing with a prosecco in my kids mini pool !

I did the same as you OP, my bathroom was small and I hadn't had a bath since I was about 10 years old. The only comment I received was from my DM as she worried I would regret it when my DD was sick in the night as I would have nowhere to put the dirty sheets!
DD used the baby bath until she got too big, then came in the shower with me. She seemed to prefer to shower, she had some toys and getting her out was the problem.

I don't have a bath either, it is a pain, depending on the size of the cubicle when your baby gets bigger put a kids pool in it, One with a stopper to empty, mine really enjoy it.

I saw something which showed a paddling pool blown up inside the shower - it looked great!

I did the same as you OP, my bathroom was small and I hadn't had a bath since I was about 10 years old. The only comment I received was from my DM as she worried I would regret it when my DD was sick in the night as I would have nowhere to put the dirty sheets!
DD used the baby bath until she got too big, then came in the shower with me. She seemed to prefer to shower, she had some toys and getting her out was the problem.

Sorry for the double post

Just get one of these bad boys. My kids are fine with just a shower.....from birth in the case of the little one. Pop him in the seat ......hosedown and out!

We didn't have a bath until 2 years ago, but I had 2 DC who were phobic of the power shower. They were never properly washed until we had a bath.

Thanks 4 all your suggestions :o) I'll look at a paddling pool maybe for some times

My son refuses a shower and always has (he's 5) -- he's scared of the noise etc. For that reason, I'll always have one.
The paddling pool in the shower tray trick works well if you don't want a bath. We do this in our static caravan.

i'll always have one = i'll always have a bath available

Your house your rules! If you're happy don't worry about it. Most people say you need a pram - I was entirely happy with a sling and didn't have a pram for the first 6 months. Or a cot till I went back to work. Not money related, just was happy as I was.