Bathing a baby with a toddler - do I need a seat?

[Zil131]

I'm due to have DC2 in 5 weeks, and have just been getting all the 'stuff' out the attic. It occured to me that I woudn't really need the baby bath as I'll be filling the big bath for DS1.
However DC2 will probably mean I'll have my hands full, should I get a bath seat of some kind so I can take my hands off the new baby occasionally?

Any recommendations?

We used this. It's good in that it doesn't give you as much of a false sense of security as others - ie tempts you to think you can leave the baby. The Rospa report on bath seats makes sobering reading, but they are fine if you are there all the time.

we used this one. It suckers to the bath so is a bit more stable.

Thanks both, will track them down in Mothercare etc and have a good look.

I can imagine having a seat of some kind could lead to complacency, and accidents. I'm just thinking of being able to stop DS tipping cups of water over the floor etc without having to take baby out for 30 seconds!

My dd was 2.2 when ds arrived in June and I've never bathed them together. Hadn't planned it, but what has emerged is that I bath ds in a baby bath, then decant the water into the big bath for dd to use. That sounds a bit gross, having read it through, but no worse than sharing a bath! I find it easier to bath him in a bath with low sides and means that I only have to concentrate on one in the water at once. HTH.

I know of too many accidents (one fatal) with bath seats so would have to say emphatically NO, PLEASE DON'T GET ONE!
Bathe ds1 first, get him out, dry and somewhere safe and then do the baby. It's easier than trying to juggle.

I used to pu ds1 (22 mths when ds2 born) in first, undress ds2 on bathroom floor next to bath. Then used to dunk ds2 in and wash him, then get him out, dried and p j-ed in bathroom, then would get ds1 out of bath and dried etc....voila!!

Hi there,

My best tip is to buy a Small Tub Trug to bath baby in, on the floor whilst toddler in bath (or anywhere in the early weeks), they are fab and make great toy buckets afterwards.

Then switch to
a swivel seat like this when baby is sitting up and bath them together.

No need to be scared off by bath seat horror stories if you follow the rules and always stay within arms reach. And always ensure the sucker feet are pressed down firmly each bath.

Oh forgot, you could also get a supabath from Mothercare, it sits on top of the bath whilst toddler is below, we also used that in the early weeks.

we used this when DS2 was a baby. he was able to lie virtually flat. it as a non-stick base which is good.

having said that I didnt bathe them together for the 1st month. DS2 didnt get bathed daily whilst he was tiny and tbh i needed both hands with him let alone dealing with DS1 and his splashing antics.

Thanks all. I'm not obsessive about daily bathing, so maybe I'll try for a few months with giving DC2 a quick dunk in the bath while DS1 is busy with a toy.
DS1 will be 2.2 so is capable of sitting in the water while his brother / sister gets in for a quick splash!

I started showering with dd, since we weren't confident bathing her with ds and were too exhausted at the end of the day to bath her. I kept doing this till she was about 6 months and could just sit in the bath with ds. We did try a seat then but ds was jealous and kept trying to climb into it so it didn't really work.

In the early days I used to bath DD2 separately in the mornings (in the baby bath) every few days. Later on we used a bath seat like the one Seona linked to - obviously staying within arms reach at all times. I don't know how I would have coped with the two of them otherwise.

Oh, hadn't thought of the toddler climbing in bit!
He has spent the past week lying in the crib, sitting in the baby car seat and messing with the play gym.... may be a problem!!

i used one of these. sat it in the base of the bath, then filled it, and the bath around it, ds went in the baby bath from birth, dd, who was 3.5yrs at the time had enough room to go in the big bath. they were both in separate, contained water, which was really handy the day ds pooed! just after ds was born, dh was working away, so i was on my own all week, found this so useful for bathing them both together.

or alternatively, i used to hop in with them both, and hold ds, or lay him across my legs when i washed dd.

When I had DD2 (DD1 was about 2.5) I had something like this Very stable for the baby to lie on and bath both of them at the same time.

we used a bath seat with my toddler ( 2.3 when ds born) we never left them unsupervised ( like ever!) for obvious reasons my toddler would try and touch the baby but after she had been told no and told why ( with concequences of gettting out of the bath early) then she didn't touch him again and loved to 'help' bathinmg him

we used this one
www.mothercare.com/Mothercare-Ergonomically-shaped-bath-support/dp/B000IVQQNQ/ref=sr_11_ 1/278-8836822-2524040?_encoding=UTF8&mcb=core

but it meant that they both got into the routine of bath then bed and that one person could do it rather tahn needing too many pairs of hands

how are all these accidents happening if the babies are supervised? surely no one's mental enough to leave a baby alone in a bath?

Aitch - you would think so wouldn't you......
all I can say is that I felt compelled to respond to the thread after hearing of a colleague's tragic moment of madness.

that is just unimaginably horrific... poor woman. we had the tigex one linked to earlier for dd1, used it a few times for dd2 but mostly we used the tummy tub which is A Thing Of Genius and just brilliant at tiring them out and calming them down when they're doing that cross, colicky thing.

The only time our 3yo and 3month old are bathed together is when DH & I are both in the bathroom. We each take responsibility for one of them (DH usually has the 3yo as they both splash ).

Otherwise, our 3yo gets a separate bath in the tub, and the 3month old gets a separate bath in a basin in the sink.

I always bathed my two (19 months apart) together. We had a very strict routine though and I never even left the side of the bath while they were in together. DD2 went on a little seat like a baby bouncer but designed for the bath. DD1 went in first and looked after herself (and her bath doll) largely. DD2 went onto her seat, got washed and got out and i dried her while DD1 had her splash about. SHe knew no splashing was allowed while DD2 was in the bath and that the punishment was being taken out of the bath immediately. Worked really well for us and they loved being in the bath together.

I must say as long as you take heed and have no "moments of madness" and always stay within arms reach, bathing them together is the stuff memories are made of. My two are 8 months and 3 years and have been bathing together since she could sit up well in the seat. It's one of their happiest points in the day, they love it!