Bath time disaster

[daisy86]

My DS is 10 months old and and can sit up unassisted, so I thought it was time to move him from his Schnuggle tub into the big bath.

I bought a rubber bath mat for him to sit on, but after sitting happily for a few minutes he suddenly lost his grip and started sliding down the bath! I managed to grab him before his head went underwater but it was quite scary.

After that I was too nervous to let him go so had to wash his hair with one hand whilst holding him with the other, not an easy feat.

Although he can sit unassisted, I do always put pillows around him just in case and he seems to enjoy throwing himself back onto them and laughing It’s fine on his playmat but not so much in the bath!

I’m not sure what to do now - should I put him back in the Schnuggle and wait a month or two?

Also, how deep should the water be? I ran it to about a centimetre below his belly button which I thought was fine, but perhaps not.

Of he can sit firmly I don't think you need pillows round him - he won't hurt himself if he ends up on the floor, and he'll never learn to avoid throwing himself on the floor (or the bath....) if he's always cocooned.

I'd just experiment a bit with levels of water. To be fair after sliding under once he might not do it again and if he does just pick him up, it won't harm him even if his head goes under for a moment before being scooped up.

They slide and slip all over the place for a while. It’s fun for them.
This is why you never leave a child in the bath on their own. There’s no need to panic. You were there to do exactly what you should which Is scoop him back upright and carry on. Please don’t panic.

We bought a Munchkin safety duck once ours could sit up, which kept him upright safely and more contained than the big bath. It also saved on bath water.

Get a toddler bath seat so he can sit up, play and be contained. My DD is 17 months and has been walking since she was 11 months but happily sits and plays in her bath seat and I'm less worried about her slipping and sliding, particularly as she has a bath with her older sister. Used it from about 6 months I think and has daily use!

We've got this one

I also agree, a slip isn't a disaster if they are supervised.

We never used seats or baby baths with ours. When they were babies I put a few inches in the bath and lay them in it, they enjoyed splashing and kicking around.

Once they could sit they just sat. Maybe 6 inches of water. If they slipped it's not a big deal, you're right there. If you make it into a big deal they could end up being scared of water.

Thanks everyone. So if he leans backwards and his head goes under the water for a second it’s ok?

Of he can sit firmly I don't think you need pillows round him - he won't hurt himself if he ends up on the floor

I’ve been really wondering about this. He’s on a foam playmat during the day, but if he falls backwards from sitting upright he could still bang his head quite hard? As an adult I wouldn’t want to fall back like that onto a hard surface! On the other hand how will he ever learn that falling back isn’t a good idea?

The bath seats are a bit of a waste of money I found, they use them for such a short time.

I would either just persevere or go back to the baby bath. It probably doesn't matter much either way :)

Honestly, once he can sit he will be fine. In my experience they don't just collapse backwards, if they do fall from sitting they sort of crumple and don't hurt themselves.

He'll be crawling soon if he isn't already, so you won't have a chance to prop him up!

@daisy86

Thanks everyone. So if he leans backwards and his head goes under the water for a second it’s ok?

Of he can sit firmly I don't think you need pillows round him - he won't hurt himself if he ends up on the floor

I’ve been really wondering about this. He’s on a foam playmat during the day, but if he falls backwards from sitting upright he could still bang his head quite hard? As an adult I wouldn’t want to fall back like that onto a hard surface! On the other hand how will he ever learn that falling back isn’t a good idea?

My nearly seven month old can sit unassisted and still occasionally falls backwards onto carpet. He looks a little shocked and then just carries on. I'd have noticed if he'd had any ill effects - he's absolutely fine. As for bath - I now have him in the big bath as he hated a baby bath, and just keep a hand on him at all times. I think you need to chill out a bit

Also definitely remove the cocoon of pillows, otherwise he'll always think he's safe throwing himself around - you are almost literally wrapping him up in cotton wool!!

@manyhorror

We never used seats or baby baths with ours. When they were babies I put a few inches in the bath and lay them in it, they enjoyed splashing and kicking around.

Once they could sit they just sat. Maybe 6 inches of water. If they slipped it's not a big deal, you're right there. If you make it into a big deal they could end up being scared of water.

Me too. When tiny DD came in with me or DH (bath or shower). Once she could sit she would be in on her own sometimes. She was standing at 8 months and walking at 10 months so able to move herself around the bath without slipping.

If the thing you have still works keep using it.
But they are absolute liabilities at that age, there’s a reason you can’t step away.
It’s fine if they go under a bit, like you would if you were swimming, you just want to avoid anything that’s going to put them off bathtime. Or just get in yourself.

They take tumbles all the time - it seems to be a learning tool. When DS was learning to cruise he'd be upright one minute and then on the deck the next. He was fine. In the bath it's just keeping an eye on them at all times and being close by.

My 18 month is still in the shnuggle bath. We’ve tried her in the big bath (with a bath mat) but she (and we) don’t like the way she slides around and can easily slip under. She’s been sitting unaided from 4 months and was walking before a year and (covid allowing) goes swimming regularly so it’s not an issue of not physically being able, it just works better for us all to keep her in the bucket!

I'm stingy with bath water, as we have to many people to bathe, so we've gotta ration the hot water ;) my 10 month old gets so it just about covers her thighs. That way, if she falls back, her face is still out of the water. If she falls forward (because crawling in the bath is the latest craze) then I'm there to pick her up quick.

They are so resilient to bumps. Mine stands holding onto the stair gate, then just falls backwards like a tree being felled, and gets up and carries on. They've got to learn to fall, and how to get up and carry on, so just be around for cuddles if needed outside the bath, and for scooping up if in the bath, and have fun :)

I remember being worried about DC bashing their heads - once they start walking, they get bashed all the time, it's part of normal development. They're closer to the ground so it's not falling as far as it would be for an adult, they learn from their mistakes.

In the bath, you should be there at all times but slipping and having water on their face won't cause instant death! If you take them for early swimming lessons, lots of it is learning to put their faces in the water.

If it's stressful I'd sit in there with him, or get a toddler chair but they only use them for a month or so.

As for putting pillows around - knowing that it hurts when you hit the floor is something he needs to learn. I think it's actually unhelpful to be always trying to protect them from any hurt, they think you're responsible for identifying risk rather than them learning to do it for themselves. Eg at playparks, if you leave them to climb onto a platform and judge for themselves whether it's a good idea to throw themselves off, rather than hovering to try to catch them. Falling onto a soft surface that hurts but isn't dangerous or pointy is a useful lesson! Once you have more than one DC you can't possibly be there the whole time anyway.

I think the unending horror of mouldy bathmats is scarier than a baby slipping in the bath, by the way! After many manky mats we've got some little non-slip sticker mats that seem easier to dry out.

We just use a laundry basket (the kind with holes) in the bath. At first it stopped her slipping, and now it keeps her and her bath toys contained. With #2 on the way I’m hoping it also keeps her away from messing with her baby sister!

At 10 months I would maybe go bk to what u had or buy a bath seat. Rubber mats are gd though and just stay beside them at all times.

My first came out the bath seat around 1yr old and we bought a bath mat so she wldnt slip too much and she was fine. Would sit and play and was happy enough.

My 15 month old I put in the bath the other night without her seat as I had bought a new rubber mat. She was a nightmare and kept trying to stand up, walk about and climb out the bath so she had to go bk in her seat 🤷🏻‍♀️ I'm not sure how long she'll fit in her bath seat but I won't be attempting it without one for a gd while yet!

Thanks everyone! Ok I know I probably sound silly, but I don’t think I can let him sit on his playmat and fall backwards with no cushioning and hit his head! Like I say, it is foam but still pretty hard. Surely it could really hurt him?

DS couldn’t hold himself up very well at that age either, and I generally just kept putting him in in shallow water until he got used to it. So long as you are there to grab him if he slips it’s fine. DS soon realised the bath wasn’t the place for throwing himself around.

PS DS actively headbutts the floor during tantrums now so I wouldn’t worry about a bumped head - it gets so much worse ha!

In my experience they don't just collapse backwards,

DS literally goes straight back!

We didn't have a bath in our house until DD was over two, so after she outgrew her baby bath, we washed her in a large plastic storage crate. She was quite happy in it and it used less water. It's size meant it was easier for her to sit up/less likely to fall back flat.

@daisy86

Thanks everyone! Ok I know I probably sound silly, but I don’t think I can let him sit on his playmat and fall backwards with no cushioning and hit his head! Like I say, it is foam but still pretty hard. Surely it could really hurt him?

Just think about what the human race has survived. A baby falling onto their head causing major damage would have serious implications for the survival of the species!