Is a bath a necessity for a baby

[MissMoodyMoo]

So! We have just bought our first property 🎉🎉 currently 11 weeks pregnant with first baby👶🏻 my question is do we need a bath? Me nor my OH are keen bathers so it doesn't make much difference to us but my mum is a bit worried as it only has a shower and she feels a bath really is a must for a baby! There is space to put a corner bath in but we were thinking maybe a year or two down the line as it's a pretty big project anyway? What are everyone's opinions?

We have a bath, but used a baby bath (shnuggle) for the first 5 months or so. We use the bath every day with our 8mo. Recently stayed in a hotel with only a shower. Doable, but babies are VERY slippery so holding baby, holding shower, making sure Baby doesn’t slip and crack head... it’s a two person operation!

When your baby is still small, you can gently cradle him/her in the kitchen sink, instead of a bath. Later, when baby is able to sit up, the sink is still good.....until he/she becomes too big to fit....but by then, you can take baby in the shower with you

My kids have always loved having a bath, I didn't bother with a baby bath. You can use a baby bath or the kitchen sink whilst the little one is small.

Cheap baby bath?

We don’t have a bath and have managed fine. Used an £8 baby bath from John Lewis and once outgrown, just put DS in the shower with either me or DH.

Given a baby bath but never used it as me or DH had them in our laps in the bath

baths are nice for a baby but nothing wrong with a baby bath in the shower tray or skip completly and use the kitchen sink.

Work gave me a Snuggle for my leaving pressie when I went on maternity- it’s excellent and dd still uses it at 10 months.

I usually wash her in the kitchen sink now though, as it’s easier on the back!

I will admit to having sat her in the shower tray and giving her a hose down now that she can sit reliably, which is great in a rush!

Friends of ours managed without a bath in their house, and their child was 2.5 when they moved to a property with a bath... My friend said it was quite a pain though as their child got too big for the baby bath (which they used in the shower) but was too small for a shower. They bought a bigger inflatable bath thing to have in the shower, but were still much happier with a bath in their new place...

My eldest is nearly 9 and would still much rather have a bath than a shower....

Never used a baby bath. We used an angel care bath seat. Couldn’t have done with out having a bath to wash DS in. He still had baths up till a couple of months ago and now he just showers but as a baby I wouldn’t want to be without

no its not. You can get a baby bath or bath seat. We lived in a place with just a shower for first 6mnths of sons life.. it was fine.
It wouldve been fine longer term too. He only ever really has baths for fun.. if we want to get out somewhere he has a shower.

Babies need to be bathed, but it doesn't have to be in a full size bath - a baby bath or similar would be fine
Maybe one of these: www.amazon.co.uk/Tummy-Tub-0005000UK-Clear/dp/B000OROBMM?tag=mumsnetforum-21 ?

We had something like this Dd used it till she was gone two and not a small child. Ours had a sucker thing in a string and would stick too the tiles in the wall when not in use. People all over Europe have only showers in many apartments and use baby baths till they can stand in the shower.

It's not essential for getting them clean, babies have fun in the bath though .
It depends on your priorities I suppose.
I used to bath tinies in the kitchen sink and the share a bath or pop 1/2/3 in together in the bath as part of a daily routine.( not actually every day). They would mess around with water and float around, it was fun. If we stayed in holiday places with no bath it wasn't a problem. Children who are old enough to sit can be plonked on shower floor and washed with or without an adult in there and smaller children can be washed in kitchen sink.