How to Bath 14 Month Old in Big Tub?

Updated on October 27, 2009
J.R. asks from San Diego, CA
29 answers

So my 14 month old dd has been in a bath seat for baths since she was 7 months old. I am afraid to bath her without it because she will try to stand up in the bath tub and slip all over the place. Do you have any suggestions on how to bath her without her slipping?? How do you bath your toddler?

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So What Happened?

Thank you so much ladies for the overwhelming number of responses!!! So I went out and purchased the no-skid mat from Babies R Us, which is a nice one because it is so long it covers most of the tub bottom. But even with a nice lovely mat ready for my daughter's bum to sit upon it she did not go for it. She immediately started screaming when I put her in the tub and would not sit down! I tried it two nights in a row and think that we may have to go back to the bath seat for a while:( Not sure what is going on; she has tons of toys to play with and generally does ok with the bath?!? We will try again in a couple of weeks. Thanks again!!!

J. and Jules

Featured Answers

H.H.

answers from Los Angeles on

I went from reclining tub to a small tub that I placed in my bath tub. I used this between ages 8 months to 15 months then put her in the regular tub.

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H.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi J.-

I went through the ame with my kids. How I solved it was to get one of those non-slip bath mats that suction to the botom of the tub. That way they don't slip around, and just watch her like a hawk!! Good luck...

H.

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A.H.

answers from San Diego on

I put a non-skid mat down in the bottom of tub and then put about 6-10 inches(just enough that if they layed down on their back the water wouldn't cover their face) of water in the tub. My kids could then play, with supervision, in the water and not feel overwhelmed or scared.

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D.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

Head to Target or Wal-Mart and grab those grippy mats they sell in the bath section to keep her from slipping around. If you're ubber scared you can go to the baby section of most stores and grab a tub bumper so she doesn't bonk her head on the side of the tub.

Also at Toys/Babies R' Us they sell the same kind of stuff with cute themes and such. There's an inflatable tub bumper too that my friend loves and it limits the room to move around.

At this age I got my son Crayola crayons and stuff he could use in the tub and keep him seated at the same time.

Don't worry, it will be okay! Good Luck.

1 mom found this helpful
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T.D.

answers from Los Angeles on

I agree that a non slip bath mat is the way to go. Also, only fill the tub up with about 6 inches of water and if she tries to stand, say, "We sit in the tub." Worked for both of my girls. (btw, my oldest daughter was born Aug. 7! Yay Leos!)

Good luck!!

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C.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

be prepared to say, "in the tub we sit on our bottom" about 100 times. Eventually they stop standing up.

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C.T.

answers from Atlanta on

We moved our daughter out of baby tub to big tub when she began trying to climb out at 12 mon. I bought a bath mat at walmart. Terrible BTW, a $9.99 "cushy" mat with suction cups that does not stick to the tub. Anyhow, I will be buying the "peel and stick" bath stickies soon. We also bought a spout cover, also about $9.99. She does crawl around but no slipping and she does stand up. I tell her "on your BOTTOM" and she sits. After three times I get her out. A ten minute bath is long enough for a one year old. When I let the drain out, she is reaching for the towel.

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K.D.

answers from Dallas on

You can put a towel down and then fill the tub for the time being. Keep him entertained with a few plastic toys or something, if he has those he really shouldn't feel the need to get up. If he does try to test you, you can warn him (I am going with the assumption that he loves bath time here) that if he gets up that bath time has to be over, and if he does it again take him out, that is what works in our house. Its always "Stay on your bottom or you have to get out!" lol....

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A.H.

answers from Los Angeles on

First of all, purchase a non-slip mat. Then simply tell her to keep "bottom down" anytime she tries to stand up and gently get her to sit down again. My nanny did this and the kids have been surprisingly compliant. I also use this same phrase for when they stand up in other situations that are potentially dangerous.

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J.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

My son bathes in the tub like a regular child. i have no slip fish on the bottom and that helps the slipping.

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M.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

I purchased one of those non-slip bath "thingys". We just put it down in the tub whenever we bathe our dauhter. That way she can stand, play, etc w/o slipping.

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M.O.

answers from Los Angeles on

Here is the perfect tub for your situation. Go to Target.com on search for "Munchkin Duck Tub"

I have two boys and once they were both old enough to be out of the infant tub, they used the "ducky tub" and loved it. It's a big inflatable duck bath tub that fits right into the bath tub. It's soft, there's a textured bottom so that your baby doesn't slip around in it and when you squeeze the beak it quacks. Since it's inflatable, it also cradles your baby as he sits up.
It is quite big and bulky so hopefully you don't have to share a bath tub with your child. I would just leave it in the tub when I wasn't using it. I highly reccomend this tub. Good luck

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D.H.

answers from Los Angeles on

They do want to stand and that is just the curiosity of a toddler. What you need to purchase is a bath mat that sticks with suction cups to the bottom of the bathtub. This will help the slipping on the feet. Also you can purchase a second one to adhere to the side and top of the outside edge where they are most likely to hold. They are easy to use and will help keep the harmful slips from happening. Have fun!

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O.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

We used an extra long, padded rubber bath mat (I think from Bed, bath and Beyond) It was great.

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L.T.

answers from Los Angeles on

When my daughter was in that transition stage between being too big for a bath seat and too small and slippery for just sitting on the tub floor, we used a spongy bath mat that I found at Babies R US. It was shaped like a bear but I'm sure you can find them anywhere. She used to sit on it and we were lucky enough that she stayed seated on the mat just fine. You can also just try getting one of the tub mats that's plastic and covers the whole bottom of the tub, or some non skid stick-ons, except you can't use them on textured tub surfaces. This phase won't last long - pretty soon she'll be big enough to sit in the tub and move around like a "big kid"!

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M.H.

answers from Las Vegas on

Try putting a large laundry basket in the bath tub. That way it's not so slippery and also helps if they fall over.

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T.G.

answers from Los Angeles on

I just got a non skid mat from target and this seem to do the trick.

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R.P.

answers from Los Angeles on

Our kids only their baby bathtub about 3 times total. Instead we found a baby bath mat at Babies R Us that is like a giant bath pillow, our son and daughter just sit on that while we bathe them. (Our baths are fairly efficient since we bathe the kids in the morning before daycare). But even on weekends when they want to sit and play, they still do so on the bath pillow. It's easier than maneuvering a tub and cost-effective.

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A.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

J.,

I was worried about the same issue with my baby as he got too big for his newborn tub, so I went to BabiesRUs and purchased a bigger version of a child tub which should last until he is 2 years old. It is called Primo and it is white. It has a drain and areas to hold shampoo and soap. It is twice the size of a newborn tub but very lightweight and comfortable for baby to stretch his legs out straight in a sitting position, and the other side is for a slightly reclining position with curves to hold baby in place and not slip. It's less than $35 I think. We place it in our shower and I bath my 17 month old in it. It will last another 8 months, easily.

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M.L.

answers from Dallas on

I agree with Christina T that the cushy mat won't stick to the bottom of the tub. I decided to put it on the side of the tub so there's a cushy surface for any slips. Non- skid bits on the bottom of the tub, some cups to play with and you have a happy toddler.

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H.A.

answers from Santa Barbara on

I bought two bath mats at the drug store (they are small, so I needed two to cover to whole bottom) and I just put them down and take them up before and after every bath, and hang them on the towel rack. They are the kind that come in a roll and have all the little suction cups at the bottom (and were about $7 each as I recall). They had a surfboard shaped bath mat at the children's store, but it was $20 and I still would have needed two to cover the whole bottom of my tub. Without them, it's definitely scary slippery in there. They work great, she isn't constrained by a chair and the mats give her tons of leeway to get up and move in the bath. She can stand, anything, with the mats. She loves the tub! Go get a bunch of cheap bath toys and bath crayons and make it a party the first time. BATHTIME! YAY!!!! Throw all the toys in and she'll be stoked.

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J.W.

answers from Los Angeles on

Non slip matt. You can get them at Bed Bath And Beyond, or Tj Maxx, I got mine there, it was cheaper. Try to encourage her to sit anyway though because you don't want that to be a habit.

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K.Y.

answers from Los Angeles on

I bought a great little "interim" bath tub at IKEA for about $7-8 bucks. It's a little larger than an infant tub, but doesn't have the seat. It gave him time to learn how to sit up on his own, etc. He used this for about 6 months and then graduated to the big tub. (At this age, you can also use this as a fun play tub filled with balls or small stuffed animals!)

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H.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

A rubber bath mat so if they do stand they do not slip, only a few inches of water, toys in the water so they are interested in them and sit...floating toys, funnels, etc that you show them how to use, and a mommy right there the whole time:-)
H-

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J.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

For both our kids (now 5 and almost 2) we used an inflatable tub like the "Secure Transitions Baby Tub" from www.onestepahead.com. Love that website for Halloween costumes and lots of great products (we use our Snack Traps every day, even for the big kid!)

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C.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

get a non-slip bath mat in your tub and then it won't be a big deal if she stands up and plays around a bit.

i know a lot of the mats that fill the whole tub floor area can look tacky but they have some nicer designs these days.

ours is clear rather than white so it doesn't look as dirty as those old mats used to, and it fills the whole tub floor in a pattern that is kind of like polished stones. feels good on the feet.

we got it at bed bath & beyond.

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M.H.

answers from Honolulu on

One idea is to just get in the tub and take a bath with her. Our daughter is only 9 months old but we've done this since week one. We gave away the infant tub, it was so aesthetically displeasing. It takes a little planning to dress and dry both parent and child, and you do need to use care that you don't slip as you climb out of the tub. But this is a nice option to consider.

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D.T.

answers from Phoenix on

Hi, my 13 month old is the same way. I just calmly tell her that we sit in the tubby and help her sit down. We used to go through that about 100 times per bath but it is sinking now. Be patient she'll get there.

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