Son Out Grew His Infant Tub and Climbs Out of Seat Help!

Updated on August 16, 2008
S.V. asks from Sunnyvale, CA
24 answers

My son has been showering with me since he's been able to sit up in his chair seat and we have come to a situation where one day he decided he doesn't want to sit in his chair no more. I don't know what to do from here cause if I put him in the regular tub it's slippery and I can't tend to him when i'm showering myself. I don't know if it's safe enough just to put the non-slip mats on the tub either. Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

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So What Happened?

Thank you everyone for your advise and concerns. I went out this weekend and bought a mat for the tub which has flowers and ducks on the mat. I noticed him trying to pick the ducks off the mat so I got some rubber duckies and little boats for the tub and it seems to be working out great so far. Yes he still tries to stand up but I am staying consistant with telling him to keep seating that he will get hurt if he stands. A few times he's slipped while I try seating him and you can see the fear in his eyes, so I believe this is going to work out perfectly. Thank You Again.

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T.S.

answers from San Francisco on

There are some great bath products in a wonderful baby catalog I get. They have a website too: www.onestepahead.com. You can go to the website and sign up to get their catalog free. Good luck!

T.
Founder
www.theparentpack.org

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C.A.

answers from San Francisco on

I used to take a bath with my daughter. I'd use a big cup to rinse out my hair from the bath faucet.

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N.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

S.,

My daughter went through it to. She out grew her baby bath and was old enough to sit up. I just put her in the big bath right away. Its safe as long as you always keep an eye on them. I sit next to the tub, wash her up and let her play with her toys. She's always enjoyed the bath, so it's never been difficult for me. Just now that she is 15 mths she likes to stand in the bath tub. I just went and bought one of those bath matts and she's safe. Well Good Luck!!

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V.W.

answers from San Francisco on

I had one that was overly adventurous in the water - she still is - - - I would take my shower first - then put on my bathing suit and hop in the tub with her - she loved it and it was the only way I could hold onto her (she was like a slippery little fish....)

Good luck - - -

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C.N.

answers from San Luis Obispo on

Dear S.,

It is safe to put the non slip pads in the big bath tub, but you have to be there every second. Just make it a nice play time for the two of you, and take your shower when he is napping. Be sure to get one of those non slip things that you can take out of the tub and dry or mold will grow under there fast. If you can let it dry over the shower rod or something after each bath it would be best. I did it and you can too. C. N.

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A.S.

answers from Reno on

My son went through the same thing, only he never wanted to even shower with me or my husband. So I have gotten a non slip mat with ducks and i put those sticker things on the tub wall that are ducks and now we have made games out of him sitting on the ducks and pointing and trying to count the ducks on the walls. I move all the ducks around the walls each night so they look different, and we have had much success with him sitting in the bathtub on the mat with no chair etc... Good luck and try to make it fun and make him want to sit in the bathtub.

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H.W.

answers from Las Vegas on

Hi S.:
If my daughter takes a shower with me, I will usually undress her and let her sit on a towel on the floor until I get done showering myself. Then I can just hop out really quickly and grab her when I'm finished. That way you don't have to worry about them slipping, you get showered faster and you can still bring them in while you're in there. The non-slip mats might work, but I always worry about getting soap in her eyes or something while I'm rinsing, so I've always just done it that way and it works out fine.

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R.R.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi S..

I'm a mother of fraternal twin boys (soon-to-be 11 yrs old) and faced the same issue when they were toddlers. I used a laundry basket for them to sit in, in the tub. It confined them to a smaller area, but was still big enough for a couple of bath toys. More importantly, it resolved the issue of them slipping and sliding around the tub surface.

I didn't have family close enough to help on a daily basis, so I had to come up with a few "non-traditional" methods. Whatever works, right? ;)

Take Care!
~ro

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J.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

My daughter grew out of the infant tubs many months ago, and we really didnt want to spend money buying different tub chairs and slings etc. We found an inflatable duck thats quacks when you squeeze its bill, It fits right in your tub and as long as its a standard tub, it fits perfectly in there. I thought she'd be scared of it at first but she loves it! It holds her perfectly with more than enough room for some bath toys to float around and her to splash about in it, We love it, Honestly one of the best things we've bought. We found ours at Target but I've also seen one sort of like it except without the duck at Toys'r'us. She's one now and in the 98th percentile for her hight (My husbands 6'3"!) so her legs are starting to get a little cramped in there, We'll have to go to the tub soon, but I definatly recommend the inflatable ducky!

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C.T.

answers from Los Angeles on

Not sure where you live. I visited an Asian market and bought one of their tubs. They are huge! My youngest one is almost 2 and is 40 lbs. It fits him perfectly.

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S.C.

answers from San Diego on

If you want your little one to still bathe with you I definitely would get the non slip mats and cover the slippery shower floor with them.

However, you may be able to enjoy your shower more if you give him a bath separately.

Either way look into bath toys that he can play with ONLY when in the shower/bath. That way there is something fun and exciting about bath/shower time.

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K.V.

answers from San Francisco on

Our 22 month old son has never been too fond of his tub chair so I stopped using it early on. The only time I used it was if he bathed w/his older brother but since he was about 8 months, I've sat him in the tub. We have a non-slip mat & I fill the tub just barely enough to cover his thighs. I've never had any problems w/the mat moving around or causing any safety concerns. So, my suggestion is to get a non-slip mat for your tub & go from there. Since he sounds like he's gettng pretty active, you may need to start bathing him on his own & skip bathing him while you're showering. Just get a mat that's not too bumpy/bubble so he doesn't get too uncomfortable. I've had good luck at Bed, Bath & Beyond. If you do want to bathe him while you're showering (which is sooo...convienant) do it when you have another adult there to take him once he's clean & then you can finish your shower & have a moment to yourself! Good luck!

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A.L.

answers from Sacramento on

Hi S.,

I'm not sure if this is of any help, but is the chair seat a bath chair seat? My daughter has started to refuse her regular baby tub, so I put her in a Safety 1st tub chair that sticks to the tub. At one, my son used it and I don't remember him being able to get out of that chair, even though he was really mobile. They also have those inflatable tub that you put in your tub that may work. It takes up a good size of the bath tub, so your son may think that he's already in the bigger tub, discouraging him to want to climb out of anything.

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K.G.

answers from Sacramento on

My son took about 3 baths in the sink cause he didn't like the tub seat. I went and bought the tub stickers. I filled the tub up to just below his belly button and let him play..
just watch him.. he will be fine.

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D.P.

answers from San Diego on

I bought a small tub from Ikea's childrens section for $6. It is big enough for my 5 year old to sit and bathe, but it is small enough that my daughter has been bathing in it since she was old enough to sit up. I orignally bought it to save water. It is nice because it is super easy to clean and the temp of the water is easy to adjust by adding about 2qt or less. My daughters baths probably only use about 3 gallons of water. I hope this helps

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A.M.

answers from Las Vegas on

I have a one yr old and when he out gre the infant tub, I put him in th kitchen sink. that worked out for a little while. Then My husband found this inflatable tub form Babies R us. You blow it up and put it in your bathtub. it is almost like a little swimming pool (but it is for a bath) and it fits inside your bath tub. This helps them get ready for the big tub. My son Loves it. and I think that is was only $20.00

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C.R.

answers from Honolulu on

Give him a separate bath. It is safer anyway.

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A.C.

answers from Sacramento on

I agree that you should give him a separate bath. My son has always had his own bath, and he loves bathtime! We bathe him at night and it helps to relax him before bed.

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T.

answers from Las Vegas on

S.,

At that age with my older son, I got a blow up duck tub from Walmart for less than $10. I blew it up, sat it in the tub and filled it with water. At least that way he was confined to a smaller area, and had some padding between him and the hard sides of the tub. I think you may have to give up showering while he's bathing for a while. At that age, you really need to give them your full attention while they are in the tub or it is just too dangerous. My son was just a monkey and I needed to be right on top of him the whole time. Good luck to you!

T.

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B.L.

answers from Washington DC on

S.,
Target, or any baby store, sells a blow-up tub that you put in your tub...There are any number of sizes. My daughter loves the target one because it's shaped like a duck and quacks when you squeeze the beak!

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P.R.

answers from San Francisco on

I have always showered with my daughter. I recomend getting the tub mat. i would always sing songs with her & keep my eyes on her as much as possible, she loved playing with the stream of water from the shower. I'd let the water fill up and shower quickly, so that when I finished I could just turn off the water. And let her play some more while I toweld off. But I always made sure to interact all the while. Thats what I call good multi tasking :). And now she loves our singing time in the shower. Dadda also has always given her aditional bubble baths during the week. She's 2 years old, loves both & we have never had a problem.

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K.E.

answers from Fresno on

I've given my 16 month old a bath in the adult tub with just a non-slip mat since he was just a few months old. He loves it because he can really play around with his toys. Just never leave his side while bathing him and you'll probably have to teach him that it's not ok to stand up in the tub. The non-skid mat are pretty affordable (I just have a plain white one from target for about $10.00), I say give it a try and if he doesn't like try something else!

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S.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

When my son started doing this I stopped bathing him with me. Now for the last year he has his own bath and he loves it. He has a special time just for him to take a bath. I put those non slip stickers in the bottum of the bathtub and I make sure he stays seated unless I'm holding on to him. This has worked for us since he was a year old he is now 2. And bathtime is not a chore for either of us. I watch him but I let him get his bath ready.

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B.A.

answers from San Francisco on

hey.. we used the blow up ducky aslo, and my daughter loved it. She usually had her own bath, but sometimes when I was in a rush, I would put the ducky in and shower at the same time... I don't remember when she outgrew the duck.

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