Baby Bath Seats: A Guide on How to Choose
Baby bath times are at best a slippery affair. Even an experienced person can find themselves fumbling around, and not with their hands because those are holding on to baby. That’s why baby bath seats come in so handy. They will hold your baby upright and you will definitely have made bath time much safer by acquiring one.
There have been concerns lately however because of the number of reported infants drowning despite a bath seat having been in place. In many cases, the bath seat in use was to blame. It was not secure enough and the infant slipped into their bath water.
That’s why it’s important to know what to look for when buying a baby bath seat:
- How secure is it? Does it hold your baby up securely? Is there any likelihood that as they get older they may be able to move it or crawl over it? A good bath seat will hold the baby up to their chest level and it will have a seat belt to hold the baby down so that they cannot try to get out.
- Look at the “bucket”. This is where baby’s bottom goes. See how snugly their bottom would fit. If it’s not a snug fit, the likelihood of slipping is higher and it will also make baby uncomfortable and fussy during their bath.
- Good baby bath seats must have rubber seals at the bottom to enhance grip. These should be placed on a wide base – remember that the wider the base the harder it is for it to tip over. There are some seats which will spin, and while this may be lots of fun during bath time, they increase the risk for baby to tip over into his bath.
- A baby bath seat, like many other things for your growing baby, should be adjustable. You should be able to adjust it to accommodate baby better as they get bigger. As they grow older too, they get a lot more playful and that’s where adjustable baby bath seats come in allowing for those extra playful moments.
- Many bath seats have little distractions – toys, spinnables, beads- to keep baby busy while you give him a bath. These should not have sharp edges and they should be secure so that they cannot come off.
Baby bath seats are to enhance safety, but it’s also important for you to observe some safety tips during your baby’s bath:
- Never leave your child unattended in the bath whatever the situation. If you have to leave, take them out and take them with you or just ignore it till you’re done with the bath.
- Keep all your bath supplies handy – where you can reach them without having to move from the bath. This includes toys.
- Never put your baby in their bath before you test it. As they get older, sometimes we are tempted to just put them in – check your child’s bath water temperature until they are able to it themselves.
- Prepare your child’s bath in advance. Make sure that you get everything done before you get them in the bathroom and in the water. Bath times will be much more relaxed if you are relaxed.
If you need to wash your baby bath seat, just undo the bar and lift it off the tub. Wash with a cloth; you can clean and rinse out the tub too.
No bath seat can take the place of parental supervision during bath time and so you must take all precaution. An unsupervised child in a bathroom is an accident waiting to happen.
As infants grow to become toddlers, they start to master things. Your toddler will have been watching how you fasten his baby bath seat onto his bath and before you know it, they may be able to unlock it. Pay a lot attention to toddlers at bath time just like you would a new born. Baby bath seats greatly assist mothers but caution still needs to be taken.