Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Stages

NewFolks may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

How to choose a safe bathtub for your baby

Emily Pidgeon
By

Baby’s bath time can be a fun and important bonding experience for littles and parents alike. It can sometimes cause concern, however. When choosing a bathtub — much like many other baby products on the market these days, parents can rapidly get the feeling of being overwhelmed. With so many types of tubs available, pinpointing the perfect one for your baby can appear difficult. While options may seem like they’re endless, most of the tubs available today fall into three major categories:

  • Freestanding
  • Foldable/Inflatable/Travel
  • Convertible
Baby laughing in bathtub
Tanya Yatsenko/Shutterstock

When shopping for your baby’s tub, it’s important to read over its description closely. If you find one of the above-mentioned key category words listed about in the product’s description or spec sheet, then you know which one to place it into. These categories can help parents narrow down their choices quickly by omitting products that don’t align with their needs for their baby’s care.

Recommended Videos

Let’s take a deeper look at these categories and what features and additions make them unique and special. By doing this, we hope to aide parents in determining the perfect tub for their growing family based on what is most important to them, fast.

Related

Freestanding

A freestanding tub is an independent baby bathtub that’s filled with water and used to bathe your little ones outside of your bathroom tub or sink. Freestanding tubs can be filled and placed anywhere parents would like. While these tubs often carry the assumption that they are only designed for older infants who can support themselves, we have combed the World Wide Web and discovered a freestanding tub that is friendly for ages newborn through 12 months!

Munchkin’s Sit and Soak Baby Bathtub features nonslip back and bottom pads, bottom support bump, and a quick-release drain plug. When using Munchkin’s Sit and Soak Tub, your baby will be well-supported, giving them the freedom to move around a bit and even splash and kick.

The downside to this style of tub is its size. Storing one of these would prove difficult for folks living in apartments, condos, or other smaller living spaces with limited storage. Once your little one outgrows a freestanding tub, you can safely transition them to your bathroom tub.

Baby being bathed in convertible-style tub
Marko Poplasen / Shutterstock

Convertible

Most parents are familiar with this style of infant bathtub. This design is modeled to grow with your baby from tiny newborn through 12 months of age. It comes with a series of inserts designed to hold your growing baby safely during bath time. The First Years 4 in 1 Warming Comfort Tub is a highly rated convertible-style bathtub system. It includes a newborn insert that features a water-collection pocket. This redirects the water from your faucet to cascade down your baby’s back and neck, giving them a warm and soothing sensation. The insert can also be placed over most standard-size sinks for a simpler approach to bath time.

Again, like with freestanding style tubs, once your little one has fully outgrown the convertible tub system, you can safely transition them to your bathroom tub – though the First Years 4 in 1 Tub is meant to support children through their toddler stage.

Portable or compact

The last style of infant bathtub is the portable design. This style of tub can also be referred to as: Compact, foldable, inflatable, or travel. While these tubs are designed to be used, drained, and put away, they make great additions to vacation go bags, suitcases for trips out of town, grandparents, or secondary spaces where your littles spend time overnight. They also can be used as your main vessel for daily space-saving bath time. Depending on your family’s individual needs, you may choose several options in this specific category.

Our favorite convertible bathtub product is the portable and inflatable nonslip travel tub by Pawsky. It can be used on the go or in the comfort of your own home and comes in two colorful pops of vibrancy. This product is also equipped with a manual air pump, nontoxic and PVC-free materials, and texturized nonslip bottom to keep your little one safe and sound while getting fresh and clean. It also comes with an attached hook for drip-drying. The downside to this style of tub is its vulnerability to damage from sharp objects such as pets’ nails or sharp-cornered toys.

Wrapping up

When selecting your baby’s bathtub, it’s important to keep in mind the features that are most important to you — the parent(s). Features such as sink inserts, water-collection systems, flexibility of use, durability, longevity, and price are all crucial factors in your decision-making process. Try not to let the overwhelming number of products out there get to you and remember that these products fall into the above-mentioned categories. By eliminating categories and thinning the list of liked products, parents can select the perfect product for them more quickly — and get their baby clean when it matters most.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Emily Pidgeon
Emily Pidgeon
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Emily's work has appeared in the Tube City Almanac, Tube City Online and our Affinity Sites. When she's not writing, she is…
What is a baby sprinkle (and how to plan a great one)
Why you should at least have a baby sprinkle even if you already have a child
Cake for a baby shower.

We all know the standard pregnancy celebrations. We've seen gender reveal photoshoots all over social media and have been invited or know someone who has gone to at least one baby shower. But what about when someone is having a second baby? Or is having the first girl after two back-to-back boys? Well, that's where having a baby sprinkle comes in handy. Whether it's been a few years since the last little one or you're having one of the opposite gender and only need a few items, here's why a baby sprinkle is the perfect way to welcome this new addition.
What is a baby sprinkle?

If you don't know anything about pregnancy parties, think of it in scientific terms. What is a shower versus a sprinkle when it rains? Not as much water for one as the other, right? Take that and apply it to a baby shower versus a baby sprinkle. Think of a baby sprinkle as that grocery trip where you only need the fillers, and you're not restocking the whole kitchen.
If you already have a baby
If you are parents to one child (or two or three), you probably have most of the stuff you need from the last child. But if there were items you wish you would have grabbed for the first one or you have a list of needs for this next baby, a sprinkle is the perfect forum to get those goods.
If it's been a few years since you've had a baby
Even if you already have a child, maybe this next one is a few years further away than you wanted or planned. A baby sprinkle is the best way to get those items you may have donated, lost, or broke with the first kiddo.
If you have only one gender but find out you are having the other
Have all boys? You will want a sprinkle to get some girl items. Have only girls? You might use a sprinkle to get at least one item that isn't pink. Not that certain colors are meant for boys or girls, but maybe you had a Minnie Mouse-themed nursery, and you'd like your first boy to have a new theme for their nursery.
Let's sprinkle the details
A baby sprinkle isn't going to be exactly like your baby shower. It's more of a low-key event, should be less stressful, and is less formal.

Read more
When do babies sleep through the night (and what the answer means for your child)?
This is the first question new parents want to know
A mother watching her baby sleep in their crib.

Every parent of a newborn has the same question after their first night with their precious new bundle of joy. When do babies sleep through the night? All it takes is those first sleepless 24 hours to wonder if you are ever going to sleep again. After a few days, you don't even remember when the last time you slept more than a few hours in one stretch was. We get it. Here's when babies sleep through the night, so you know when you will be done stumbling around in a zombie-like sleepless fog.
A baby's sleep schedule
Every baby is different, so if your babe isn't getting the exact amount of sleep by a certain age, it's not something to worry about. But there is a little guide to refer to.

Newborns up to 2 months old
Newborns do spend a decent amount of time sleeping. Unfortunately for the parents, it's not all at night. While babies less than 2 months old snooze up to 18 hours a day, with up to 10 of those hours being prime nighttime sleep hours, it isn't all at once.

Read more
Is it safe to have a cocktail while breastfeeding or should you pump and dump?
How to know when it's safe to drink alcohol while breastfeeding
Woman having a glass of wine while breastfeeding

Pregnancy is full of rules about what you can eat or drink to ensure you have a healthy baby, which is why many people who have gone nine long months without consuming alcohol often look forward to having a celebratory glass of wine or a cold beer after their baby has arrived. However, once that baby arrives, women are met with mixed messages about whether it is safe to have a cocktail while breastfeeding or if they should pump and dump.
Understandably, a new parent may want to imbibe in a cocktail or two after having their baby, but what are the effects on their breastmilk if they are breastfeeding? Here's the truth about alcohol and breastfeeding and whether it's safe or if you should be pumping and dumping.

Is it safe?

Read more