There is no bath in my home, the shower is small and awkward to get into (small door opening) so I'm looking for recommendations for a baby bath that can go on the kitchen counter, and one that the baby will probably need to use from newborn to 4 or 5 years (I'm long term renting with little chance of moving house in the foreseeable). The stokke flexi looks promising but would like people's personal experiences/recommendations.
I feel bad I won't have a proper bath for the baby as they grow and want to splash around as a toddler!
Ikea baby bath in the shower, a reclined support for the baby when they’re little but we just used the bath on the bathroom floor/kitchen table when they were very little. Ikea bath still going for the 5 year old when they fancy a bath in the shower. Ours have a great time in it, plenty of splashing and playing and then reclining like it’s their own personal Victorian fancy bath 😄
The schnuggle is the best baby bath! I bought the toddler version as well
So when my baby was born I tried some of the custom baby baths and didn't love them. What I did love, was when I got a big rectangular laundry tub with no holes from lidl for a tenner. 5 years later, both my kids still bath in it. The bigger fella is almost too big for it now, but hes also nearly big enough to swap to showers.
Cost me a tenner and it fits into my shower.
Haha this is brilliant and so glad to read it! Just went to Aldi on another commenter's rec, and got their cheap and cheerful baby bath aka laundry basket with no holes!
Another tip once they’re a bit bigger, you can get one of those collapsing plastic step stools and use it as a seat in the shower for them. It was a game changer when I convinced my little one to join me in the shower and could sit on it and have both of us washed in one go. I stuck a few spinning bath toys on the shower glass and that kept him entertained. The stool also works great in showers at pool too.
Oh amazing! I even have one already.. Great tip!!
So, it's not what you are asking for, but I couldn't have lived without the shnuggle bath. The shape kind of holds them upright and has a little ledge in the bottom that holds their bum so they can't slip anywhere. The easiest way for me to get a shower for months was by putting him in his baby bath with a little bit of water in the bottom and sitting on the floor of my shower with him. They're like 40 new but you can buy them secondhand. They will only last a year or so and then you'd still have this problem again, but just a thought for you to consider.
I got the Stokke flexi because I liked the idea of the same product from birth to toddler too. But IMO it wasn't good for newborn, I found the insert made me nervous because it didn't really keep baby secure and properly upright at that age when they're so floppy, they have zero strength to stay up.
I ended up getting a shnuggle bath and that was really perfect until he outgrew it. Not sure when that was maybe 6 mths. Now we're using the Stokke flexi, he's 2, but I use that in the bath or on the ground which doesn't sound like a good option for you. It is kinda bulky for anywhere else, whereas the shnuggle is definitely more nimble for using in different places.
Bonus tip if baby doesn't like getting into bath I would wrap him burrito style in a dry extra large muslin and plop him in the shnuggle with water then. All babas different ymmv.
Thanks for this... the stokke newborn insert was what I was most intrigued by! Also good to know that it's a bit bulky, our place is tiny! I'll get something small for now and go from there!
Best of luck 🍀
They have a foldable baby bath in aldi at the moment, I got a similar one for friends for bath showers previously and they all said it was great. The akdi one does up to 18montha it has little legs so you can put it on a table or floor
Brilliant, thank you! I think this is a good one to start with, low cost, and we'll see how it goes from there! So tempting to buy all the things that promise to solve your problems when really I just need a decent bucket 😂
No major recommendations in terms of baths but just to chime in and say my son loved the shower from when he was about 10 weeks old. We often shower with him now when we don’t have time for a full bath, I’ll plop him in the shower tray and he splashes about with bath trays while I have a wash. Just a thought that they might not miss out as much as you think!
God never even thought of that, delighted to read it!
My mum used to use a little inflatable paddling pool in the bottom of the shower basin for my baby brother until they were a couple of years old. Could be worth considering?