The Tummy Tub

So our friends Tatum and Miles have an 18 month old (adorable) little girl, and one night we were talking about bathing babies (exciting topic), and I mentioned this thing that I wanted called a Tummy Tub. Now basically a Tummy Tub is just a glorified bucket in which you bathe your baby. The thing that is supposedly so great about it is that it is "womb shaped" and makes your baby feel like he is back in utero, where it was perfectly warm and wet and the livin' was easy. Unlike a traditional baby bathtub, they sit in the tub in the fetal position and the warm water rises up and covers them up to their shoulders, so they feel secure and warm the whole time. Well, turns out Tatum and Miles had a Tummy Tub that was handed down to them, and since their daughter didn't enjoy it very much and had outgrown it, offered to pass it along to us to try! So nice!



So one night, we busted out the Tummy Tub and put Levi in it. Now, he used to not be a fan of bathtime, but had been getting much better at it to the point that he almost started to enjoy it. We had been using a regular baby bath this whole time, but I figured if he started to like the regular tub, he'd reaaalllly love the Tummy Tub and bathtime would be amazing!



Well...the first time we used it, he cried. Not sure why...maybe it was just because it was different or maybe because it was just his fussy time. Anyway, we decided to try it again the next night, and except for a little water in his mouth (whoops), he seemed to like it a little more. The next time we used it, I filled it up less so that the water didn't rise so high. My only complaint is that it is way harder to clean them in the Tummy Tub. For starters, the baby isn't reclined like in a regular tub, they are just sitting up straight. Since Levi doesn't have full head control yet, this means you have to support his head up while trying not to get water in his mouth while trying to clean him. Which brings me to gripe #2: it's hard enough to bathe a slippery, squirmy baby, but even harder in such cramped quarters, and one handed. I didn't feel like he was as clean as he could've been. Upon researching tips on how to use the tub, since I figured with all the rave reviews it got I must've been doing something wrong, I found that I was doing everything right, but that it was meant as more of a comfort tool rather than for actual cleaning of the baby. Hmm.

Since I didn't have to pay the slightly ridiculous $45 price tag, we will still use it unless Levi decides it's a no-go. Plus, it is insanely cute to see a baby in a bucket. :)