WARNING: THIS HACK IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR ALWAYS WATCHING YOUR KID WHILE HE OR SHE IS IN THE BATHTUB.
ALSO, KIDS WHO CAN STAND UP MAY TIP OVER THE LAUNDRY BASKET.
Bonus points if you get the reference in the title. Let us know in the comments.
Sometime in the second half of your kid’s first year, you’ll find a transition from sink baths to bathtub baths is necessary. Bathtubs, you will notice, are bigger than sinks. A lot bigger. Plus, they’re slippery. The tasks of keeping your child upright in the head-above-water position (key!), keeping bath toys where your child can reach them, and actually bathing your baby typically requires at least 3 sets of hands, something not usually at the disposal of most parental units.
Fortunately, there is a very simple solution to this issue, requiring something you very likely already have in your home: the humble laundry basket.
Why does it work so well, exactly?
1) Your kid will love it. When we so much as mention the word ‘bath’ our daughter will go find our laundry basket and drag it to the bathroom.
2) Your laundry basket is (likely) significantly smaller than your bathtub. As a result, it keeps all bath toys in a grab-able area for your baby or toddler, thus preventing squeaking, squawking and all-out dives across the tub for favorite toys. It also keeps your baby in a fixed position for you to wash prevent from tipping over.
3) It has built-in backrests for your baby to lean back against and rails for your toddler to hold on to.
4) The basket can be moved to different positions – I like the close-to-the-side-for-washing position, and the near-the-spout-for-playing-with-incoming-water positions, personally.
5) Drying it out after the bath is as simple as flipping it over.
Please do note that you should always be watching your kid full-time during baths, and that while this hack works for kids who can stand up, you should have a hand on the rail of the basket when they’re standing as tipping can occur.
Enjoy!
Extra credit: your basket will likely float with your kid inside it. Hold on to the basket, fill the tub with a few inches of water while piloting the basket-boat around the tub for your kid, and then push the basket down for an awesome water flooding in through the holes of the basket effect.
