I think many of us Mommas can remember preparing for our new baby to arrive and making sure we have all the gear necessary, particularly the bath stuff. Which bath will make the daunting task of bathing a newborn easier and what is the cutest towel to wrap that sweet newborn in? These are probably the questions we asked ourselves. But what about when that sweet baby learns to sit up and outgrows the newborn tub?! Or what about when that cute towel suddenly becomes barely big enough to dry the baby?! I ran into these quandaries myself as my baby turned 5 months and he really wanted to start playing in the tub. Below are my favorite products to bathe older babies to young toddlers that I have found to make Mom life much easier.

Tubby Time

First things first: the tub. We have a larger jacuzzi tub in our bathroom and did not want to fill it up completely to bathe the baby, causing gallons of wasted water every night. Enter this tub by Stokke. It is designed for older babies and toddlers who can sit independently for baths. We have been using it since five months and are still going strong at twelve months now. Oliver looks forward to bath time in this tub and he still has plenty of room to splash around and play with his bath toys. I like it because he is still very contained and easy to wrangle if he starts to get too feisty. BONUS: the tub folds and stores easily, does not have any crevices that would mold, and the drain plug is made of silicone so it doubles as a teething toy if you need something extra to entertain your baby. There is a newborn attachment for this tub if you’re looking for a tub you can use from day one! You can find the Stokke Flexi tub here (apparently now it comes in several colors!).

The Most Versatile Bath Towel

I have always had a soft spot for the hooded animal towels for newborns. When I was pregnant, I had a hard time deciding which bath towel I loved most; there are so many cute critters to chose from! But I didn’t realize how small and impractical these towels become after a few months. We would have to use two at a time to dry Oliver and some of them were not actually very absorbent. Also it would take two of us to have the towel ready and somehow awkwardly wrap the baby without dropping him as we are getting him out of the tub. It was stressful for all of us. I came across this company called One Berrie on Jillian Harris’s Instagram and instantly fell in love with this small business. I love supporting all Momma-run companies, especially when they have an excellent product! This bath towel is very versatile with a button loop so that you can actually button it around your neck and not have to use your hands to hold the towel while you’re trying to take a squirmy, wet baby out of the tub. Genius!! It’s also plush and big enough to use for a toddler and kids can use the button to make a cape as they get older! BONUS: they wash well and come in really cute patterns. They can be found here.

 

 

Bath toys for Days

Obviously, there are hundreds of bath toys out there to choose from and there’s no way I could review all of them. But I will share what has worked for our family. This popular banana toothbrush is a super fun bath toy because once you brush baby’s teeth, you can let them chew on it and play with it in the bath (it does not float though!)

Of course you can’t have bath time without a rubber ducky, and I much prefer this one because it’s BPA free, PVC Free, Lead Free, Phthalate Free, Paraben Free, Latex Free and Paint Free. Plus it’s sealed and made of food-grade non-toxic resin. We were gifted this one for our baby shower and it meets all of my mommy criteria. It’s available here on Amazon.

The Softest Washcloths

Hands down these are the softest towels/washcloths EVER! They are soft right out of the package and never, ever irritate skin. I tried them myself before using them on Oliver, and I actually kept one for myself as a make-up remover because I liked it so much! Perfect for using to clean up baby messes around the house to reduce your use of paper products. You can find them here.

Our Favorite Bath Products

Before Oliver was born, I researched a number of baby skin care products and I was shocked at how many of them contained ingredients that could irritate a baby’s skin. I wanted bath and post-bath products that are transparent with the ingredients they use, nourish baby’s skin, and if possible, smell nice (WITHOUT using harsh/artificial fragrances!). One brand that I fell in love with is Tubby Todd. Another Momma-owned small business of a like-minded Mom who wanted to find clean, safe products for her children. You can find all of the ingredients listed on the website, along with an explanation of what they do. I have been using Tubby Todd since Oliver’s first bath at home when he was 1 week old! My favorites are the All Over Ointment and the Bubble Bath! (It makes the BEST bubbles and works well as a shampoo/body wash too!) Tubby Todd products can be found here.

Since joining Beautycounter, I’ve also alternated using Beautycounter products and I was pleasantly surprised by how great the baby line is. It has no fragrance whatsoever and is so gentle on Oliver’s sensitive skin! My absolute must-have is the baby balm!! It is my go-to for ezcema, diaper rash, and pretty much any other skin irritation you can think of…it heals. It is a must have and I now get it for all my fellow Mom friends. Shop my Beautycounter here: https://www.beautycounter.com/juliarandall

 

But most importantly during bath time… HAVE FUN and SMILE!