Quickly outgrown
Written: Oct 06 '03 (Updated Oct 07 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Portable, can sort of use on countertops, solid construction.
Cons: Too small, poor drainage design.
The Bottom Line: If you do not need the space, get a regular baby tub. Your baby WILL outgrow this one.
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| chretiensucks's Full Review: Safety 1st Fold-Up Bath Tub 164 |
Bath time is one of the few times our baby is always totally calm. The warm water probably reminds him of still being in the womb. I registered the Safety 1st portable bath tub for my wife's surprise baby shower. Being our first baby, I had no previous experience with these types of things but figured the portability would allow us to stow it away easily.
Assembly and Design
This bath tub is put together well with solid blue plastic. It comes fully assembled. Two parts (the headrest and the foot end) fold into the center to make the tub a 15" by 12" by 6" box. This will stow away easily under any bathroom sink, or into a cabinet. Unfolded, the backrest and head rest form one reclined surface. This was the perfect incline for our baby. Any surface that the baby rests in is a neoprene-like or foam non-slip material. It also cleans easily.
There's also a rubber cork drain-plug which allows you to drain the water out of the tub. Unfortunately, there are crevices which are not connected to the drainage area in the tub so there's always small pools of water remaining anyways. To completely remove all water, you still have to turn the entire tub upside down.
The brutal reality
Those hoping that this tub will fulfill all their baby's bath needs are sadly mistaken. Yes, it is small enough to use in a large sink, but you can't possibly tell me that any place is so small that there is a sink present but no adult bath tubs that would require you to purchase this item.
Also forget the idea of filling the tub and putting it in a bedroom to wash your baby. The hinges to permit the folding leak so if you wash your baby in another room, you'd better make sure the water level is pretty low.
Our baby is only two months old and he already outgrew it substantially. I'd say he was already too large for the tub at 10 or 11 pounds. In no way do we have an especially large baby. The problem? Because the folding backrest and end part aren't part of the main tub, they don't hold any water. So basically, your baby sits in the water with all his limbs out. Even if you fill the tub up all the way, you're lucky just to cover his genitals and his belly button. Not good if you don't want him or her catching a cold. With the small volume of water the tub is able to hold (probably less than two liters), it also means that soap scum and dirt quickly accumulate. So in no time will you baby be sitting in his own dense filth.
We also realized that we almost never put away the tub anyways because you want to leave it out to dry. It may have been different if we lived in a one bedroom apartment.
Conclusion
This tub is only acceptable for babies under 10 lbs. Any larger and your poor baby may end up catching a cold. There may be a use for this tub if you need to travel with the baby or if you are REALLY tight for space. We ended up getting a full sized baby tub anyways (see my review at http://www.epinions.com/content_114822254212) but never did we realize our baby would outgrow the Safety 1st so soon.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
chretiensucks
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Member: joe unpronounceable
Location: GTA, Ontario, Canada
Reviews written: 42
Trusted by: 3 members
About Me:
How do people with more than one child do it?
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