I've been meaning to do this post for at least a month and a half, ever since I started bathing my baby in a bucket...Okay, it's not exactly a bucket, but more on that in a bit. I'm not sure whether this is the norm for all internet junkie savy new moms these days or just me, but in prepping for the Blueberry's arrival I spent hours on Youtube watching baby product reviews, baby how-tos, and mommy vlogs (if you don't know what a "vlog" is, then clearly you don't spend enough time on Youtube). I still watch such videos, though my viewing time is a bit more limited.
After watching a totally unrelated video, a video on the Tummy Tub was suggested. I watched it and few more videos and was intrigued. According to the product website, the Tummy Tub was developed in Holland 15 years ago and is quite the hit among moms, doctors, hospitals, etc., particularly in Europe. Its design supposedly reminds baby of being in the womb leading him to feel more secure during bath time.
Here's the original Tummy Tub and the Prince Lionheart Wash Pod, which is what I actually bought:
photo credits: Tummy Tub (left) Prince Lionheart Wash Pod (right)
As you can see, they're quite similar and basically identical in the bucket portion where you put the baby. Initially, I thought the Prince Lionheart Washpod was the Buy Buy Baby knockoff, but I actually like the design better since it looks more stable. To be fair, you can buy a fancy stand for the Tummy Tub, which elevates the baby so you can sit on an ordinary chair while bathing baby, but I just sit on the floor of the bathroom and we're nearly at eye level.
I definitely it's a glorified bucket, however, Tummy Tub is sensitive to that comparison and has a whole page dedicated to correcting the misapprehension that their product is a bucket. I do like that it's curved at the bottom which encourages baby to sit in the fetal position, at least at first. Now that he can stand he pops up and down throughout the bath, but he's having fun and getting clean so I can mop up the splashes.
Originally, I bathed the Blueberry in the boat-like conventional baby bath tub with the infant sling. That worked until he got a bit bigger, maybe at around 11-12 weeks. At that time, he was still too little to go without the infant sling, but so big that much of his body stuck out about the water leading to a chilly baby. The baby bucket ensconces the baby in water and he doesn't seem to get cold. Either that or he's having so much fun splashing Mommy that he doesn't care.
I will note that it did take some getting used to. The first bath, which Daddy insisted be in the living room, wasn't so fun: 
I'm pretty sure he loves it now as he exhibits little to no angst during bath time.
At first I thought it might be difficult to hold his head up out of the water and wash him at the same time, but it's really not. Now that he's bigger and has good head control, it's not a big deal at all. 
Though he's sure to outgrow the product by 6 months, I highly recommend this product or one like it. The Blueberry seems to enjoy bath time and the bucket, uh tub, is far easier to transport and store than the conventional tub.
We like being clean!
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