Living Ordinary Life in a Hilarious Way: Safe Bathtub Products

Well, we are pretty much ready for baby to be here! All of the big components are in place including the crib, the name, and the layette! It's too early to pack my hospital bag completely, but I'm starting slowly. I have this weird, nagging feeling that she's going to be here early. Might as well be as prepared as we can, right?

My latest nesting phase has been bath stuff! I know, I know, we won't be needing much of it right away. But then, all of a sudden, we will!

AND....here's the thing about trying to rid your house of toxins....you can trust NO ONE. Every purchase you make has to be well-researched. It takes time. It takes energy. It takes mental acuity. I will have none of these things while living with a newborn. Heck, I barely have them now! Honestly, I'm sitting in my bathrobe drinking a cup of coffee just to make it through this post. So I'm trying to be proactive now.

Here's how it's going so far:

1. Oh, here's a great product! It has no BPA, pthalates, PVC, or other ickies in it!
2. Sweet, I can afford it.
3. Poop! It has horrible reviews! Next!
4. Oh, here's a swell looking thing.
5. It has great reviews and I can afford it!
6. SHIT, it's full of toxins.
7. Where's Don at? He's better at this than I am.
8. Why is my coffee cup empty?
9. Why is it a called a "mug" most of the time, but when it holds coffee, it's a "coffee cup?"
10. Why haven't I bought a baby bath yet?
11. This is dumb.
12. Do kids even need baths?
13. Let's just hose her off in the back yard.
14. SHIT, that means I need to find a lead-free, pvc-free garden hose.
15. Forget this. I'll just go back to finding a baby bath.

So what I'm trying to say, is that the easiest way to buy baby products will likely bring lots of ickies into your home. If you are OK with that, then please, just buy the top rated item on amazon and call it good. If you are like me and are very worried about plastics and your infant (especially plastics that undergo thermal cycles with hot water) then I hope that I make your life a TINY bit easier. Maybe.

Baby Baths:

What to avoid:
-Plastics with the number 3,6,7. These contain BPA, PVC, polystyrene based plastics, or chlorine.
-Anything inflatable....inflatables are made with PVC. Even pthalate-free PVC varieties still off-gas toxins and are not worth it.
-Anything with other physical safety hazards, usually found in customer reviews.
-Anything that doesn't fit your life-style. (See "other notes" below for examples.)

Necessary features:
-For newborns, the bath needs to be soft and cushiony. No newborn will appreciate being set on rigid plastic.
-For newborns, the bath needs to provide good head support.
-The bath needs to work for you. Think about if you want to bathe in the sink, bathtub, or both. Some models are even stand-alone models that work on the floor or counter. Many moms appreciate the sink models so they don't need to bend over AND so that they can bathe baby in the sink while an older child gets clean in the tub.
-The bath needs to be easy to clean and dry. Many come with drain plugs or are machine washable. However, read the reviews as some seem to mildew no matter how often you wash them!
-The bath needs to work with the size of your house/bathroom so consider where you will store it.
-Consider the life of the bath. Is it meant for newborns only or older babies only? Is it important to you to be able to bathe two children in it?

Other notes:
-We are looking for a newborn bath. Obviously the longer it works for baby, the better, but something that works well, right away, is key for us.
-We are looking for something that will not mildew.
-The bath must be easy to store and not take up too much space.
-Obviously the bath must be non-toxic. Something plastic free would be perfect.

Recommended products:
Up for consideration:
1. Puj Flyte: This handy guy is $34.99 on Amazon with an average rating of 4.5 stars. It is only available in white but is a Prime item. It is free of BPA, PVC, and pthalates and has been independently verified to be non-toxic. Biggest complaints are that it doesn't work with some sink/faucet combos, and that it's pretty shallow. We have very tall faucets that swing out of the way, so this is currently my first choice. Biggest complements are that it hangs flat to dry, is TINY, and works with tiny newborns.

Puj Flyte

2. Leachco Safer Bather: This bathing cushion is less than $16 and replaces the old-school foam pad. It has an average rating of 4.5 stars with hundreds of reviews. It seems to be pretty non-toxic but exact specifications are lacking. The biggest complaints are that it mildews no matter how many times you wash it and that the stuffing bunches up. People also disliked the way it cradles small babies. The pros for this item are that it is machine washable, cute, lightweight, small, and can be used as a seat cushion in the tub as baby grows bigger and more independent. I think we will end up with the Puj Flyte because out here, it is so humid that this thing will never dry out.

Leachco Safer Bather

3. Puj Tub: Sells on Amazon for $45 with 3.5 star average rating. Made of the same safe material as option #1, but it folds up in an origami-type fold and is bigger than the Flyte. The biggest cons (and the reason we aren't getting it) are that the magnetic folds don't always stay secure (scary!) and that baby slides down into the bottom. The perks are the non-toxic material and the fact that it unfolds flat to dry.

Puj Tub

4. Well, that's pretty much all of the ones I strongly considered. Everything else out there is made of questionable materials and I'm just not comfortable with a plastic tub. We have also considered buying NO tub, but if there are any birth complications, then I won't be able to sit in the bath with baby which then makes everything difficult.

Faucet Covers:

There are dozens of models out there, but I found them much easier to shop for than bath tubs!

What to avoid:
-It seems like it's impossible to completely avoid plastic products in this case, so look for manufacturers who advertise "safe" plastics that are free of BPA, PVC, and pthalates. Your child will not be chewing on this product, but they are soaking in water that passes through this product when fairly warm. You can bet that if there are chemicals in the product, some of it will leach into the bathwater.

Necessary features:
-Must stay securely fastened.
-Must be easy to remove and replace for cleaning.
-Must be easy to clean!
-Must be soft and rounded to avoid knee and head-owies.

Other notes:
-I love the options that make your faucet into a gentle waterfall for playing and rinsing hair.
-Some dispense bubble products. We will not be using bubble products until baby is old enough to enjoy them because they're not necessary and safe, non-toxic bubbles are pricey. Also, surfactants and foaming agents can be hard on baby's skin and genitals. However, when she's old enough to have fun with bubbles, a dispenser could be awesome or a nightmare depending on how easy it is to fill and how often she decides to push the button. I'll report back in a few years!

Recommended products:
1. Boon Flo - $13.50 on Amazon with average 3.5 star rating. Many people said that the bubble dispenser just filled with water and then mold/mildew, but people love the soft waterfall it makes and the rounded design available in three colors. It is free of all the toxins listed above.

Boon Flo

2. Skip Hop Bath Spout Cover - $12.50 on Amazon with average 4.5 star rating. Customers complained that it slipped off the faucet too easily and that it gets moldy quickly. Others love the design, how well it protects, and how easy it is to use. It comes in a whale or duck shape and is non-toxic.

Skip Hop Bath Faucet Cover

Honestly, we'll wait on a faucet cover and see if a better option arises in the next year or so. I just want something protective, non-toxic, and mildew resistant that makes a soft flow.

Other bath items:

There are lots of good, non-toxic choices out there. We won't have a ton of bath toys because they aren't necessary, but Boon makes some great options that are all free of BPA, PVC, and pthalates including adorable scrubbies, floating "bugs" that you scoop up with a net, and submarine appliques! It'll be fun to stock up as I find them on sale.