When your baby graduates from his bath chair to the bathtub, one way to help keep him in place as you wash him is to place him in a bath seat. A bath seat, which is usually a plastic circle-shaped chair with rests for the back and arms, latches to the side of the bath tub. Baby bath seats aren't foolproof, however. According to Consumer Product Safety Commission data, 123 deaths and 182 non-fatal incidents linked to baby bath seats were reported from 1983 to 2005. Fortunately, with proper guidance, babies can remain safe in the bath tub.
Appropriate Age Range
BabyCenter online says that your baby is at an appropriate age for using a bath seat in a tub once she is old enough to sit up without assistance, typically between 4 and 7 months. However, by the time she has reached the developmental milestone of pulling herself up into standing position, she should no longer be placed in an infant bath seat. Accidents can occur if the baby slips out of, or tries to escape, the bath seat.
Old vs. New
Older baby bath seats don't employ as many safety features as more recent models. For example, they adhere to the tub with suction cups, which can lose suction and cause the baby to tip forward into the water. They also tend to have larger legholes which a baby can slip through, causing him to become trapped. Newer bath seats have narrower leg holes and latch to the side of the tub with an arm that goes over the side. However, they don't work well on all types of tubs and are still capable of tipping over. Nevertheless, BabyCenter online recommends using a new baby bath seat model if you intend to use any seat.
Not a Baby-Sitter
Because most baby drownings occur when babies are left alone or under the supervision of an older child, the CPSC suggests that parents shouldn't rely on bath seats to keep their infants safe in the tub. Parents should remain within arm's length from a baby; what may seem like a moment when stepping aside to answer a phone is enough time for a baby to slip into water and drown.
Choosing the Right One
If you plan to place your baby in a bath seat, choose one that has narrow legholes, with a bar or strap running between them. Moreover, measure the thickness of your bathtub's wall to ensure that the wall clamp on the bath seat will fit. Also, check to be sure that the product isn't too large or small for your baby, and test it for any rough areas that could potentially scrape her delicate skin. Finally, check product recall lists to ensure that it hasn't failed safety standards.
Future Improvements
Consumer Reports online says that since baby bath seats have had a troubled past, parents should stay away from them altogether. Other groups have asked the CPSC to ban the seats, but the CPSC has responded by working with manufacturers and standards groups in an attempt to make future baby bath seats safer.
