Splish splash taking a bath! (Ikea Lättsam Baby Bath)

Member Name: Autarkis

Product:	Ikea Lättsam Baby Bath
Date:	11/12/08 (210 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: No drainage plug, a nice size, at a low price.

Disadvantages: None that I can think of.

When I had my first baby 12 years ago, I remember some of the things I wish I never wasted money on and one of them was a baby bath. As most baby baths then were huge and expensive and the plug in the bottom of the bath would sometimes leak or be easily knocked out. If you want to bath your little one in the comfort of your lounge you don't want to be mopping up water afterwards. You can use a baby bath in the 'big' bath but I don't see the point in buying a baby bath in the first place if you are going to be doing this.

When I became pregnant with my son who is now 13 month old, I was wiser to what I would need and remembered the bad buys from my first child.

Luckily now there are several different baby baths on the market to choose from, and they come in different shapes and sizes and vary in price - I still think a lot of them are over priced for what they are. I live in a small house and my budget was tight as my daughter was just starting out in secondary school and we had just moved house so I had to put a lot of thought in to purchases I made.

I don't much like the original style of baby baths not only for the reason that the plug in the bottom of the bath is a bad idea but also because they are far too big! I don't think a baby will outgrow a baby bath before they start using the big bath! Also the price, most baby baths are around £20 - £30....why? I think that they are so over priced for something you will use for a couple of months if that.

I decided to bath my newborn in a washing up bowl - yes a bowl that you use to wash dishes, a new one of course. This did the job perfectly and didn't cost much. It was just the right size and I found it so much easier to fill and empty and bathing my baby was much easier too.

The only problem was my boy didn't stay small for long as he eats well, so he soon outgrew his 'bath' so I wanted to find something else to bath him in, as my bathroom is very small and it's not as easy to bend over the bath and you need more water to fill a large bath for a small baby so it doesn't make much sense, plus my bathroom is an extension on our house so it's quite cold in there.

So while out shopping in IKEA I came across this baby bath, it was on sale for £3.99 at the time of purchase which is a lot less than other baby baths available on the market. I liked the look and shape of it and it is a bit smaller than the standard baby bath, it only comes in the colour blue but I don't think that makes much difference. I decide it had to be worth the money and took one home with me.

This bath is good quality; it is a fair size and will last for quite some time. It does not come with a drainage plug which I was happy about, so this means that there will be no leaks I also find that bath plugs can easily be knocked or kicked out. I didn't find it hard to empty after bathing my son as you don't need a lot of water in the bath only a few inches is needed. It has rubber grips on the base so it won't slip about if it is used on a surface although it is safer to have it on the floor. Another nice added feature to this bath is the rubber grips on the bottom of the bath to stop baby from slipping around, the full length of the bath has wavy rubber grips which make a bit of a difference as my son is quite active in the bath.

There is also a hole on the top of the bath for hanging it onto a hook, which is useful as it can be hung in the bathroom to allow it to dry and means it is stored instead of having to find somewhere to put it. The rim around the top of the bath is a good size and my baby boy can easily hold onto the sides.
My son has been using this for several months, he is now 13 months old and I take him in the shower with me, but this bath comes in handy for when he just needs a quick wash.

This bath will be good when he is bigger to use for play purposes only with toys.

I think this bath is great value for money; it is just a basic bath with some nice added features that is perfect for use from newborn and will last for quite some time. It has been a good buy, and has been worth the money.

I recommend this bath it is excellent value for money.

Summary: Good quality bath at an affordable price.