John Lewis Reclining Bath Chair (Other Baby Baths)

Member Name: sersha

Product:	Other Baby Baths
Date:	29/04/05 (433 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: easy on your back, baby can splash around

Disadvantages: baby can grow out of it too soon

I bought this bath chair on recommendation from a friend, and started to use it regularly when Leah was about 6 weeks old. I tried her in it earlier as it is supposed to be suitable for newborns, but she screamed. Some babies might enjoy using it from birth, but Leah certainly wasn't ready for it.

I had a normal baby bath to use as well, but found having to fill it up and empty it hard, heavy work, and preferred to bath her in the sink. The alternative - the big bath - is a bit scary when you are that small and like to be held tightly!

This chair fits inside your own bath, and baby fits into the moulded shape in a semi-reclined position. They can't slip out of the chair when they are small, which leaves you with two hands free to wash or play with your baby. I was petrified of holding Leah with two hands in a bath to begin with, it's a terrifying experience before you get used to it as you have this little wriggly vulnerable life in your hands, and as a new mum I was scared I would drop her or hurt her in some way. This chair was very reassuring as I knew she was safe and couldn't fall out, or slide under the water!

She obviously felt secure enough in the chair when she was about 6 weeks old, and bathtime became enjoyable, and she started to smile and really relax in the bath. The chair meant that her arms and legs were totally free to splash around and it didn't take her long to get the hang of splashing her parents!

Leah is a big baby and now that she is four months old I have had to abandon the chair, which is a shame as I was hoping to get more use out of it. It would probably last an average sized baby until they were six months old, or longer if you have a petite baby. That means if you were lucky you would be able to move straight from this seat into a proper bath chair, which requires your baby to be able to sit up by themselves.

At four months Leah started to push herself up with her feet off the chair and then got a fright when she sat back down on it, and after a few nights of this the chair had to go.

She isn't yet able to sit up unaided, so I am in limbo between bath chairs at the moment, as the next step would be a round, bath seat, but she isn't yet at the stage where this would be suitable. Luckily I am not so terrified anymore and can easily bath her in a deep, big bath! However I do miss the hands-free aspect now and realise how good the chair was, while it lasted.

The chair is made of plastic and is very easy to wipe clean, should there be any accidents!

This type of chair is widely available - I got mine for £12.50 from John Lewis.

Although we got less than 3 months use out of the chair, I would still recommend it - most babies would probably get a bit more use out of it and it was a godsend in those early days making bathtime much more pleasurable!

Summary: