With its gentle curves and perfectly proportioned interior space
(for a baby, that is!), The TummyTub has become a worldwide baby
bathing phenomena.

First produced in 1996 in The Netherlands, the TummyTub was designed by Anita Belderok after her own baby failed to settle during bath time. For Dutch midwives and maternity nurses ‘bucket therapy’ was already common practice, as they had found that newborns were much more comfortable being bathed in a bucket, than in the mini-size version of the adult bath, commonly used since the 1950s for bathing babies, and a midwife suggested that Anita try this approach. When it worked, the obvious question was: Why is there no product available that mimics this shape, has even gentler curves for a baby, is  made from BPA-free plastic and offers a safer design? The TummyTub was Anita’s answer.

Our baby was pretty fussy – OK, he cried all the time! – so the Tummy Tub was an obvious choice, not to mention I’d had a Caesearean and wasn’t all that keen on leaning over a traditional bathtub or baby bath. So being able
to ‘sit’ a six-week-old into this
bath was a godsend

Undoubtedly, the Moro reflex has a lot to do with why the TummyTub is so popular with babies (let alone their parents). Babies have an instinctive startle reflex when they feel like they are falling, which means that the position of a regular bath – with their backs ‘falling’ towards the ground – will activate this reflex, which can upset them and result in a relatively short, distressing bath time. The TummyTub avoids this dilemma by allowing babies to bathe in the familiar ‘legs curled up’ fetal position, offering a sense of security with every part of the baby’s body fully enclosed by the tub itself, rather than leaving them open and exposed.

Whatsmore, the TummyTub was the first baby bath to surround a baby with warm water – all the way up to their shoulders – without any risk of them ‘slipping’ into the water. And because the surface space is smaller and the walls of the tub higher in proportion to the baby, the water stays warmer for longer, keeping warmth in and prevent chilling. The Tummy Tub also uses very little water – and there are super convenient water level marks on the side of the tub that clearly indicate how much water is needed to keep your baby comfortable and safe. This makes it easy to prepare the bath very quickly each evening to the right volume and temperature.

The material is super smooth, but not slippery (made from polypropylene, it is also BPA and phthalate free, so there are no chemicals that could potentially leach into your baby’s sensitive skin. The rim of the bath is also the handle, which means no fiddly bits for either you or your baby to catch yourself on or to clean around and it is very safe to carry. The anti-slip base also means you don’t have to worry about the tub sliding away with your baby in it; engineered with a low centre of gravity, this combines with the weight of the water inside to make it incredibly stable, so it is never in any danger of tipping.

And of course, then there’s the issue of how super cute your baby looks all cosy and visible from every angle through the sides of the bath… we must have taken photos almost every night with Oliver in his TummyTub, it was always an ‘awwww’ moment of the day, his little face peering upwards, his feet and teensy bottom squished against the sides. Which is no doubt why there is a gallery of hundreds of TummyTub babies on the TummyTub website… it just is an irresistibly cute image!

Of course, once Oliver was finished with it, there was never really a question of what to do with it – it went into action as a brilliant laundry soaking tub for all those baby/toddler clothes. But now that baby two is on her way, we will be hosing it down and making it squeaky clean in preparation for that very first bath…

Safety Designed and produced in Europe, the TummyTub has the European TÜV safety certificate, has passed the most stringent safety tests in Australia, France, Germany, the UK and the USA, is used in hospitals and birthing centers around the globe for baby’s very first bath after birth and is endorsed by leading doctors and midwives. It has also been used by millions of babies worldwide since 1996, during which time there has never been one reported accident or injury.

Official TummyTub Warnings
– ALWAYS keep infant within adult’s reach.
– NEVER allow other children to substitute as adult supervision
– Check water temperature BEFORE putting baby in bath
– Discontinue the use of the product if it becomes damaged or broken
– NEVER lift this product with infant in it
– NEVER place this product in water in an adult bath tub or sink
– AVOID using household buckets as these are not safe for baby bathing
– BEWARE of cheap imitation products that may not comply with the above safety regulations, and could therefore be potential safety hazards