The 7 Best Baby Bath Tubs, Tested by Experts and Parents

The Parenting Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute regularly reviews and tests baby gear including the best car seat stroller combos and the best baby monitors.

Our experts tried out 15 infant tubs in the Lab and in their homes. We've also had feedback on 10 of those tubs from consumers, some as a part of our annual Parenting Awards. When looking at bath tubs, we consider how easy they are for the parent to use, how comfortable the baby seems, how long the tub stays useful and how easy the baby bath tub is to dry and keep clean.

Bath time can be fun when you feel your baby is safe and you are comfortable while tending to them. We've got some things you can think about before picking out the best baby bath tub for you:

✔️ Type. Decide if you need the product to work in your sink or in the big bath tub and pick accordingly.

• Sink inserts: After the initial newborn sponge baths, many parents bathe their infant in the bathroom or kitchen sink, sometimes until their baby can sit up at about 6 months. A soft sink insert gives your baby some padding and support so you have at least one arm free to wipe and rinse them off.

If you've had a C-section, sink baths might be necessary while you heal, so you can stand up while you give the bath. But not everyone has a sink that's easy enough to use with a baby bath sink insert and so some opt for an infant bath tub placed in the big tub or on the floor.

• Baby bath tub basins: Mini tubs are what many people think of when they hear "baby bath tub." Our favorites have a sling to hold a baby during the infant months when the baby has little natural head control. Most have one side that's slanted for young babies and another side that's deeper for an older baby or toddler.

A baby bath tub must be placed on a level surface. It's safest to have it within the big bath tub or on the floor, or inside your kitchen sink if it's a large sink. We know it's tempting to sit the bath tub on a counter, but that's not the safest place.

• Baby bath support seats: This third option is a bit newer — bath support seats are similar to baby bouncer seats but are waterproof and meant for baths. You sit the seat inside the adult tub or inside the kitchen sink if it fits. You'll run water over your baby to get them clean.

These don't work on the floor or counter, they need to be in a basin that drains, and there are no safety straps so they should not be used on a counter or as a baby seat outside of bath time. As your baby approaches the 6-month mark, getting active and wanting to sit up, there's an increased chance that your baby could tip the seat over. Be extra vigilant and be ready to say goodbye your bath support seat at 6 months.

✔️ Age and weight limits. Check the age and weight grading of any baby bath solution. Sink inserts and support seats are usually meant for the first 6 months. Baby bath tubs can usually be used longer. Read the packaging carefully and hold on to the manual. You'll want to refer to how you should be sitting and positioning your baby in the bath tub as they reach each new age and stage.

✔️ CPSC standards. If you're accepting a hand-me-down, be sure the bath tub was made later than October 2017 (in other words, in the past five years). That's when new CPSC standards for infant bath tubs came out mandating, for instance, that a tub have very clear safety guidelines printed on the product.

✔️ Skip an inflatable tub. Inflatable baby bath tubs are both flimsy and slippery, as explained by pediatrician Harvey Karp, MD, who offers other bath tips such as having a towel next to you for when bathtime is over, so you don't have to even step to the other side of the bathroom to go get one.

✔️ Take a pass on upright bath seats. Inclined bath support seats for young babies, like the Angelcare, can be used safely with constant parent supervision. It's the upright bath seats, with leg holes and marketed for toddlers, that have a history of problems tipping over and entrapping children. (See this bath seat recalled by the CPSC as just one example.) Such bath seats might also provide parents with a false feeling of security but, at the risk of repeating ourselves, you still have to stay right next to your baby when they're in the tub.

A few baby-bath safety notes from the pediatricians at the American Academy of Pediatrics:

• You can set the maximum temperature of your home's hot water heater to 120 degrees F. That helps prevent accidental scalding burns in the sink or tub.
• Never leave your baby's side during bath time. Yes, it can get boring when they are toddlers and just sitting in there playing, but it's possible for a child to drown silently in even an inch of water, so you must stay within sight and reach.
• Don't trust an older kid to watch the younger one.

Here are a few tools to make bath time easier for parents and safer for babies:

• Put a bath spout cover on the faucet so there are no bonked heads.
• Get a comfy kneeling pad to cushion your knees as your tend to your child.
• Use a bath rinse cup to get shampoo out of your baby's hair without water going in their eyes.
• Add a bath thermometer as an additional check that the water isn't too hot or getting too cold. About 100 degrees is what's recommended.

This is a great question to ask your pediatrician at the hospital or at your first well visit, so the doctor can walk you through what to expect, especially if you have a preemie. But, in general, these are the guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Mayo Clinic:

• Wait until the umbilical cord stump naturally falls off before submerging your newborn in a tub or giving them a sink bath. Until then, stick to sponge baths (with your newborn laying on a towel, while you wiping them with a wet washcloth). The cord usually comes off after a week or two.

• Infants probably only need a bath every other day, maybe for all of the first year. Young babies especially are not doing anything to get too dirty, and their skin can dry out easily. With a baby older than 6 months, you'll be able to make the call based on whether they were playing in the dirt, dealing out some especially filthy diapers and so on.

• Not all infants love baths, especially early on. They have to lean back, they get wet, you're within sight but not holding them — so they might get mad. Toys can help but sometimes they just make a baby even more furious. Feel free to keep bath time short. Try playing music if that helps (for you or your baby!) and maybe even switch up what time of day you give a bath. Baths are great as a wind-down before bedtime but if a bath gets your baby amped up, work it into the morning routine instead.

Anything that spends a lot of time being wet, whether it's your baby's bath tub or their baby bottle or sippy cup, needs to be occasionally sanitized to avoid mold and germ buildup.

Good Housekeeping's Home Care & Cleaning Lab Executive Director Carolyn Forté reminds parents that with hard, plastic toys or something like an infant tub, bleach is your best sanitizer. "To protect against mold, washing occasionally with a bleach solution is best. That's why they put chlorine in swimming pools," Forté says. She recommends a solution of 1/3 cup bleach to 1 gallon of water, the same ratio she recommends for cleaning small, hard toys prone to mold (which includes bath toys).

Forté says you can let the tub remain wet with the bleach solution for 6 minutes, then rinse it thoroughly and allow it to air dry. If the mold is not coming off, even with bleach and some scrubbing, it's time to toss the tub.

Do you wash with just water, or add a little baby bath wash to get your little one clean? We asked Sustainability Lab Executive Director Birnur Aral, PhD, a chemical engineer and mom who helps lead our Sustainable Innovation Awards.

"Once they were out of the newborn phase, whenever I bathed my babies I always used a gentle yet foaming cleanser as opposed to washing them in plain water," Aral says. "I found that that plain water wasn't enough to wash away the messes that baby skin can come in contact with due to eating solid foods. Their chest, neck, hair and hands may need special attention, as well as their diaper area." Truly, baby food can get everywhere! And does have to come out the other end.

Aral is not afraid of baby products that add a few suds. "The bubbles generated can make bath time a pleasant sensorial and playful experience for both the parent and the baby," Aral says. "My kids tolerated most fragranced baby washes as well, so the aromas helped make the bath time extra relaxing."

Finally, rinsing all soap off your baby and drying them thoroughly are musts for skin wellness, Aral says. Take your baby out of the bath if you see their fingers or toes getting pruney, which is a normal phenomenon but means that the skin barrier is starting to get irritated. The Cleveland Clinic explains how anyone's skin gets wrinkled after too much time in the water.

The Good Housekeeping Institute has been reviewing, testing and spelling out the pros and cons of thousands of consumer products for more than 100 years. Parenting products is just one corner of what the engineers, chemists and registered dietitians rate and rank; you can also find lists like the best shower filters and best dish soaps as well as our accolades such as the Beauty Awards.

This ranking of baby bath tubs was overseen by Chief Technologist & Executive Technical Director Rachel Rothman, a 15-year veteran of the Institute and mom of three kids ages 6 and younger. She also collects and analyzes data for major family-oriented programs such as the Good Housekeeping Family Travel Awards and Kids' Book Awards.

Contributing Writer Jessica Hartshorn, a mom of two, wrote these reviews. She's a journalist who previously covered the baby-gear market for American Baby magazine and Parents magazine, and she also worked on-staff at Parenting magazine and Woman's Day.