Goodbye to a bathtub

About a year ago, we transitioned Natalie from her infant bathtub to an inflatable tub. Yes, my daughter took her baths in a Fischer Price infant tub - on the counter in my bathroom - until she was almost 9 months old. I admit it; I was having a hard time letting go. And now, almost a year to the day later, I am feeling conflicted about taking the next step ... from the comfort and safety of the inflatable to the actual bathtub with it's hard, slippery surfaces. But it's time. I know this. Just look at the photos. The top one shows Natalie - in the "big" tub having a great time. Just below that is a photo taken a few weeks ago; she looks huge in that inflatable tub. It was this picture - shot from above - that made it so clear to me that it was time - once again - to say good bye, to let do. And I couldn't resist including a photo of Natalie when she first started bathing in the inflatable tub, my form of tribute to a tub that served us well: conserving water and keeping Natalie safe and not needing to be reinflated for an entire year.

For those of you comtemplating the transition from the infant tub, I highly recommend the inflatable tub. Natalie played in hers for about a month before we put it in the tub and used it for baths. It was a great place for her to sit propped up with a handful of toys in reach. We've gotten a year's worth of use out of it beyond that, and I have a feeling she'll probably still play in it now - I left it upstairs in her room.

I think ours is made by Safety 1st, and I paid about $12 for it at BabiesRUs. I can't seem to find it on their website, but here's a link to one at Sears for that same price - but it's a different pattern.

As a replacement - and to keep her safe - I bought this bathmat. NHV is super excited to take her bath with the fishy now.