Best Baby Bathtubs of 2024, Tested & Reviewed

Splish, splash! Keep your little water bug safe and sound during bathtime.

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  By: Tali Ditye, Ph.D., Co-founder

  Updated: April 9, 2024

Mommyhood101 independently tests and curates baby gear to help you make informed decisions. If you buy products through links on our site, we may earn a commission.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), a newborn baby should be bathed about three times a week. Bathing isn't just about getting clean, it's also a great sensory experience for infants, and many parents agree that it can be a soothing part of a bedtime routine.

Once your little one starts crawling, sweating, and getting into messes, you will need to start bathing them more often - maybe on a near-daily basis!

A baby bathtub helps you soothe and clean your baby safely and easily, and we found several great options!

We've been reviewing baby bathtubs for over 10 years, and if we made our own, here are some of the key features it would have:

✔️  Lightweight & portable.
✔️  Easily hung to dry.
✔️  Deep & ergonomic seat.
✔️  Anti-slip surface.
✔️  Supported sitting contour.
✔️  Anti-slip feet.
✔️  Drain plug.
✔️  Newborn insert/attachment.
✔️  Temperature sensor.
✔️  Mildew-resistant materials.
✔️  Non-toxic finishes.
✔️  No assembly required.
✔️  Minimum 1-year warranty.
✔️  Assorted colors & designs.

Of course, you will also want the tub to meet your style preferences, fit easily in your tub or shower, and meet your budget constraints. That's a lot to ask, and very few baby bathtubs meet the needs of picky parents!

Below are the top 5 baby bathtubs we've tested, followed by our in-depth reviews.

#1. First Years Sure Comfort
#2. Blooming Lotus Tub
#3. Munchkin Inflatable Duck Tub
#4. Skip Hop Moby Tub
#5. Munchkin Sit & Soak

The ideal baby bathtub will help keep your baby safe and secure during bath time, while also making cleaning easier and more effective. For over the past 10 years, we've tested over two dozen different bathtub models, looking for the perfect combination of ease of use, safety, comfort, durability, style, and price.

Full disclosure: Some of these baby bathtubs, including the Munchkin and Skip Hop models, were sent to us as free test samples by the manufacturer.

Here are the Best Baby Bathtubs of 2024!

1. The First Years Sure Comfort Bathtub.

This is an all-around awesome baby bathtub with both simplicity and the right features to make bathing easy and comfortable. It starts as a newborn bathtub, using a mesh attachment that suspends baby above the water like a hammock. This is a great feature for newborn babies that only need to be wiped down with a sponge or washcloth. For example, babies who have not had their umbilical cord dry up and fall off yet should not be submerged in water. The idea is that the baby does not sit down in the water at all, they are suspended up above the tub, so they don't get too submerged or wet. When we tested it, we thought this was a great feature for the first few weeks of newborn life. The main tub has some good contours to it: grooves along the side to pool the water away from the baby, a foot-stop to keep baby from sliding down too far, and a grippy padding for baby's back. It has nice tall sides that help keep even a wiggly baby secure. The foot-stop doubles as a seat for toddlers, by turning around to face the other direction. We found this seat very versatile. It sits very stable on the floor, counter, or in the regular bathtub. It also has unique grooves on the bottom that can help it fit into a standard size sink, and some double-basin sinks. It fit our large single-basin kitchen sink very nicely, though we suspect every sink will prove a little different for fitment.

A couple other things worth mentioning about this tub. First, it has a little cubby area down near baby's feet that is great for holding soap, a toy, and a washcloth. Second, it has a convenient drain plug in the bottom that can be used for draining out most water at the end of bath time, and before tipping the tub over to rinse it out. Finally, we mentioned that it uses a bit of grippy padding along the back, which we really liked, and it's worth mentioning that it's mildew resistant, which is a nice touch. This tub should last your baby until they are just over a year old and able to sit upright without support in the regular bathtub. Cons? Well, it's big so storage can be an issue, though if you're crafty you can figure out a way to hang it inside your tub using a sturdy hook. Overall, this is the best baby tub that we were able to find for versatility, simplicity, safety, and durability. Coming in at only about $25, and available in blue or pink, it's also a great deal! Who else loves The First Years Bathtub? Our friends at WhatToExpect and Babygearlab call it a top pick! Interested? You can check out this First Years bathtub here. 

2. Blooming Bath Lotus Baby Bathtub.

While our best baby bathtub is a rigid and versatile plastic tub, this is the number one option for parents who want to do baths in their kitchen or bathroom sink. This absolutely adorable lotus flower-style foam bath sink insert is one of the cutest things we've tested in our 10+ years of doing baby gear reviews! It reminded us of the giant pieces of egg-crate foam that parents would put in their kitchen sinks for infant bathing, but much nicer! It fit very nicely into the larger side of our double kitchen sink, making a nicely contoured papasan-style pod for our baby to sit into. Four overlapping petals make for a great contour to support your baby, and make it versatile enough to expand and contract to fit different size sinks. Not only is it cute and comfortable, it's also made very well. It has soft fabric and foam insides that are durable and easy to wash and dry, and it has a nice soft and flat bottom to safely support the bum without too much sliding around. After you use it, you can hang it up to drip-dry, or you can throw it into the dryer for about 20 minutes and it will come out as good as new. In our testing, the babies seemed to really like it and found it super supportive and comfortable. We liked it too - it was soft, cozy, adorable, and easy to use!

After using it, you wring it out to remove extra water and then put it in the dryer. Worked really well and without any issues, though we didn't try the drip-dry method, which we guess could just as easily hang in your regular bathtub to dry. There are a few downfalls for choosing this type of baby bathtub. First, because it is not a larger plastic tub, babies tend to outgrow it after about 6 months or so. Second, this particular flower-style baby tub fit really well into our kitchen sink, but we tested it out in a large farmhouse-style sink and it was close to its limits. The larger sink measured 24" wide and 18" deep; with that sink, the flower opened up quite a bit so it didn't have the nice contoured support that it had in the smaller test sink (about 18" by 18"). Basically, the bigger the sink, the flatter the flower petals lay down. We suggest the largest sink to use this in would be about 22" wide. Overall, if you can't help but get one of these adorable bathtubs, and your sink isn't too big, then this is an excellent option for those looking for something a little cuter and comfier than a traditional plastic baby tub. This usually costs about $40, and comes in a ton of different colors and patterns. Who else loves the Blooming Lotus BathTub? Our friends at Babylist, Babygearlab, and WhatToExpect call it a top pick! Interested? You can check out this Blooming Lotus option here.

3. Munchkin Inflatable Duck Bathtub.

We used this inflatable duck tub for 4 years with our own two toddlers, and both of them absolutely loved it! The Munchkin White Hot inflatable duck is one of the most popular baby bathtubs for over 10 years running, and for great reason. It's made of a durable and bright yellow vinyl material, uses a textured non-slip bottom surface, has a nice headrest (the duck's tail!), and a White Hot indicator that helps prevent burns during bath time. The indicator shows as a blue heart when the temperature is below 104-degrees F, and when the water temperature is at or above approximately that temperature, it shows the word HOT in bright red letters. Inflating to about 40" long by 19" wide, it fits into basically any bathtub, even the older narrow porcelain tubs. The inner seating area is about 19" long by 10" wide, which is perfect for fitting little ones as young as about 6 months up to toddlers and bigger kids as old as a couple years (actually, it can support up to 80 pounds!). Our advice is to start using this tub once your child can sit up unsupported.

Like we said, we have many years of experience using the Munchkin duck with our own children, but we needed to purchase another to see how things have changed. Well, the good news is that the duck is just as fun and durable as it ever was, and we love the new inclusion of the convenient drain plug. The bad news, but you probably wouldn't know the difference, is that the duck bill used to make adorable quacking noises when you'd squeeze it. Nowadays, you can still squeeze the duck bill as much as you'd like, but you'll only hear the squeaking rubber. But then again, it's also only 15 bucks and I think we paid nearly double that price for it 10 years ago! Overall, we really love the Munchkin duck and think it's super fun, cute, and functional for not only bath time but also for playing! We've used the duck in the living room, yard, and even in our little red wagon (when the kids were older!). At this price, it's a no-brainer! Who else recommends the Munchkin inflatable duck bathtub? Our friends at NYMag, Verywellfamily, and ScaryMommy also consider it a top pick! Interested? You can check out the Munchkin Inflatable Duck bathtub here.

4. Skip Hop Moby Baby Bathtub.

This is another rigid baby bathtub, similar to the First Years option in a few ways, particularly its use of a newborn sling attachment that can be removed for larger babies. There are a lot of good things going for this tub. First, it can be used from birth with the mesh newborn sling that attaches at four points on the top, similar to the First Years attachment. Second, you can attach only the two back hooks of the sling and use it as more of an upright seat, which is a great transition around about 3-4 months of age. Finally, you can remove the sling entirely and use it as a flat-bottom tub for babies over 6 months of age who are comfortable sitting without support. At ages above about 8 months, the tub quickly becomes a bit too small to comfortably support a baby over 20 or so pounds. It also has a really cute whale tail design, and felt really well constructed and durable. The bottom of the tub itself is textured to prevent sliding around. We liked how you could throw the mesh sling into the washer and dryer on the gentle cycle, which is helpful for preventing mold on these types of products. It also has a drain hole down near baby's feet, which is nice, however it doesn't really sit high enough to get a fast flow going out of it. Cons? Well, unlike the First Years, it doesn't have any grooves on the bottom to help it fit into or onto a kitchen sink. It's also really small, and babies will grow out of it around 8 months (in our opinion). It's also really small in its height. The lower sides only sit about 5-6" off the ground, which is really low, and limits the amount of water you can have in the tub without it constantly splashing out of the side. We also worried a bit about babies sticking their toes into the side holes where you hook the sling on. Never happened to us, but one of our reviewers pointed it out as a possibility. Overall, we suggest checking out this baby tub. Good enough to make onto our best baby bathtubs list, but not good enough to be higher up. Mostly because it's limited in size, and isn't designed to sit on the edges of a kitchen sink. But if you're OK with those limitations, you're going to be really happy with this tub! Usually sells for about $30, and only comes in the blue color. Who else recommends the Skip Hop Moby Bathtub? Our friends at Babylist and WhatToExpect also consider it a top pick! Interested? You can check out the Skip Hop Moby here. 

5. Munchkin Sit and Soak Baby Bathtub.

This baby bathtub is most similar to the Shnuggle model (below) in terms of shape and size, but with a few key differences. First, the Munchkin has wider and taller grippy padding on the back, and a tiny bit of padding on the bottom where the bum sits. That makes the experience a little more comfortable for your baby (softer and warmer) while also helping to prevent them from sliding around. Second, the Munchkin has a carry handle at the top, making it easy to pick up, carry around, dump out, and hang to dry. Definitely a nice touch! Third, the Munchkin has a drain hole at the bottom, which is really nice for when you want to drain out the soapy water (or dirty water if there's an accident!) before a warm rinse. Finally, the Munchkin is about half the price, coming in at only about $35, making it an awesome deal.

Out of the box, we found that it was lightweight and high quality, and likely small enough to fit in our kitchen sink. At its largest part (at the top) it measures 25" long, 16" high, and 15" wide. Down near the bottom it's substantially smaller than that, making it ideal for fitting in any sink that has dimensions over about 15" x 15". Of course, you can also use it in the tub! We loved being able to use the handle to quickly dump it out and hang it in our bathtub for drying. The seating position was nice for infants, though a little steep for newborns who will tend to slump way down into a little pudge-ball. You're better off gently wiping a newborn rather than trying to bathe them in this tub. The age limit is about 12 months, but you're very likely to find that your baby will outgrow this tub by about 9-10 months and graduate to sitting in your regular bathtub with appropriate supports. The only downfall with this baby tub is the relatively upright position, making it less ideal for newborns and also hard to do certain tasks like wash hair without the water falling down on the face. Outside of those little details, we think this is a great option! Interested? You can check out the Munchkin Sit and Soak Baby Bathtub here.

6. Boon SOAK Baby Bathtub.

The Boon SOAK baby bathtub is a clever new addition to this market, offering three stages of use: newborn, infant, and toddler. To transition between newborn and infant, the adjustable mesh bump can be rotated to promote different sitting positions. For newborns, you rotate it to provide more support for a smaller body (and tiny bum!), and then you rotate it 180-degrees to provide a larger seating position and allow a bit more depth of water submersion. Finally, toddlers will sit backwards in the tub for a more upright sitting experience. The back wall has non-slip padding, and the front wall has a drain plug that works well for quick emptying. Finally, the Boon SOAK also includes a black color-changing drain plug that turns white when the water temperature is too hot.

In our testing, we loved several things about the Boon SOAK baby bathtub. First, it is small enough to fit into most (single pan) kitchen sinks, but large enough to comfortably fit toddlers. It measures about 25" long, 16" wide, and 9" high. Second, the water temperature sensor works surprisingly well - it starts off as a dark grey color and when exposed to water it turns a very light grey; if the water is too hot, it basically becomes completely white. We tested it out with water of varying temperature and found that it tends to turn white around 100-105 degrees (F), which is about 10 degrees hotter than ideal baby bath water temperatures. Third, the tub is lightweight, easy to clean, and it seemed comfortable for our test babies (3- and 7-months old). We only found two minor drawbacks with this tub. First, it is a bit small for larger toddlers, so you might find your baby grows out of it by about 10 months old. At that point, if they are sitting unsupported, they might be ready to sit in regular tub (or try out the Munchkin duck, above!). Second, there is no loop to help hang this tub for drying, and the price is about $35; that price might not seem expensive, but it's about 50% more than tubs with similar features. Outside of those two minor qualms, we think this is an excellent pick! Interested? You can check out the Boon SOAK Baby bathtub here.

7. PRIMO EuroBath Baby Bathtub.

Don't let the name fool, you this baby bathtub is made right here in the USA! This is another rigid-body plastic bathtub, similar in some ways to the First Years option. However, it is much larger and can work with kids all the way from newborn up to about 3 years old! So just how big is this thing? We measured it at about 36" long, 20" wide, and 10" high. That's nearly 10" longer than the First Years tub, and about 6" wider. The way they've designed the tub is pretty neat. They have a newborn area with a contoured seat and wings that nicely secures the baby in place, even during the wiggles. A bump between the legs helps keep baby from sliding down too far. But you can also put a larger baby sitting in the opposite direction, and they have tons of room to grow, making this a super versatile option. We found that it worked great on the floor, in the regular bathtub, and on the counter (but see our note about this later). It was just too big to get to work well in (or on) our kitchen or bathroom sink, so don't get this baby bathtub if that's your plan. It has two little cubbies on the end that are great for placing a bottle of baby shampoo, sponge, toy, or washcloth. The little cubbies have little drain holes to keep water from pooling. If your bathroom isn't equipped with a tub, for example you only have a walk-in shower, this is an awesome option to give both infants and toddlers a bathing experience.

We found the tub to be very sturdy, well-constructed, and the plastic is free of BPA, phthalates, and lead. And it has a little drain plug in the main bath area, so it's easy to drain. Of course, we found it easier to just dump it out, but that's just our style. Note that there is no padding or other grip on the area where the baby's back lays down; we found it helpful to put a small thin towel in the tub before starting the bath, which helped keep things a bit comfier and safer for baby. This tub is usually about $30 and is available in white or a couple primary colors. As of this year, this bathtub is super challenging to find, so we've put it down here on our list until that situation resolves. Who else recommends the Primo EuroBath? Our friends at Babylist and Babygearlab also consider it a top pick! Interested? You can check out the Primo EuroBath here. 

8. Beaba by Shnuggle Compact Baby Bathtub.

This is our top-pick for parents looking for a super compact, lightweight, and simple but elegant baby bathtub. It's designed for use with babies from newborn up to about 12 months of age. In our testing, we think it worked well up to about 12 months of age for a smaller baby, but larger babies will graduate sooner from it, at which time they will probably be ready to transition to a bigger tub. Let's talk about the overall size of this baby bathtub. At the top edge, it's just about 24" long and 15" wide. The top edge is much larger overall than the bottom, which is an awesome design so that it fits readily in most kitchen sinks. This was a real positive. We could fit it easily into the bigger side of a double kitchen sink, and easily into any other sink with length and width over about 15". It has grippy feet on the bottom, which helps keep it from sliding around the sink or regular bathtub, and we also found it nice and stable for use on the floor. The bottom of the tub itself is textured, and it has a hump in the middle to form a little seat for baby's bum to rest into, with just enough of a hump to keep them upright and stop from sliding forward. Infants will lay back against the padded back area, which is soft and a little bit grippy to stop baby from sliding side to side. That grip also helps it from getting too cold against the back when first getting into the tub. There is no drain plug on this baby tub so it's not great for rinsing after soaking, but it's so small and lightweight that it's easy to dump out the water when you're finished using it. Overall, this is an excellent infant bathtub, especially if you're looking for something a bit smaller and more upright positioned than most of the others on this list. But we need to mention that it's about 65 bucks, so that's really expensive, even if you like the pink, grey, or blue colors! Not for everyone given the smaller size, price, lack of features relative to the Munchkin Sit and Soak (above), and the more upright bathing position, but excellent overall! Note that this baby bathtub was recently rebranded from Shnuggle to the Beaba by Shnuggle Baby Bathtub, and now offers some additional colors and styles.

How to Pick a Baby Bathtub

Types of Baby Bathtubs

First, there are the type of tubs that fit into your kitchen sink, assuming your sink is large enough to accommodate the tub. For these, you ideally want to have a kitchen sink faucet that is long and can be repositioned out of the way; it's also nice to have one with a wand so you can use it to fill and rinse the tub. Even without a fancy big faucet and wand, you can use bowls or cups of water to fill and rinse. Some of the sink baby bathtubs are plastic, but most are a flexible foam material to conform to several sink shapes and sizes. One big advantage of the in-sink bathtubs is that you can stand during the entire bath process, right up close to your baby. A downfall, however, is that your baby will likely grow out of the sink tub within about 4-5 months. The second type of bathtub is the more rigid, and typically larger, baby bathtub that is ideal for using on the floor, counter, table, or in your traditional bathtub. These tend to be more versatile, longer lasting (usually for about a year), and easy to use. They also likely have a drain plug on the bottom, and some have an infant insert for little babies. But when they are used on the floor or in your regular bathtub, they also involve bending way down or being on your knees for the entire bath (like kneeling beside your house tub, or next to it on the bathroom floor), which can get uncomfortable. They are also usually quite a bit larger and more rigid, so they can take up a lot of space in your bathroom or closet. For our testing, we reviewed both types of tubs, and both types ended up in our best baby bathtubs list.

Baby's First Bath

For the first week or two after birth, we suggest only hand-washing with a washcloth or sponge to gently wipe away anything on your baby. This gives your baby's skin some time to acclimate to its new environment, and time for the umbilical cord to fully dry and fall off. Once that umbilical cord has fallen off and the area looks completely healed (no redness, puss, or rash), you might be ready to venture into your first newborn bathtime! This can be an exciting and sometimes hectic experience, depending on your baby's temperament. Some babies will love the bath, and some will freak out. Don't panic if your baby doesn't like the first couple baths, they'll get used to it and likely will end up really enjoying them. It's a great sensory experience for your baby, and great bonding time with mom or dad. Once you get into the swing of giving baths, you'll want to bathe your baby about 3 times a week or so until they start crawling and getting themselves a bit dirty. A bath can be a great way to wind down before bedtime, so keep that in mind as a possible strategy and routine. Now that you're ready to try out the first bath, be sure you have everything you need before you start. A comprehensive step-by-step guide with instructions on how to give your baby a first bath can be found at the bottom of this article!