What baby bath to get? And changing mats?

Hi girls, I am a bit confused about what is the best baby bath to get for a newborn? Our bathtub is pretty deep and our sink is not huge so we need something to put the baby in the bathe him. Are we best getting one of those little plastic baths and adding in one of the little foam supports to start with? It seems to dangerous and slippery without it? Or are the little sling bath seats good and to what age will they last? Does the baby not get cold with these as they are not immersed in water??? Has anyone tried the Mothercare inflatable fold away bath and if so is it comfortable for a baby or is the material a bit rough for a baby's skin? It looks handt for storing away but I'm unsure about it? Also what is a top and tail bowl used for? Do you need one if you get a baby bath? Finally, if we are getting a changing mat to use on the bed should we get a plastic one of the cloth covered ones? The cloth ones look more comfortable for the baby but are they practical and can the be washed easily? If you get a plastic one do you need to cover it with a towel anyway? Sorry for all the questions!!! I am just confused by all the choice and am not sure which would be best? Thanks so much!!!

i got the mamas and papas one and i got the foam insert it is just fantastic u pop LO down on it, it's soft he loves it and is really esy to get his wiggly, slippery body off it. we alos got a mamas and papas changing mat. but i got one inside me blooming gorgeous changing bag thats plastic and use it all the time. it can be wiped as opposed to the mamas and papas one that has to be washed and woth the poonamis that we've had thank god for plastic

hiya lollyflashpants i got the fisher price aquarium bath it is a tub bath and it has one of the sling insert things in it for when they are small. havent used it yet so dont know if its any good but it sounded good to me anyway. wanted to have the sling to support the baby when they are small because im just guessing ill be a bit awkward at the start trying to bathe the baby. on the changing mat i got a mamas and papas one it has a towelling insert on it and it came with a spare one so if it gets dirty i can just take that one off and throw it in the wash and there is a spare there. also got two changing bags ones as a present and both of them have plastic changing mats in them, look easy to wipe clean but i think they might be a bit cold for a baby so i would probably cover them with a towel anyway. also they are fairly small so i dunno would they be much good as the baby gets bigger? Hope some of this helps anyway

LFP At our antenatal class the midwife said that new borns don't [u:11np6rqa]need[/u:11np6rqa] a bath once they had one in hospital for the first 6 weeks. She mentioned that bathing a new born is kinda scary at first so that topping and tailing is fine. She said that some parents like to bath babies so there is no right or wrong but that is wasn't necessary. Top and tail bowl is a small twin basin that holds water for face and chin and separate water for the bum region. She recommended to invest in two bowls one for upstairs and one for downstairs. They cost about 10E each. My mum has bought us the baby bath so I have no idea which one and didn't want to ruin her buzz by setting out my preferences. And I still need to buy a chnaging mat

i bath lo twice a week and top and tail him everyday. i have to say he prefers the bath kicks smiles and is more relaxed

The simplest baby bath works for us. He's in it for literally 2mins and they show you how to bathe your baby before you leave the hospital so you'll be more confident. We didn't get a top & tail bowl, prefer to bath daily (which is also gd for establishing a bedtime routine). Plastic changing mats much better than towelling ones. We had one that you can change the towel on but I thought it was unhygienic and we ended up using it withough the towel. A changing unit is an investment.

Just an alternate idea to a baby bath. At our prenatal course last week, the midwife showed us lots of pictures of babies being washed in buckets. Ordinary buckets or tubs. Some clear or plastic. Whatever you happen to have. Babies looked happy and looked easy enough to support the baby in the bucket.

Hi Lollyflashpants!! I'm defo no expert but here's my 2c worth! Top and tail bowl is required because your not supposed to bath baby every day. One half of the bowl is used for face neck ears etc and the other for bum ect. I went to a mother care evening and the midwife there said that them spongy things that you sit your baby into can be very unhygenic as they can get poo'd wee'd on - in saying that i think that i might get one anyway as i am afraid that i will let babs slip! I think that the plastic mats are best because they can be wiped but i will use it with a towel on it to put baby on because i think that it could be a bit cold? I am getting a changing unit with bath. A lot of my friends have one of these and they swear by it esp the one who ended up having a section as she didnt have to do any bending at all bathing her baby! I am getting the one in mamas and pappas! Its lovely with some shelves under it for nappies, baby grows, vests etc! They are in mothercare (a yellow one) at the moment on sale for only €50!

I bought a mamas and papas changing mat and it was so expensive in comparison to the ordinary plastic ones....ended up buying two cheap plastic ones as was spending ages washing the material on the mamas and papas ones...little boys pee pee and poo goes everywhere!!least with plastic you can wash.... i put muslins which i bought in ikea, which are really big on the plastic ones when i am chaging his clothes so its not too cold.... as for the bath..we bought the mamas and papas white one and its does the job fine..we wash our lo twice a week and top and tail every day...he hates being nude but once he is in the water he is fine and he has so much hair that if i left him, it would actually be greasy looking....

WOW, thanks girls for all the replies - a lot to consider but great to have all your opinions! I think the plastic changing mat may be the way to go and I like the idea of putting big muslins down so it isn't too cold. I think the top and tail bowl is a must have and I will get a baby bath with either the foam insert or the sling thing. Either of those would be hard to clean if the little one did a poo in the bath though wouldn't they???? How often does that happen by the way???