Customer Reviews

Fisher-Price Precious Planet Whale of a Tub

5 star:		(147)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Save yourself the time and energy looking for a baby bath tub and head straight for this one. I'm so happy with this tub that I find myself making more time for bath time with my baby! First of all, it's just so darn cute. But seriously, here are my top reasons for loving this tub:

1) For the infant stage, no sling to mess with. Although a sling sounds nice and hammocky, you won't miss it. Sling issues from my experience include sagging, baby suspended over the nice warm water, not actually in it! Hard bumps for baby's tender back or bottom. None of those issues here!

Instead of the sling, it's much simpler...baby's back rests against the soft, oval padding you see in the picture. Baby is kept from sliding down into the tub by a removable ledge, which leaves more of baby actually comfortable and IN the water with legs free to move and kick, which makes bath time more fun and enjoyable! By the way, it will take a little muscle power (not a bad thing) to remove the ledge when baby can sit up.

2) For the 6+ months stage or when baby is sitting up, remove the ledge you have a basin large enough for baby to sit comfortably and play without knees knocking against the edges, yet it's not so large that it takes up too much space or baby feels insecure. I also like the depth. It can be filled with enough water without having to be filled to the brim.

3) It comes with a perfect little accessory: a baby whale strainer that is (a) cute, (b) functional, (c) fun toy. First of all, this baby whale is just adorable. Secondly, it's very useful during the infant stage, especially if you're not using the kitchen sink sprayer. Simply scoop up water and allow it to flow through the strain holes to rinse baby or tickle baby. Lastly, when baby starts grabbing, it becomes FUN for him or her. Curiosity, cause and effect, those lightbulb moment looks. Just priceless, and again it's so simple.

4) It fits in the kitchen sink perfectly. It also works on the counter top since it has non-skid type material underneath -still use common sense and stay beside baby & tub. It fits in the bath tub as well. So, where ever you want to use it, the tub should work.

5) Price - this tub is the best value AND quality I've found. Many other tubs cost more, but they have features that don't live up to expectations.

I used a Safety First one for 2 sons and didn't like the small crevices in the end where soap and slime could eventually collect. I also didn't like that the no-slip rest was too low and one little kick from baby and he'd slide down into the water with his back over the butt rest. I checked out a Eurobath, but it is much to large for kitchen sink/counter bathing and stooping over a tub to reach a slippery baby isn't easy. But I know some people always think higher price means better quality. (This isn't always true!)

After searching I came across this, the 'butt-stop' is more adequate for babies and is removable for bigger kids. The surface has no small areas making bleaching/cleaning easy. It also fits securely onto the sink, better than any others I've tried. The only downside is there is no sling for spongebaths when they still have their umbilicle cords. They usually only have their cords a short time so that is alright with me in the long run.

UPDATE: After daily use for 1.5 months I'm still happy with this tub. I've also discovered that it drains really fast which I love.

ANOTHER UPDATE: I'm now using this tub with a new baby and I'm still happy with it. It came out of storage in great shape, no brittle parts and the foam on the back still looks new.

This was our son's first bath tub and we are still using it at 8 months. I gave it 3 stars because it worked better at certain ages than others.

NEWBORN:
We had to hold his head from flopping to the side and he was too short for his butt to rest on the green butt-bumper so it was functional but logistically a bit tricky. We stuck it on the counter in our bathroom and because it wasn't as large as some of the other tubs, it was workable.

3-5 MONTHS:
Before our son could sit up on his own this was the PERFECT time for this tub. His head rested comfortably on the green foam (although not too cushy, just a non-slip type pad), and his butt could rest on the green bumper to keep him from sliding down. The angle of the tub back was perfect so he didn't get water in his ears but we could fill the tub up to keep him warm. We still put a warm washcloth on his chest in the winter to keep him from getting chilled, but in a warm bathroom this wasn't necessary as their was enough water in the tub.

6+ MONTHS:
Now that he can sit up on his own, we took the green butt-bumper out and he can sit comfortably in the deep end of the pool facing either front or back. He can splash and play and we can still lay him down if needed.

----The orange cup with holes in the bottom was a hit at every age and we'll use it long after he fully outgrows the tub.

We have had two other tubs before we bought this one. They were both horrible and we needed to hold our baby's head out of the water, which meant that two of us needed to bathe him.

This tub is fantastic. The "stopper" is wonderful and our little guy can relax/splash around in the water. We don't have to hold his head out of water. We also like that it is small enough to store in our closet without taking up the entire space.

This tub is definitely recommended!

This tub works really well for newborns. Even when they can't yet sit up or support their heads, the ingenious "bump" design at the bottom of the tub prevents them from slipping down into the water -- this allows you to take one hand off the baby to grab a washcloth or more soap. (Otherwise you need eight hands to bathe a baby!?) It's also great for diaper rash, since you can soak the baby's bottom for a while in a little warm water (the best cure for diaper rash). We went with this tub, rather than one with a "newborn sling," since the slings seem precarious and their use a little short-lived.

By the way, we bought it for less at a local store, so I would look around for a better deal. (And you're not necessarily limited to Fisher Price, since I see there are similar tubs made by other brands... but none as cute!)

This is a great tub at a great price and my baby loves it. As one person said, no need to look around or worry about a sling, its not needed. My baby is now 5 months old and I have been using it from I took her home, no worries. You wont regret this buy.

This is the best baby bathtub! It's perfect for my 6 pound baby. She is well supported by the bump and doesn't slide down or slump over to one side. The size is just right to keep her in place so I can have one hand on her and one hand free to grab soap or the washcloth or towel. I started using it right after the belly button stump fell off when she was ten days old. I had another tub for my first baby, but this is so much better. If you've been looking for a good baby bath, this is it.

I love love love this tub!! We received the cheapy Safety 1st tub as a baby gift but our newborn son kept slipping in it and we had to hold him up. This tub is absolutely wonderful! He doesn't slip or cry and his body is fully supported. He even falls asleep in his tub when we bathe him!

A nice tub all around, we bought this for our newborn after using an older hand-me-down tub for a few weeks.

Pros:
- Narrower on the "tail" end so that a squirmy newborn won't end up sliding sideways.
- Cute design also.
- I noticed the non-skid portion for the base of the tub for toddlers.
- Sieve cup included (my daughter is too young to play with it now, but I love little accessories)

Cons:
- I wish it was slightly deeper. During the colder days/nights I like the water a bit higher (yes, I end up putting a warm washcloth on her chest) to provide a bit more coverage.
- It would be nice if the little slide stop for the infant section (the green divider in the middle) had a small notch or handgrip to more easily pull it off. The picture on the website has it but it doesn't exist.
- Would be nice if the slide stop had channels for water to drain to the section with the drain hole. As it is now, it either drains very slowly or you need to tip the tub over.
- Drain would be nice if the whole tub had a slight angle towards it, so water would naturally drain without having to tip it or swish it around. The drain stop itself is slightly higher than the tub, so due to the stop you need to tip it over to get all the water out.

Also, mine came with the 'Fisher-Price' tag and the green foam for the back all askew. Was a bit disappointed that they couldn't even put on stickers straight.

Edit June 21st:
I'm going to take off another star off this tub. The picture they provide really isn't the same, the lime green slide stop isn't channeled and I've realized this is an issue. I've discovered that due to the lack of a channel or any aerating, the under-portion of the stop and the portion of the bathtub being covered by the stop doesn't get to dry between baths and will slime up. It would potentially get moldy and the baby could eventually be bathing in water sitting in mold/slime. A horrible design. I have to 'pop-up' the slide stop after each wash which adds a bit more time and makes putting away the tub more of a hassle. They definitely need to change this. I like to give the baby a rinse so she doesn't have soap over her after her bath and the stop keeps her in soapy water or makes draining too slow.

I think this tub would be fine if the legs had screwed in properly. For one thing, you need a standard looong screwdriver... we only had a shorter interchangeable one that came in a toolkit and it could not reach. The biggest problem was that even when screwed in, the legs were still wobbly. So, we tightened the screws a bit more, and then a bit more, and then it broke... the leg broke off and when we turned the tub over, the screw had started to come through the plastic of the tub. The directions DO say not to overtighten, but with the legs so unstable, I didn't think it was safely tightened enough!

So, just beware that this could happen, and perhaps your experience with the tub will be great! I plan on calling Fisher-Price to see if I can get a replacement or a certificate for a different style tub.

Good luck!