TummyTub & Mom4Life com

New for Tummy Tub!

There are a number of exciting changes in store for Tummy Tub this fall! First of which is the debut of the new logo. Tummy Tub USA.com has also been updated to give more information to American parents about the incredible benefits of the tub. Click the logo above to check out the newly revised site. We are excited to bring you a whole line of new Tummy Tub products in the coming months!

Tummy Tub Time Rivals Breastfeeding as Favorite Baby Activity!

The Tummytub can be misunderstood at first sight. My initial reaction was one of skepticism. I thought, “how could a plastic bucket be comforting to a baby”. I was intrigued enough to visit the company’s website at www.tummytubusa.com in order to read further. Upon reading about how the Tummytub’s tapered shape is designed to mimic the shape of the womb and how the snug fit and warm water help the baby to feel secure, I realized this was an ingeniously designed “bucket”. As a certified nurse midwife (CNM) I respect the natural wisdom of women’s bodies, especially the mother’s womb. I know that the shape of the womb and it’s placement within the musculature of the boney pelvis assists in developing the body and psyche of the fetus.Inside the womb, the baby is cradled tightly in warm fluid where she can move weightlessly spinning and stretching. The fetus is also aware of the auditory stimuli from the mother’s body, voice, and the fluid in which it lives. The Tummytub really is the closest a baby can get back to her home in the womb because it provides a similar warm, tight, water filled space where she can be with her parents and listen to the noises of the water.

When I had my third baby in May of 2010, I had not yet heard of the Tummytub. From newborn to six weeks of age I bathed my baby in a mainstream brand flat and long baby bath. As any experienced mother knows, those baths are not easy to use and babies are uncomfortable and cold the whole time. I actually felt guilty giving my newborn a bath because I could see and hear (from his constant crying) how miserable it made him. I tried my best to keep him warm, but with the spread out water surface and huge basin the water cooled very quickly. Bath time was usually a screaming flail and only done out of absolute necessity.

Thank God I discovered the Tummytub! When it arrived I was so excited to try it out that I gave my baby a second bath for the day. He was six weeks old and cried as soon as I undressed him. He was screaming as I eased his little body into the warm water. As soon as his belly hit the water he suddenly stopped crying, his eyes glazed over, and his body visibly relaxed as he entered into a state of “zen”. I called my husband and older children in to witness the baby’s bliss and they were all amazed at his reaction too. He seemed to be transported to a physiologic memory through his present experience in the warm water. Our love affair with the Tummytub has been going strong now for four months. Either my husband or I give the baby a bath in it every single day to provide our baby with the hydrotherapy he so craves. Sometimes he even maintains that “zen” or quiet alert state for 30 - 40 minutes after his bath. We have also used it to successfully eliminate gas pains or “colic”. Our baby has become so relaxed in the Tummytub that he has fallen asleep in it several times! It’s true that our baby smiles and giggles while inside the Tummytub and cries when we take him out. I can honestly say, the Tummytub rivals breast feeding as his favorite activity.

As a mother and a certified nurse midwife, I have nothing but positive things to say about our experience with the Tummytub. I highly recommend it to my clients, friends, and colleagues. I really hope it sparks a revolution in infant care products. More products should be designed to promote family comfort, peace, and bonding as was the case with the Tummytub and the 2-step stool. Bath time is no longer a stressful, back breaking chore to get through. Instead it is a healthy, warm, and loving interaction between parent and child. I am very impressed with the Tummytub and 2-step stool’s ease of use, functionality, and design which captures the wisdom of the mother’s womb; inspired by divine creation.

Jannah Alaoui, CNM, MSN Certified Nurse Midwife

San Jose, CA www.BarakahMidwifery.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_7NkOVfQmc

History of the Tummy Tub

The idea for the TummyTub® came from a real-life situation, practicality, and common sense of a young mother, Anita Belderok from the Netherlands. Although the bathing of babies in buckets had been used and endorsed by Dutch midwives and maternity nurses for some time, it had never been introduced commercially. For Dutch midwives and maternity nurses this ‘bucket therapy’ was already common practice, as they had found that newborns were much more comfortable being bathed in a bucket, than in the mini-size version of the adult bath, commonly used since the 1950s for bathing babies.

Most babies have trouble adapting to their new world after being in the mother’s womb for nine months. Noise, bright light, less control of movement due to gravity at full force, hunger, thirst, digestion of food and a sensation of being lost in space without physical support, have to be coped with. This causes a lot of uneasiness for young infants.

Babies calm down easily when put in the TummyTub due to:

• the resemblance to the mother’s womb in size and warmth
• the sheltered/filtered environment
• the support from the walls and bottom
• the familiar fetal position
• the smaller water surface also causes the water to stay warmer for longer

The initial idea won ‘Dutch Idea of the year’ in 1993. It was further developed and designed with the help of midwives, nurses, child-psychologists, child-physiotherapists, ob-gyns, and pediatricians in the Netherlands. The basic design won the approval of a panel of experts in the hospital, as it wasn’t only more practical and better for the baby, but also stimulated the bonding between parent and child. It also gave the baby and parents a greater sense of security, as the baby can be seen through the transparent polypropylene. While developing the TummyTub Bath no fewer than 17 different forms of bathing-buckets were tested by midwives and nursery nurses in their daily practice. The first prototypes were discarded by them as either too wide, whereby the babies could not feel the sides therefore were not reassured or were not deep enough to allow the babies to be sufficiently immersed in water to keep warm.

Because of the little water needed in the Tummy Tub®, parents can hold their baby with one hand and use the other to wash their child. Not only is this convenient, but it saves energy as well! Naturally, Tummy Tub® was designed without any sharp edges to harm baby’s skin and made out of the most baby friendly materials. This is the reason why it has passed every safety regulation all over the world and comes out as ‘simply the best’ in every test against competitive products. It has been used by millions of babies in neonatal and maternity wards, as well as homes all over the world!

Tummy Tub Washing Tips

• Infants do not need to be washed every day. Experts agree that 2-3 times a week is sufficient for a newborn to protect their delicate skin from over drying. You can use the tummy tub® for relaxation and calming without soap!
• When your baby is able to sit by herself and hold her head up, you need less water and do not need to support the head.
• Do not worry if your baby wants to stand up at first, as this will be encouraged by the buoyancy of the water. Just give them time to explore their abilities, as in the end they will sit down and enjoy their bath. To encourage sitting, put the baby in bottom first with legs extended up the sides of the tub.
• You can put a few drops of natural baby wash directly into the water and allow baby to soak in it. Organic and natural products are seldom drying to the skin.
• Use a pump dispenser for soap and shampoo and an absorbent natural sponge. These allow for easy one hand washing.
• Having a hard time washing a young baby with one hand? Try less water. The tummy tub® is designed so that even young infants can support themselves against the walls of the tub. Water covering the shoulders is best for relaxing, but water to the middle of the chest, inches below the chin will be easier for washing. This will give you two hands free. Video demo
• Chunky baby? No problem! tummy tub® gives you easy access to baby’s body without sliding around. Hair washing is a breeze and you can easily reach baby’s backside and pudgy rolls under the water or by lifting baby out for a quick rub down.
  
• Concerned about dirty water? Don’t be! Think of the tummy tub® as an adult bath tub. Would you take a bath if you were filthy? Probably not. You wouldn’t put your dirty baby in a clean tub of water either. If your baby has had a blowout or is covered in spaghetti, give a quick rinse down before putting in the tummy tub®. Babies do occasionally “go potty” while bathing. No big deal- tummy tub® is easy to dump, clean, and fill again.
• It’s not uncommon for newborns to fall asleep in the tummy tub® and babies love to use mom or dad’s fingers as a pacifier while in the tub! Have another person handy for some great photo and video ops!
• Older babies and toddlers can sit and stand for washing and love the feeling of having their own personal hot tub…you will be surprised at how long your baby can enjoy the tummy tub®!
• For Video Tutorials visit our library!
• FAQ

Warning: Never leave your baby unattended in the bath. Keep a hand on the baby at all times!

Step by Step Instructions for Using the Tummy Tub

Using the Tummy Tub is simple, but as with any new concept, it is helpful to have visual instructions to get started.

Fill the tummy tub® with desired amount of water. We recommend filling halfway up to the 5 inch water guide line at first, you can always add more later. Water temperature should be between 96-100 degrees, make sure to test with your elbow to ensure it is not too hot or cold. Place the tub on a flat, sturdy surface (counter, kitchen sink, hard floor, regular tub all work fine) or an original tummy tub stand. Have everything close to the bathing area: soap, sponge, towels, etc. Make sure the room is warm enough, so baby will not get cold quickly after the bath.

Read More »