It may look like your standard bucket or a plastic flower pot, but the latest in baby bathing technology is taking mommies by storm.
The tummy tub, which retails for $45, is specially designed for infants to simulate the mother's womb.
The tummy tub was invented in the mid-90s in the Netherlands, but it made it's American TV debut Friday morning on "The Today Show."
Janis McKellar, who appeared on "Today" with hosts Matt Lauer, Meredith Viera and Ann Curry, sells the tummy tub through her Web site, Bathedwithlove.com.
The benefits of using tummy tub:
It's made of nontoxic materials
It has a low center of gravity so it doesn't tip over
It requires much less water than traditional infant tubs
Water stays warm longer
The drawbacks:
People may wonder why you're bathing your kid in a bucket
So why not just buy a bucket?
"A bucket is really unsafe for babies," McKellar told 'Today.' "The Tummy Tub is anti-skid with a low center of gravity. It doesn't have a handle -- that's a big safety issue. You wouldn't want your baby chewing on the side of a bucket."
The Original TUMMY TUB is on SALE at http://www.skincarebaby.com/baby_products
DO NOT use a household bucket!!!
A household bucket is not designed, and the overall shape is not suitable, for bathing babies safely. Normal buckets don’t have an anti-skid bottom.
The bottom is not curved like the tummy tub, and therefore does not give the baby any support.
Babies discover their new world by touching with their hands and tasting with their mouths. The pigments in plastic buckets will most likely contain toxic elements, as normal buckets aren’t meant for bathing babies.
You can view your baby from all sides, because of transparent material of original Tummy Tub baby bath tub.
The handle of the bucket can easily hurt the fingers of the baby. It also brings an extra risk, as an older brother or sister could, by holding it, pull the bucket from the table.
Normal buckets are too low and narrow and the children can’t stay warm.
Using a bigger bucket doesn’t give the child the support and a comfortable sitting position like the Tummy Tub does.
A normal bucket would never have the TÜV and BSI approval for baby bathing like the Tummy Tub baby bath tub has.