Consumer Reports Video SAFETY ALERT Baby bath seat danger View video

Baby bath seats, almost all of which stick to a bathtub with suction cups, have been blamed for about 120 drownings and at least 160 injuries since 1983. For that reason, in July 2000, Consumers Union (the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports) and other consumer organizations petitioned the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to ban the seats. So far, the only reform is a revision of a voluntary industry safety standard, which took effect on Feb. 1, 2005. However, seats using suction cups are unlikely to adhere to the nonskid surface in new tubs and may tip with less force than the revised standard allows. The CPSC therefore advises parents who have a tub with a textured or nonskid bottom not to use a bath seat.

But, in our opinion, that's not good enough. Bath seats can tip over when suction cups fail, and babies and toddlers can become trapped underwater. And despite warning labels, the seats can induce a false sense of security, leading parents to think they can turn their back on the baby for a short time. In many of these tragic cases, parents had left the room momentarily, and in at least one case, an adult was present.

Avoid using any baby bath seat, including the latest hybrid models. The Safety 1st Deluxe 4-in-1 Bath Station ($20), for example, converts from a bathtub to a bath seat with a support bar for the baby to straddle in the tub itself. Still, our tests show that the tub could tip if it's used in seat mode in a regular bathtub with a non-slip surface. Although the User Guide warns parents to use the bath station only on smooth (not nonskid) surfaces, it's too easy to ignore. If the tub is mounted in a regular bathtub with a non-slip surface, a child could tip in the bath seat and possibly hit her head on the adult bathtub. We don't recommend using this product in the seat mode because of the possibility of injury.

The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) certifies two brands of bath seats: Safety 1st and The First Years. Still, given the troubled history of baby bath seats, we continue to believe parents should avoid this product for the time being. To date, there is an existing American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard for bath seats and a draft, preliminary standard for infant bathtubs. We tested three infant bathtubs to the draft of the standard and the Safety 1st 4-in-1 Bath Station (a hybrid tub) to the bath seat standard also. See the bathtub Ratings .