My very first thought when it arrived was “how come this box isn’t very heavy?”
I was shocked that the parcel had hardly any weight to it at all because I knew what was in it and anyone who has ever used disability equipment will know it usually weighs a ton!
Whoever designed the splashy seat deserves some sort of award because not only have they designed something which looks brilliant, they’ve done it without the need for their customers to use any screws, bolts or allen keys to put it together.
I was so shocked at how simple this piece of kit was to put together – (Ikea please take note!)
The seat itself came in 3 parts, the base, the seat and the backrest, which slot together really quickly and easily.
The seat and all the accessories, are made from a lovely soft material which feels a little like the foam they make flip flops or crocs from.
They are completely water resistant and warm to the touch, which I really liked as most bath supports are cold hard monstrosities with scratchy netting and straps which never seem to dry so they are always cold and damp when you do them up.
The Splashy seat has an adjustable backrest so you can sit your child nice and upright or choose to recline it a little if that is easier for them.
We like to use it in its most reclined position so that William can be submerged in the water and relax for a while.
The optional bumpers can be placed wherever you wish so they can be used as head or lateral supports. William doesn’t have very good head control so, for us they were ideal as head supports.
We have a height adjustable Astor Bannerman bath and the Splashy fits with plenty of space to spare.
Although William prefers to be reclined, sitting upright was a real novelty for him as none of his previous supports have offered that position.
So he has been able to have more fun in the bath with some toys and a lot of splashing which he loves. I also find it is a little easier to wash his hair when he is sitting more upright.
My only real negatives about this seat would be:
a) It doesn’t come in bigger sizes. William is now 8 and there’s not a whole lot of room for growth left in this which is a real shame, perhaps Firefly might consider making a larger size at some point.
b) It is difficult for us to use this seat if we want to hoist William out of the bath, because we usually hoist up and then fold the changing table down to lay him on.
The height of the chair means we can’t do that and would have to take the chair apart or remove it before we can put the changing table down, so it would mean William is left in the hoist for a few minutes.
Not impossible, but certainly tricky. If the seat could recline a little more without taking it apart then this issue would be solved easily.
We have also used this seat in other ways, it was a big hit in the school paddling pool and William loved having his feet in a big bucket of water in the summer time, so he could kick about in the garden.