The Tummy Tub, a bucket-shaped baby bath, is taking Ireland by storm after being introduced into maternity hospitals.

Irish moms say the Tummy Tub eases the stress of baby bath time.

Made for babies up to 6 months old, the Tub is designed to replicate the comfort of the mother’s womb.

Babies naturally adopt the fetal position in the Tub, which makes them feel “instantly...reassured and relaxed,” says Irish distributor  TummyTub.ie.

The shape of the Tummy Tub reduces risk of drowning, and its transparence is comforting for nervous new parents who want to keep an eye on their babies.

The bath is also environmentally friendly - it’s made from green materials, and its compact size uses less water than most baby baths.

And! It also doubles up as a plant-holder or storage space once the baby's grown out of it.

Based in County Wicklow, and run by brothers Declan and David Power, the company is both amused and bemused by all the media attention that has come its way.

"We get calls and emails from the States all the time," Declan Power told IrishCentral.com, adding that CBS and NBC have been on the phone with them trying to find "the real Tummy Tub story." 
 
"I guess people find us on the Net and think we're the 'Tummy Tub people' just because I did a good job of building the Web site (www.tummytub.ie) and optimizing it for the big search engines."
 
Power ruefully admitted there was no "online store" on his site, nor any other for the Tummy Tub that he knew of. "Maybe we should do that," he mused, "even in this catastrophe of an economy."

The Tummy Tub, which was originally created in Holland in 1996, is said to soothe colicky and premature babies.

Midwives around Europe, especially in Ireland, are impressed with the Tummy Tub, and maternity hospitals, physicians and childcare specialists are endorsing them across the continent.

Elaine Flynn, a nurse at Kerry General Hospital, said she’s “very impressed, baby enjoyed it...have already recommended it to parents. Very good idea.”

Maura McCarthy, a midwife from Regional Maternity Hospital Limerick, is also a fan: “Mother thought it was very good, baby loved it, easy to use, not as messy as standard bath.”