How big are your kids? We got a freestanding one in our redo and tho’ it looks great I would not do another one. It is hard to get out of and if there is nothing to hold on to it can be somewhat dangerous. I badly sprained my foot a year a ago and was really unable to use the tub for 6 months as it was painful on my healing foot to get out . I still only use it infrequently. Also, altho not applicable for kids, it is not an option for someone who is aging. I do cycle class, weight training and a core class and I think I will only be able to use it another couple of years, unless we add grab bars which kind of takes away from the sleek look. Getting out for someone under 5’ would be very hard.

It’s terrible. They are awful

showers and terrible tubs to bath splashy kids in. The worst possible choice.

They're a fashion statement but not really for families unless you have a housekeeper!

At least in that inspiration picture they actually put a drain in the "shower" floor, so they anticipated that water would not be contained inside the tub.

How old are your kids? If they are a bit older and never use the tub, then it might make sense to convert to a nice larger shower. If you have another 10 years in the house with tween/teens then a shower might be more useful. Once the kids leave home, a shower would also be easier to use for older guests than a tub/shower.

If you have a master bath, put one (a stand alone tub) in there for YOU. You can give small children baths there until they outgrow the desire for baths. A step-in shower will be more useful for kids and guests alike.

We have a cheap acrylic tub shower insert thing in our daughter’s bathroom. It’s so cheap, and I’m desperate to tile in there, but I won’t until she’s a teenager. I‘m actually putting a freestanding tub in my own bathroom for myself... I do not think it would be practical at all for kids. The cleaning, splashing, and potential for falls make it a no no for me. They sure are sweet looking though- I agree.

I like my alcove tub and would not want just a shower. I'm not a huge bath taker, but I'll take one occasionally. I find the tub has other uses, too: washing my feet if I ended up popping outside without shoes (or any washing without washing hair, but feet is most common), using a pumice stone on rough heals in dry weather, spot cleaning bedding without getting water everywhere, and cleaning larger objects that I'd rather not take to the hose outside.

Fun tile can make even a basic alcove tub look stylish and updated. Make a statement with the tile, the details, the paint color, the hardware, the vanity styling (but don't lose the storage) ...

Thanks, everyone! Resounding consensus of "NO" on the freestanding tub. WilI heed your advice. Our kids are young and still love baths so I will go with an alcove tub then. Unfortunately our master bath is not big enough to do a freestanding tub plus shower. Oh well.

What a shame. We have two small children and chose to have a freestanding bath - so easy to give children their baths, not hard to clean, beautiful. The judgy peoson who called them terrible awful etc made me chose freestanding bath lol- so judgy.