Children at hot springs

I am visiting japan with my 17month old daughter and would like to go to the hot springs bath houses, are children allowed as well or would there be a baby sitting service?

I've seen children in the baths, but not any who diaper age. I think no one wants children peeing in the baths. There are no baby sitting services that I've seen.

Most onsen baths (as well as public pools) have a sign (in Japanese) that encourages those with diapers to stay out. But in reality, I do see infants in public baths.

I think it would be alright if you keep the child near a drain and out of the tub, which was what I used to do with mine. The tub can be too hot for the little ones anyway.

Otherwise, you can look for a place with a private bath, a smaller-sized one just fit for one family. However, since they do not drain the onsen tub each time someone uses it, you should still keep the baby out of the tub.

By the way, a lot of large onsen accomodations have tiny plastic "unit bath" rooms inside each room that do not provide the unique atmosphere of hot springs, but are handy for those who need to fill the tub freely.