Tips To Set Up A Newborn Bath
Here are few tips for setting up a newborn bath. Make sure you follow these to get the best experience of bathing your newborn.
- Turn off your phone so that you dont get distracted while bathing your baby.
- Ensure everything needed for bathing is within your reach, for example, towel, washcloth, diaper, clothes, etc.
- It is not wise to use soap while bathing a baby because it can dry the delicate skin of a little one. If you really want to use it, then prefer using fragrance-free oil or a gentle cleanser at last.
- Position your baby at a place where you can comfortably hold and bathe your baby.
- Fill the bath with warm water enough to wash your baby.
- Remember to take off your jewelry, watch, or anything which you are wearing in your hands.
- Make sure the temperature of the water is around 37-38C before putting your baby into it. Water must be comfortably warm, not too hot.
- Dont add much water or more water once you have put your baby in the bath.
What Is A Swaddle Bath
If youve got a fussy baby, especially in the earliest weeks, a swaddle bath can help make babys first few bath times go a lot smoother.
A swaddle bath is when you loosely swaddle your baby before putting them in the tub, keeping your baby wrapped while theyre in the water. This helps them feel secure and warm, and it helps you keep a grip on your slippery, wiggly little one.
Heres how to do a swaddle bath:
Heres a helpful video showing how to do a swaddle bath.
If you give your baby a swaddle bath, the same guidance applies as for regular baths: dont bathe baby every day , make sure baby is sitting up in their tub or sink, use warm water and keep one hand supporting baby as much as possible.
When Is Best Time To Give Newborn A Bath
There is no one perfect time to give your baby a bath its your decision. Choose a time when youre least likely to be interrupted and you arent in a hurry. As a general rule, youll find bathing your newborn is usually easiest when he or she is wide awake and content. Its best not to bathe your newborn baby when he or she is tired or hungry.
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Topping And Tailing Tips
- Hold your baby on your knee or lay them on a changing mat. Take off all their clothes, apart from their vest and nappy, and wrap them in a towel.
- Dip the cotton wool in the water and wipe gently around your baby’s eyes from the nose outward, using a fresh piece of cotton wool for each eye. This is so that you don’t transfer any stickiness or infection from one eye to another.
- Use a fresh piece of cotton wool to clean around your baby’s ears, but not inside them. Never use cotton buds to clean inside your baby’s ears. Wash the rest of your baby’s face, neck and hands in the same way and dry them gently with the towel.
- Take off the nappy and wash your baby’s bottom and genital area with fresh cotton wool and warm water. Dry very carefully, including between the skin folds, and put on a clean nappy.
- It will help your baby to relax if you keep talking while you wash them. The more they hear your voice, the more they’ll get used to listening to you and start to understand what you’re saying.
How Hot Should The Water Be
The water temperature to bathe your baby should be warm, never hot. The ideal temperature is 98.6°F . You can use a bath thermometer to monitor the temperature, or check the water with your wrist or elbow to confirm its warm and not hot.
Also, check different sides of the tub or baby bath to confirm there are no hot spots. If using a tub or basin, turn on the cold water first and then the hot water to fill it.
If you live in a house, you can also adjust the water heater to ensure it doesnt go above 120°F , which can badly scald your babys skin. You likely cant adjust the water heater if you live in an apartment complex or condo.
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Washing And Rinsing Baby In The Baby Tub
Wash baby with a washcloth and a bit of soap, using a similar process to the sponge bath.
- Remember: babies don’t need much soap!
You can also use the cup to wet baby with the warm water, as you bathe them.
Doulas Jessica and Kristi from Helping Hands Doula share more on bathing your little one in the baby tub:
End the bath when the water in the baby tub starts to get too cold.
Then, rinse baby with a cup of clean, warm water.
- Cradle the back of baby’s head in one hand and drape their body over your arm. Hold their head over the baby tub.
- Slowly pour the water on their head.
- Next, hold their body over the baby tub. Slowly pour water over their body parts, making sure all the soap is rinsed off.
When Can You Bathe Your Baby Every Day
It is best to bathe the baby no more than three times a week for the first year . Bathing more than thrice a week may dry the babys skin and cause discomfort. Once your baby is older than 12 months, you may bathe them every day with water. Some newborns may enjoy bathing in a bathtub, making bathing an excellent time to bond with the little one. In such cases, you may consider bathing the baby more than three times after doctor consultation.
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How Often Do You Bathe A Newborn
Newborns need not bathe daily, and two to three baths a week are sufficient to keep them clean . Take the pediatricians opinion if you wish to bathe the newborn more than thrice a week. You may wash the babys face, hands, neck, and bottom every day with water or a sponge since these areas are most likely to become dirty easily.
Whats The Best Baby Bathtub
There a few factors to consider when choosing a baby bathtub, but the two biggest are your babys age and the amount of space you have in your home.
Sink bathsinserts that rest inside your sinkare a great choice for younger babies who may feel overwhelmed in a regular tub . Theyre also a great choice if you live in a smaller home and dont want to maneuver around a giant plastic baby bath every time you head into your bathroom to brush your teeth.
The Lotus and the Boon Soak are two of our favorites in this category. Just make sure they fit properly into the sink youre planning on bathing your baby in before you buy.
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Cleaning Your Baby Between Baths
Just as you’d still apply deodorant when forgoing your own shower, certain baby parts need attention daily whether they’re getting a full-on bath or not.
“Be sure that you’re cleaning the diaper area well, especially following stool or ‘poopy’ diapers, in between skin folds,” Dr. Grant advises. For baby boys, gently retract the foreskin to clean the area underneath. For girls, the area around the vagina has similar folds that should be cleaned well.
Don’t skimp on the lotion, either. “Daily application can help prevent eczema outbreaks, so this might be a useful replacement for bathtime in the bedtime routine,” says Dr. Grant. “This is especially important for babies who have already shown signs of eczema or have siblings or parents with eczema.”
Situating And Supervising Baby
To place baby in the bath, gently slide them into the baby tub, feet first.
- As you slide baby in, hold them securely.
- One arm should provide support under their head, and that hand should grasp baby under their underarm.
- The other arm should support baby’s bottom.
Never leave baby alone in the bath, not even for a second.
- There’s a high risk of drowning if baby is left unsupervised in the tub.
- As the American Academy of Pediatrics cautions, babies can drown in as little as 1-2 inches of water.
- And over half of bathtub deaths involve children under one year of age.
Never leave baby in the bath with only another child watching them, either. Babies need close adult supervision in the bath.
If you need to leave the bath area for any reason, you must take baby with you!
Keep one hand on baby at all times during the bath — use “touch supervision” to keep them safe.
- Ideally, use one arm to cradle babys head while you bathe them with the other hand.
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How To Give Your Newborn A Sponge Bath
How To Give Your Newborn A Sponge Bath. For circumcised baby boys, sponge baths should continue until. Youâll want to do this on a comfortable surface such as a changing table.
Baby soap baby towel You can give the baby a bath in a flat surface like a changing table or in a baby. Doctors recommend washing newborns two to three times per week, so knowing the best way to give baby a sponge bath is important, especially because newborns shouldnt go all the way in the tub until their umbilical cords fall off.
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The best place to give your newborn a sponge bath is a place with a large flat surface. Doctors recommend washing newborns two to three times per week, so knowing the best way to give baby a sponge bath is important, especially because newborns shouldnt go all the way in the tub until their umbilical cords fall off.
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Experts recommend sponge baths for newborn babies whose umbilical cord stumps have not yet fallen off. First, you need to undress the baby.
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Experts recommend sponge baths for newborn babies whose umbilical cord stumps have not yet fallen off. Follow these steps to give your baby a sponge bath:
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Grab a sponge or washcloth for an easy way to keep your baby clean. Keep your baby wrapped in the towel, bathing one part at a time.
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This is important, as youll need to lay out both the baby and your supplies. Now that you have all the required supplies, the fun can start.
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When Should I Give My Baby A Bath
- You dont need to give your newborn baby a bath in their first few days but you can if you like.
- If youre anxious about bathing your little one, you dont need to put them into a bath until you feel confident about it.
- You may prefer to just wash your little ones face and bottom to begin with. This is sometimes called topping and tailing.
- Choose a bath time when your little one is content and awake. Its better not to bathe your baby straight after a feed or when theyre hungry or tired.
- Some babies love bath time to begin with, others dont. You may need to try different ways of bathing your baby and at different times of day, to find out what suits you both.
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How Often Does A Newborn Need A Bath
Growing up, you may have heard that babies and children must be bathed daily for optimum cleanliness. However, this isnt the case. Especially with a newborn, bathing daily can actually dry the skin, and irritate it.
Additionally, most newborns do not get very dirty, so its not necessary to fully immerse them in a bath each day or night. You can spot clean any areas of concern in between baths.
For these reasons, most doctors recommend only bathing your newborn baby a few days per week.
AAP recommends bathing your baby no more than three days per week. Of course, even that is not a hard and fast rule.
If you want to bathe your baby more often, thats fine, and if you only bathe your baby one or two days per week , thats fine too!
As your baby gets older and ventures into the toddler years, they are going to get dirtier, because they will be exploring everything and playing outside. Your bathing frequency will likely naturally increase during this time.
Safety Tips For Bath Time
Its important to keep safety in mind at bath time. Babies and young children should never be left unattended in a bath, not even for a minute . Here are some bath time tips:
- Get everything ready ahead of your babys bath, so you have everything you need to hand.
- Make sure you always use the hot and cold taps at the same time when you run the bath.
- Check the bath water temperature first before putting your baby in. The standard way to check is to put your elbow in the water because your hand can cope with high temperatures.
- Dont be distracted away by another child, a phone call or doorbell. What feels like a couple of seconds can turn into a minute or two. Leaving your little one even for a few moments could be enough time for them to seriously hurt themselves or drown.
- If you forget anything ask your partner or another family member to grab it for you. Or take your baby with you to get what you need.
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Where To Bathe Your Baby
Choosing where to bathe your baby may seem like a difficult choice at first. Most people will buy a smaller baby bath that they can put on the bathroom floor or inside their own bath, but there are a number of options and the most important thing is to make sure you and your baby are comfortable.
- Bathing your newborn in a baby bath. While your baby is still small, bathing them in a baby bath tub is often the easiest and safest option. Its the right shape for cradling your baby and supporting their head, while it also enables you to wash them safely without fear of them moving around too much.
- Using a full-sized bath. Using a full-sized bath can be a bit more tricky until your baby is big enough to sit up properly and support themselves. Most babies will have outgrown their baby bath tub by about six months old and can then be moved into the big bath.
- Sink bath. Bathing your baby in the sink is an old tradition, but its advisable to take care if you choose to bathe your baby in the sink. Always remember to turn the tap away to avoid injury and use a foam insert or soft towels on the bottom of the sink to make it more comfortable for them.
For more tips for bathing your baby, head to the JOHNSONS Bathtime hub, where youll find more information around making the most of bathtime.