Tips If Your Baby Is Fussy
Not all babies will enjoy having a bath. If your baby is fussy while bathing, don’t worry. You can try some of the suggestions below to see things improve:
- avoid bathing your baby when they are hungry or tired
- wash a little at a time, rather than giving your child a full bath
- wrap your baby in a towel and then gently lower them into the water as you unwrap them
- place a warm face cloth on top of your babys tummy in the bath
- gently splash water on your baby
- bathe your baby with an adult.
Your Babys First Bath Will Be At The Hospital
Your baby will be given their first bath at the hospital, where the stump of their umbilical cord will also be cleaned. Most hospitals will have someone show you how to bathe your baby. Take advantage of their expertise. Nurses at the hospital will also be able to familiarize you with other aspects like how to nurse, burp, hold, or change your baby.1
What Is A Sponge Bath And How Does It Compare With Other Types Of Baths
Sponge baths are a great option when your baby isnt ready for a regular tub filled with warm water and shiny bubbles.
During a sponge bath, just like during a regular bath, you give your baby an all-over wash and rinse. But there are two differences:
- Your baby lies on a towel instead of in a tub.
- You wash and rinse one section of their body at a time.
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Benefits Of Delaying Your Newborns First Bath
- Temperature regulation
During delivery, your baby experiences a sudden contrast in climate as they enter a dry environment from the fluid-filled amniotic sac. This causes their skin to easily dry out, crack, and peel especially when babies are born further along in the gestation period.
- Prevent dry skin
Your baby will be born with a coating of vernix caseosa on their skin. This creamy, waxy build-up consists mostly of water, lipids, and proteins and promotes better temperature regulation and softer skin after birth.
Frequent bathing results in drier skin at any age. So, to help prevent dry skin, we wait up to 24 hours before wiping off the vernix caseosa. However, if the mother has an infection that could be transmitted to the baby, such as HIV or herpes, we clean the newborn right away.
- Breastfeeding benefits
Studies have shown that delaying babys first bath can also lead to more success with breastfeeding, as it increases skin-to-skin contact between the baby and mother. And by staying warmer longer, babies are less tired and irritated when learning to latch.
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How To Give A Baby A Tub Bath
Follow these steps to give your newborn a bath after the umbilical cord has fallen off:
Make sure to keep one hand on your baby at all times. If you need to step away even for a second, pick them up wrapped in a towel and bring them with you. Infants can quickly drown in just a few inches of water.
Verywell / Caitlin Rogers
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Fill Your Babys Bathtub With Water
The second step is to fill the bathtub with water. You only need two to three inches of water to bathe your newborn.
The water temperature should be roughly the same temperature as the human body98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Anywhere between 90° F and 100° F is perfect. Use a thermometer to make sure youve got the temperature just right.
How To Give Your Baby A Quick Clean
Like we mentioned earlier, should you need to do a quick clean-up, try our No Rinse Cleansing Water, which is gentle enough to use on newborns! This is perfect to use when youre out and about and not near your cleanser, a tub, or a sink.
It gently cleans your babys face, body, and diaper area while softening their skin. To apply, squirt a little bit of the cleansing water on a soft cloth, diaper wipe, or cotton ball and glide it over your babys skin.
When youre done, simply pat your little ones skin dry. No need to rinse or apply water!
You can also try our Organic Micellar Water with Olive Oil and Aloe. Made with EWG-verified olive oil and aloe, its ideal for your little ones delicate skin!
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When To Begin Bathing Your Newborn
Many new moms arent sure when to begin bathing their newborns. The World Health Organization recommends waiting at least 24 hours after your babys birth to give them their first bath. There are several reasons for this.
First and foremost, your baby has just left the comfort of your tummy and will get cold easily. Youll want to give your loved one some time to adjust to life outside the womb.
Experts believe that 24 to 48 hours is plenty of time to allow your infant to regulate their body temperature. The risk of hypothermia drops considerably after the 24-hour mark.
Second, your newborn will likely have a coat of vernix on their skin when you bring them home from the hospital. Vernix shouldnt be washed off intentionally, as it provides several important benefits to your baby.
For instance, vernix has antibacterial properties and keeps your baby healthy. It also protects their delicate skin as they become accustomed to dry air. Its best to let the vernix fall off your little ones body naturally, which will happen in the first week or two of life.
To sum up, its safe to begin bathing your newborn 24 hours after birth. Or if you prefer, you can wait 48 hours. Whatever you choose, just be sure to start with sponge baths.
The American Association of Pediatrics recommends waiting for your newborns umbilical cord stump to fall off before submerging them in water. This normally happens sometime between one and three weeks after birth.
Where To Bath Your Baby
You can bath your baby in a baby bath until theyre too big to fit comfortably. Then it might be easier to bath your baby in the big bath.
You can help babies get used to the big bath by putting the small baby bath into the big bath a few times.
Once your baby is ready for the big bath, you might like to take a bath with your baby .
You can also shower with your baby. Keep your babys face away from the pouring water and make sure the water isnt too hot.
A big bath allows more room for games and toys. Bath toys can be very simple try a plastic cup or a washcloth to start with. Or you could take your baby for swims up and down the bath just support under your babys body and head .
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How To Bathe Your Baby
Bathtime is a chance for you and your baby to have fun, play and interact. A bath 2 to 3 times a week is enough to keep your baby clean.
Your midwife or public health nurse will show you how to bathe your baby for the first time. You can ask to see it done once or twice before you try.
You can wash your baby in the main bath or in the sink, or in their own small baby bath.
You can also give your baby a ‘top and tail’ clean instead of a bath. Or you could have them in the bath with you.
Watch a video on how to bathe your baby
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When bathing your baby, take the following steps:
When Is The Best Time To Give My Baby A Bath
There is no one perfect bath time any time of the day or evening is fine to bath your baby. Try to pick a time when theres less chance of your baby getting cold and youre not rushed.
You may choose to have your partner or another trusted adult with you when you bath your baby, at least in the early weeks.
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Putting Baby In The Bath
To put your baby in the bath safely:
- lower them into the water on their back
- support their head, shoulders and back with both hands
If you use your bath youll need to lean over your baby, which isnt very comfortable. Usually it’s easier to use a basin or a small baby bath on the floor. When theyre bigger and youre feeling more confident, you could try a slightly deeper bath.
How To Dry A Newborn After A Bath
Heres how to wrap up your babys bath, including a bit about rinsing, drying and using lotion:
- Rinse well. Use clean, warm water for that final rinse cycle, holding your little one football-style, with the back of his head cradled in one hand, his body draped along your arm, and his head over the basin. Fill the cup with water and gently pour it over your baby’s head and then the body parts.
- Dry her gently. Next up, pat your baby’s skin with a soft dry towel. Be sure to thoroughly dry her bottom and any other areas where there are folds of skin. Chubby babies have lots of those!
- Go easy on the baby lotion. That beautiful and ultra-sensitive skin doesn’t need much, if any, in the way of lotions, oils or creams, though a little baby-safe lotion is okay. But avoid baby powders, which can irritate an infant’s breathing passages. If your practitioner recommends it , massage a hypoallergenic lotion into her skin after warming it in your palms.
- Diaper and dress. Slip on a fresh diaper and dress your baby in some clean clothes. If she needs a little soothing after the sponge bath, swaddle her up in a blanket, then get settled in for a snuggle with your clean, sweet-smelling baby.
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If Your Newborn Hates The Bath
You may think you are doing something wrong if your little one cries or otherwise protests during bath time. However, many newborns dislike being bathed at first.
One reason some babies resist bath time is that they dont like the sudden temperature change. You can lessen this transition by slowly getting your baby into the water. Wrap them in a towel at first and gradually immerse them in the water, keeping the towel on until they are all the way in.
You can also experiment with water temperatures to see what your baby likes best. And always have a warm towel ready when they come out so that the air on their wet skin doesn’t feel too jarring.
Some newborns tolerate baths better if you are holding them. As a result, many parents decide to bathe with their babies in their arms. This can be a wonderful bonding experience, but remember to keep safety in mind. Only bathe with your baby when you are fully alert, make sure you have a towel ready, and possibly another grown-up to hand your baby to when you are done. And dont use soaps and other bath products geared toward adult skin.
Finally, keep bath time fun for your baby! Newborns cant play with bath toys yet, but that doesnt mean they cant be entertained by them. Funny faces and games of peek-a-boo can be very helpful as well.
How To Give A Newborn A Bath
Once the umbilical cord stump has fallen off, you can start giving baby full baths. Bathing a newborn can be tricky at first, so if possible, enlist the help of a partner or family member. Its best if those early baths can be done with multiple caregivers around so you have extra hands if you need them, Smith says. After youve rounded up your baby bath supplies and decided where youll be bathing your little one, follow these steps.
Step 1: Fill the tub with a few inches of warm water. Aim for about 2 to 3 inches of water, to keep baby safe. Making sure to support babys head at all times, gently lower your little one into the water. The bath temperature for a newborn should be between 90 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, never hotter than 120 degrees. While most parents are worried about making the bath too hot, be sure you dont err in the other direction, since babies get cold easily. Kelly B., whose baby is now 3, learned a thing or two when she nannied for a woman who had infant twins. She taught me that the water should be warmer than youd expect, she recalls. Dipping your wrist in is a good way to gauge the temperature, but if youre nervous about getting it right, you can use a thermometer.
Yes, theres a lot to think about when it comes to babys first bath. But soon enough bathing a newborn will become second nature, and before you know it, your child will be sitting up on his own and splashing away in the tub. Thats when things really start to get fun!
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Before The Umbilical Cord Falls Off
Florencia Segura, MD, a board-certified pediatrician at Einstein Pediatrics in Vienna, VA, notes that the AAP recommends sponge baths until the umbilical cord has fallen off and healed, which is known as dry cord care. “Keeping the umbilical cord as clean and dry as possible as it’s healing to minimize infection is optimal,” she says.
Doctors Recommend Sponge Bathes To Start
For the first two weeks, or so, pediatricians recommend sponge baths. Two weeks is about how long it takes for the stump left from the baby’s umbilical cord to fall off and heal. If you completely submerge your baby in water before the wound heals, this could increase the risk of infection or cause irritation, says Daryznkiewicz.
Also, if your baby is circumcised, pediatricians recommend sponge bathing until the circumcision site is healed, as well.
“The sponge bath should start with washing the face and working downwards until you are done,” says Daryznkiewicz. “As you get comfortable you can extend the bath but you want to make sure your child stays warm.”
As they get older, you can transition to a warm bath in a few inches of water. When choosing a soap, Daryznkiewicz suggests a scent and fragrance-free option, since scents can irritate sensitive skin or cause flare-ups of eczema.
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Bathe Your Baby 1 To 3 Times A Week
After that, pediatricians recommend no more than three times a week for 10 to 15 minutes at a time.
“One to two times may be fine as well,” says Dr. Rob Darzynkiewicz, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Hazel Health. “This will help make sure your baby stays clean. Doing it more than that can dry out the skin, which is very sensitive.”
Over bathing can actually decrease the bacteria that naturally occur on your baby’s skin. This can not only cause dry and irritated skin but in some rare cases, it can cause an infection. But not bathing your baby enough also has consequences.
Bathing your newborn less often than once a week could result in rashes between the folds of the baby’s skin or in their diaper, Darzynkiewicz says.
So stick with the goldilocks range of one to three times a week.
More Baby Bath Time Tips
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Give your baby a massage. Just after a bath is a great time for a soothing baby massage. This may help your child relax and sleep. Donât use any massage oil or lotion until your baby is at least 1 month old.
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Have a bath with your baby. If your baby finds bath time scary, having a bath together might help. Check the bath water temperature to make sure it isnât too hot, and preferably get someone to help by holding your newborn while you get in and out of the bath yourself.
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Talk or sing to your baby. The sound of your calming voice can help reassure and relax your little one during bath time.
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Use bath time to treat cradle cap or other skin conditions. If your baby has cradle cap, it might help to wash his or her hair with a baby shampoo and use a soft brush to gently loosen any flakes of skin. If your baby is prone to dry skin or eczema, after a bath is a good time to apply a gentle moisturising cream to the affected areas.
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Never leave your baby alone in the water. Not even for a moment. If you have to turn away or leave the room urgently, lift your baby out of the bath and take him or her with you, wrapped in a towel to keep him or her warm.
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Donât add anything to the water. Thereâs no need to use any soap or add any cleansers or bubble bath for babies. Experts advise washing your babyâs skin in nothing but plain water for the first month.
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