Your baby’s first bath? Here are a few guidelines that can help you make this new experience a blissful one for your little one. For the first few weeks, the newborn is given a sponge bath, the best way to clean your baby before the umbilical cord falls off. First things first, makea list of all the supplies you need:
- Padding – a towel or blanket
- A bowl of warm water
- Washcloth
- Mild baby soap
- Clean diaper
- Baby towel
- Make sure the room you’ve chosen is warm. Keep windows and doors closed to avoid cold weather or dust.
- Use a flat surface to lay your baby on. And if your baby is off the ground, a safety strap is recommended.
- You have to try and expose your baby as little as possible. Unwrap the towel part by part; expose only those areas you’re washing.
- Dip the cloth in the warm water and start from the head and move on to the outer ears, chin, neck folds and eyes.
- Use the soapy water for the rest of the body and diaper area. Underarms and genitals included.
- Dry your baby off, even between the skin folds. Put on a clean diaper and keep a towel over their head till the scalp dries off.
Some More Tips:
- You can continue with the above steps, in a bathtub, once your baby’s umbilical cord falls off.
- Mild baby soap is optimal for your baby’s soft skin. Avoid moisturisers too, our baby doesn’t need them.
- You can wash your baby’s scalp twice a week. Use baby shampoo and rinse it out using a wet washcloth.
- The ideal temperature of the water for your baby’s bath is 98.5 Degrees F (between 37 degrees Celsius to 38 Degrees Celsius)
- In your baby’s first year, 3 baths a week should suffice. (only if you frequently wash the diaper area)
- Bath toys and books can make bathtime fun and less cranky. Avoid frequent bubble baths, they can dry out your baby’s skin.