Bathing your newborn can seem daunting at first, if not downright scary. Newborns are tiny, and the idea of stripping them out of their warm onesies and swaddle blankets and subjecting them to a wet – and potentially slippery – bath might alarm you.
Take a deep breath, arm yourself with these tips from Dr. John LaCount, a pediatrician with St. Elizabeth Physicians’ Florence office, and rest assured that both you and your baby will be fine:
1. Prepare everything you need ahead of time: towels, diapers, clothes and any lotions you want to use.
You don’t want to realize you forgot a towel once you’ve started giving your baby a bath because, unless someone else is with you, you can’t leave your baby to go get it.
2. Only wash your baby with a sponge or washcloth until the umbilical cord falls off.
Until your baby’s umbilical cord falls off – usually by two weeks after birth – you really shouldn’t be bathing your baby at all. Instead, use a warm, damp cloth or sponge to wipe your baby, concentrating on the hands, neck and diaper area.
Once the cord falls off, your baby is ready for a tub bath, but remember that a tub bath for newborns means a baby bath in a tub, in the kitchen sink or on a counter.
3. Don’t bathe your baby more than two to three times a week.
Your baby has a few more years before he or she is running around outside, collecting dirt and grass stains, so baths at this stage are really just about cleaning milk, formula or spit-up out of easily concealed spots like the neck, cleaning the diaper area well, and making sure baby’s head is as sweet-smelling as ever.
Plus, if you bathe your baby too much at this young age, you might risk removing oils on the skin he or she needs, causing irritation and dryness.
4. Don’t make the bath too hot.
When in doubt when it comes to water temperature, err on the side of too cold.
Technically speaking, water temperature should be under 110 and 115 degrees Fahrenheit – anything above that could potentially cause a thermal injury – but a simple test you can do is to swirl your fingers in the water for 10 to 15 seconds to make sure the water isn’t too hot for your baby.
5. Don’t leave your baby unsupervised, even for a second.
If your phone or doorbell rings, let it go. NEVER walk away from your baby when he or she is in the bath.
6. Don’t give your baby a bath in a tub until he or she is between 9 and 12 months old.
Babies need to be able to hold themselves up and have some balance and control before they can sit in a full-sized bathtub.
If you don’t have a baby bath, try bathing your baby in the kitchen sink.
7. Empty the bath container immediately after use.
Depending on the container you use, make sure you empty it after the bath. Any container full of water can pose a drowning danger to a baby just learning how to crawl or walk or can be dangerous to other children in the home.
Don’t let fear get in the way of enjoying bath time with your baby – it can be a great time for bonding. Newborns are small, but baths won’t hurt them if you follow these guidelines and be gentle.
