How To Bathe For Your NewBorn Baby?

by Delson Moo on November 25, 2009 · 0 Comments
in Baby

We’ve been married for over 10 years before we finally have a son, Dylan, and well, though it’s a bit late, it’s still better than nothing. There are lots of cherishable moments when I am with him; his first tooth, his first step, his first time calling me “Daddy”. These are memories that will last me a lifetime and it’s never replaceable with anything else in the universe.

dylan-shower If you were to ask me which is the best moment when I’m with him, I would say it is during his bath time. I’ve bathed for Dylan when he was just a newborn, and I’m still bathing for him now, when he is already 3 years old. Of course at the age of 3 years old, somebody still needs to bath for him, however, the difference now is that last time I used to bath for him, now, I bath with him. And that’s another adventure that I would certainly recommend to anybody. More on that during my next article.

We’ve seen and heard from lots of new parents having trouble with the new family member, and I would like to take this opportunity to share my experiences. This article will be useful for those of you who are having newborn or babies below 6 months of age.

First thing first; How often should you bath your baby?

There are many schools of thought on this issue. Some might say that the environment is fill with dust and germs and therefore it is better to bath the baby daily, some even more than twice per day. For others, they feel that a baby’s skin is too delicate and therefore frequent bathing with soap and water will dry the skin of the baby and causing them to have skin irritation. So, really, it depends on your climate, weather, environment and probably, yourselves.

For us, I feel that as long as the baby does not crawl around nor getting messed up with food, there’s no necessity to bath him everyday. When Dylan was an infant of 3 months and below, his skin was pretty dry and therefore we decided that bathing him too often will be a big NO NO. We do apply lotion after his bath to keep him moist. Thankfully, his skin condition is a lot better now.

The most important thing is that you MUST clean your baby’s diaper area with wet wipes after each bowel movement, and make sure you wash and dry the area thoroughly with a clean dry cloth. I always powder his diaper area to keep them dry and cooling for him. Take this moment to check the baby’s face, neck and skin creases and just wipe them with a damp clean cloth will do.

Once you do that, there’s no need to bath him everyday.

Now, how to actually bathe your baby then? Follow these steps will do:-

Assemble all necessary bathing accessories.
- bathtub
- washcloth
- mild soap
- baby shampoo
- cotton balls
- hooded towel
- rubbing alcohol
- cotton swabs
- diaper
- clean clothes
Make sure the room is warm and the bath water is comfortably warm but not hot; A simple way to test is put your hand into the water and it should feel around the same temperature as you are. You shouldn’t feel cold or hot with your hand inside. (note that your hand must be washed cleaned also)
For newborns and babies up to six months old, fill the bath with about five inches of water, or enough to allow your baby to settle in the water with his shoulders well covered. Never fill the bath more than waist-high (in sitting position) for older children.
Undress your baby and bring him to the bath area
Wet your palm and tap it against his/her body, then gradually rub up to his/her chest to let him/her know that you are going to wet him/her
Gradually slip your baby into the bath, using one hand to support his neck and head. This is the time when every baby will behave differently:-
- If your baby starts to scream and shout and cry violently, it may be that they have a previous unhappy experience with bathing and therefore rejecting it, or it may be just that the baby don’t like to get wet. Whatever it is, talk to your baby and assure him that it is ok to bath and you may want to let him get his feet wet only and let it kick the water for fun, and slowly assuring him further before placing him into the tub. Throw in some squeeze toys to play with him will be the best. Squeeze them occasionally to attract his attention and let him forget about the water.
- if your baby giggles and smile and kick their legs with anticipation, congratulation, enjoy the moment with him then.
Use soap sparingly as you wash him with your hand or a cotton cloth or sponge from top to bottom, front to back. Wash his scalp with a wet, soapy cloth. Use moistened cotton wool to clean his eyes and face. As for your baby’s genitals, a routine wash is all that is needed. If dried mucus has collected in the corner of your baby’s nostrils or eyes, dab it several times with a small section of a moistened cotton wool to soften it before you wipe it out.
Dry your baby thoroughly with a clean cotton cloth.
Wrap your baby in a towel and pat him dry. If his skin is dry, or if he has a bit of diaper rash, you may want to apply a mild moisturizing lotion after his bath.

Most new parents have trouble bathing their infants, but honestly, who don’t. Putting maternity or paternity instinct aside, bathing for your infants requires only ONE thing; Experience.

The more you do it, the better you are, and the more enjoyable the whole session will be. So, after reading this article, please stop researching for others and just do it. You can read a thousand articles but none will be able to fully describe the experience you’ll get once you do it yourselves. Trust me. Just remember one thing, if a clumsy person like me can do it, I’m sure you can do it better