Handy Tips For Bathing Your Baby From Newborn Onwards

There are a lot of challenges that are presented to new parents once they are able to take their little one home from the hospital. One thing that they have to face sooner rather than later is how to bathe a baby. Of course, it is similar to bathing oneself as a grown up, but there are almost as many differences as there are similarities. In today’s article, we’re going to set out some foundational best practices for how to bathe your baby from the first bath onwards so that you know exactly what to do once the time comes. 

Before You Bathe Your Baby

Before even thinking about moving your bundle of joy to the bathroom, you will need to do some preparation first. You will need:

• Several soft dry towels for drying your child off after the bath
• Make sure you have a mild, tear-free soap that is specifically designed for washing babies
• A soft washcloth or two for the actual washing and scrubbing
• A handy cup with a handle for rinsing
• A small vessel for bathing like a clean sink, or plastic tub insert that you can place your baby in
• A space heater to use after bath. Helpful during cooler months or drafty areas. Babies do not like to be cold!

Bathing Your Baby, Step By Step

One thing that you have to be aware of when bathing your baby, especially a newborn, is that they don’t need as much water as you think. If you’re using a tub, you definitely don’t need to fill the whole thing to the brim like you would for your own bath. You just need an inch or two. Here are some other steps to follow:

• Prep baby and tub

• • • After the tub or bathing vessel has been filled with lukewarm water, gently place your baby into the water making sure to support their head and neck. 
    • Note on water temp: it doesn’t have to be much warmer than room temp, babies are very temperature sensitive and don’t need a piping hot bath, which could burn them. Around 99 degrees is ideal. Bath thermometers can be helpful.

• The cleaning process

• • • Use your washcloth to gently clean their face first, including their eyes, mouth, nose, and ears. Then, work your way down the rest of their body making sure to get armpits and bottom areas as they tend to hold the most bacteria.

• Shampooing their hair

• • • Wash their hair last. Put a few drops of the baby shampoo on your wash cloth and use it to scrub their head, gently. 

• Rinsing off and final touches

• • • After the shampoo has been applied, you can use the cup to gently rinse it from their hair, making sure to clear the suds off the rest of their body as necessary

• Getting baby out of the tub and drying off

• • Once baby has been rinsed, use your soft towels to gently take them out of the tub and wrap them up in a little bundle as you take them to their changing area to get fully dried off and into their clothes and diaper. 
• Congratulations, you’ve bathed your baby!

Before You Go

We hope you enjoyed learning about tips for bathing your baby. If you would like to know more about this, our sleep learning, consulting or training programs or any of our excellent newborn care services or overnight newborn support, we are happy to help. Just contact us and we can go over your options and help you find the best path for your little one. 

We hope these tips have helped you along your journey. If you have any questions about helping your baby to sleep better, or about your baby in general, please reach out to us HERE. We are experts in all things baby and sleep and would love to help!

Katie B.

Expertise You Need:

• Certified Master Pediatric Sleep Consultant
• Certified Advanced Newborn Care Specialist (2016-2022)
• Board Certified Holistic Healthcare Practitioner
• 16 years professional childcare experience
• Certified Postpartum Doula (2015-2022)
• Travel & ROTA Nanny