Bathing your baby

Pregnancy & Birth |

Lots of new parents are scared when it comes to bathing their newborn for the first time but practice makes perfect. Bathtime can be great fun and a chance for Dad to bond with his new son or daughter. Midwife Sharon Trotter has this advice for bathing your newborn.

---

“Water only for the first month, that’s all you have to remember, it’s very simple.Treat premature babies the same up untl the date that they would’ve been due.Term babies who are very, very dry, should be left alone and still stick to plain water for the first month. We shouldn’t use bubble baths or baby wipes or shampoo. These things have detergents in them and they can dry the skin.”So that’s what the expert thinks. Now it’s time to get started.

Rubber duck time…
Pick a time when both you and baby are feeling relaxed. Have everything you need close to hand, run the bath water - cold water first and when the temperature is correct gently lower baby into the water, supporting them throughout.

Some babies may cry out and hate the bath but they’ll get used to it and before you know it they won’t want to pull out the plug.

Remember it is dangerous to leave a child of any age in the bath unattended. If you need to leave the bathroom, take your child out of the water, wrap them in a towel and take them with you.

Bathing for beginners…

Have the bathroom nice and warm
Get the water right (test temperature with your elbow)
Undress baby
Lower your baby into the water, supporting their head and neck gently
Wash your baby with your free hand
When you’ve finished, wrap your baby in a warm towel, dry her and pop on a clean nappy and fresh clothes

Washing hair…

Midwife Sharon Trotter advises leaving your newborns hair alone.
She told My Baby Radio “My babies had lots of thick hair, use a baby comb and wash their hair in warm water. You don’t need shampoo. The natural oils in the hair will keep their hair clean”.

If you do want to wash your little ones hair there are mild shampoos available on the market. However, be careful not to get shampoo in their eyes.

Top ‘n’ tail cleaning…

This is an alternative to bathing for your very young baby and all he/she really needs during its first weeks of life.

Top n’ tailing refers to cleaning your baby’s face, under arms and bottom.

Start off by undressing your baby but leave his her/nappy on
Wipe your baby’s face, neck and ears with warm water
Pat them dry
Clean your baby’s hands and arms
Remove their nappy
Wash the bottom and genitals - girls are cleaned from front to back
Once dry put on a clean nappy and clothes