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In talking to new parents I have discovered one common fear. Bathing their newborn.
So being a mother of 5 I thought I'd pass down a bit of what I have learned about infants and bathing them.
1. They are precious and quite the miracle to behold. I assure you that bathing baby is a beautiful experience.
2. You will not break your baby in the tub. They are fragile so be careful, as long as you are careful and gentle they won't break.
3. Start by using an infant bathtub such as the one seen in this pic
4. Fill the tub with warm water. Test the water with your elbow. You don't want the water too hot or too cold, but keep it comfortable.
5. Remember you don't need to fill the tub all the way. Just fill it so that you have enough water to wash your baby.
6. Undress your baby and place the baby gently in the tub. If the tub has a safety belt, use it and buckle your baby in.
7. Use a soft gentle cloth to gently wash your baby. Start with your baby's face, and head. Work your way down to their feet.. It's always a good idea to wash your baby's bottom last. Rember if you lift your baby forward to wash their back give the head plent of support. It's always nice to get daddy involved to assist with bathing time.
8. For newborns you don't necessarily need soap. Sometimes the baby soaps have perfumes and dyes in them that can be a little rough on a newborns skin.
9. Move somewhat quickly but not so fast that you are being rough. I say to move somewhat quickly so that your baby doesn't get chilled. I sometimes kept a small towel covering my baby's torso to keep him/her warm while I was washing other little parts.
10. When your baby is all nice and clean gently left him/her out of the tub and wrap your baby up in a soft towel or receiving blanket.
and give lots of warm cuddles.
11. once baby is dry you can apply a nice baby lotion (again be careful of dyes and perfumes in baby lotions)
12. put on a clean diaper
13. get baby dressed
14. enjoy your nice clean baby and be proud that you bathed your baby yourself and didn't break him/her ;)
So being a mother of 5 I thought I'd pass down a bit of what I have learned about infants and bathing them.
1. They are precious and quite the miracle to behold. I assure you that bathing baby is a beautiful experience.
2. You will not break your baby in the tub. They are fragile so be careful, as long as you are careful and gentle they won't break.
3. Start by using an infant bathtub such as the one seen in this pic
4. Fill the tub with warm water. Test the water with your elbow. You don't want the water too hot or too cold, but keep it comfortable.
5. Remember you don't need to fill the tub all the way. Just fill it so that you have enough water to wash your baby.
6. Undress your baby and place the baby gently in the tub. If the tub has a safety belt, use it and buckle your baby in.
7. Use a soft gentle cloth to gently wash your baby. Start with your baby's face, and head. Work your way down to their feet.. It's always a good idea to wash your baby's bottom last. Rember if you lift your baby forward to wash their back give the head plent of support. It's always nice to get daddy involved to assist with bathing time.
8. For newborns you don't necessarily need soap. Sometimes the baby soaps have perfumes and dyes in them that can be a little rough on a newborns skin.
9. Move somewhat quickly but not so fast that you are being rough. I say to move somewhat quickly so that your baby doesn't get chilled. I sometimes kept a small towel covering my baby's torso to keep him/her warm while I was washing other little parts.
10. When your baby is all nice and clean gently left him/her out of the tub and wrap your baby up in a soft towel or receiving blanket.
and give lots of warm cuddles.11. once baby is dry you can apply a nice baby lotion (again be careful of dyes and perfumes in baby lotions)
12. put on a clean diaper
13. get baby dressed
14. enjoy your nice clean baby and be proud that you bathed your baby yourself and didn't break him/her ;)
Guide created: 10/15/06 (updated 06/27/08)
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