Bathing your Newborn for the first time can be both exciting and worrisome. It’s an opportunity to bond with your infant and watch them experience another element of life. But for new parents, bath time can be an intimidating prospect. If you’ve never bathed a Baby before, you might have concerns surrounding how to bathe a newborn. In this blog post, we’re sharing everything you need to know about newborn bathing so you can make the most out of bath time with your baby.
How to bathe a newborn
Bathing a newborn isn’t a complicated process, but you need to understand several methods, factors, and conditions. When cleaning your newborn, there are two methods you can use: top and tailing and traditional bathing.
Top and tailing
Top and tailing is a method whereby you focus on cleaning just the top and bottom half of your baby. Rather than immersing your baby in warm water, you can use cotton wool to clean areas of the body.
When using the top and tailing method, you need to take off all of your baby’s clothes besides their nappy and vest. To keep them warm, we recommend wrapping them in a soft towel. Using damp cotton wool (check the water is warm), gently clean your baby’s eyes, ears, face, neck, and hands. Make sure to use a fresh piece of wool for each area, including each eye, to stop spreading germs from one part of the body to another.
After you’ve cleaned these areas, you need to remove your baby’s nappy and clean using the same technique. Once your baby is clean and dry, put them in a fresh nappy and clean clothing.
Traditional bathing
Traditional bathing is similar to how we bathe ourselves in a large bathtub. However, due to your baby’s smaller size, you might find it easier to use a smaller bath. To bathe your newborn with this method, you’ll need: ● A baby bath, bowl, or sink— we recommend purchasing a baby bath before your newborn arrives.
● Fresh towels
● A clean nappy
● Cotton wool
● Warm water
To begin bathing your baby, you need to clean their face using cotton wool and clean, warm water. Using the same method as you would when top and tailing, gently cleanse your baby’s face with soft cotton wool, using a fresh piece for each eye. Following this, wash your baby’s hair by gently running water through it. At such a young age, it’s best to avoid lotions and shampoos on your baby’s skin.
Once their head and face are clean, it’s time to wash their body in the bath. Remove your baby’s nappy and gently lower them into the body of water. Gently move the water over their body, making sure their head remains dry, and the water doesn’t splash. After bathing your baby, dry their body using a clean cotton towel. Make sure to dry thoroughly to avoid skin irritation. You can put your baby in a newborn dressing gown to ensure they’re extra cozy.
How often should you bathe a newborn?
Many new parents ask the questions, ‘how often should you bathe a newborn?’ And there isn’t a correct answer. Newborn babies don’t need bathing every day. But it’s up to you how frequently you bathe your baby.
We recommend washing your newborn every two to three times a week. As your baby isn’t yet exploring their surroundings, there’s no need to wash them each day. And washing too regularly may cause damage to your baby’s skin.
In this blog post, we’ve shared how to bathe a newborn. Whether you top and tail or have a more traditional bathing experience, bath time is a great opportunity to bond with your baby. To further enhance this experience, you can chat with your baby, sing to them, or even bathe together. Make bath time an experience you and your newborn love by familiarizing yourself with the correct way to tend to their hygiene requirements.
