Introduction

At first, the idea of bathing your newborn may seem daunting. However, once you get used to it, bathing your baby is a special time for you and your baby to bond and most babies love the warm water.

There are no rules as to how often you need to bath your new baby. It is a personal choice. A daily bath is not necessary, but it is imperative to keep your baby clean. As an alternative option, you can use damp cotton wool balls or a face cloth to wash your baby’s face and body thoroughly. This is called ‘top and tailing’.

Bathing your Newborn

Be prepared and organised for your baby’s bath. Assemble all the necessary bathing accessories that you require in advance, such as towels, toiletries, nappies and clothes. This is important, as you must never leave your baby unattended. It is most convenient to bath your baby in a small plastic baby bath. Make sure the room is warm (and draught free) and that the bath water is comfortably warm but not hot. Bring your baby to the bath area. Undress her completely and wrap her in a towel. Use damp cotton wool balls to gently wipe her eyes, behind her ears and under her chin. Use a new cotton wool ball for each side of the face (fig.1)

Then move on to baby’s head. Keep her wrapped in the towel. Pick her up and hold her over the bath in a safe grip. Tuck her under your arm by using your arm to support her body, your elbow to keep her close to your body, your hand to support her head and your fingers to block her ears (fig 2).

Gently wash her scalp with your free hand using a baby shampoo (fig 3).

Dry baby’s head carefully with a towel and put her down on a secure surface. It is not necessary to shampoo your baby’s head at every bath, usually once or twice a week is sufficient. Now unwrap your baby completely and apply colour and fragrance free aqueous cream to her body, arms and legs (fig 4).

Pour a few drops of a water softener to the bath water. (Aqueous cream and a bath additive are recommended, as the developing skin of a newborn is particularly sensitive and can be damaged by soaps and even tap water). Pick your baby up carefully with a firm grip. Let baby’s head rest on your bicep and use your wrist to support her body, and grip her thigh. Use your other hand for support (fig 5) and put her in the water. Move your grip from her thigh to her shoulder and keep her in a semi upright position. Use your free hand to wash her body (fig 6).

Once finished, carefully lift baby out of the bath and keep the supporting hand under her bottom. Gently wrap baby in the towel and dry her properly before applying bum crème to the genital area and putting on her nappy and clothes. It is important to minimise body heat loss, especially in newborns, after the bath so ensure the room is warm