Bath time is the perfect time to bond with your little infant. Between the giggles, coos, splashing and bubbles, you and your baby can fun time together. But, really worried about giving your newborn his very first shower? Well, let us help you with some tricks and hacks that you can rely on to have a fun-filled bath time together.
1. Start with a sponge bath
If your baby is a newborn, you need to be really careful about the umbilical cord region. During these times, you can only rely on quick sponge baths where you securely place the newborn on a soft padded surface. Moreover, you need to ensure that the cord stump is never submerged.
Your baby is ready for a bath only when her cord has fallen off. To bathe your little munchkin you will need a plastic tub, sink or bathinette filled with hardly two inches of lukewarm water.
2. Infants require less frequent baths
Newborn babies whose cord has not fallen off require less frequent baths. They don’t come into contact with dirt very often. Moreover, you do wipe them clean after every diaper change. Therefore, shorter sponge baths will be enough for newborns.
3. Bathing your baby
- Don’t tire your little warrior with long bathing sessions. A bath time lasting for about 5-10 minutes would be more than enough to keep the little baby clean.
- Use a mild cleanser to clean the baby. Also, shampoo the hair with milder ones that are easily available in the market.
- To bath your infant, pick the time when you both are settled. Do not give a bath when they are hungry or soon after a feed.
- Before starting the routine, ensure that you have all necessities like a wash cloth, cleaner, soap, clean nappy, towel, lotion etc. nearby. Some babies get fussy after a bath and you cannot keep running around for these things.
- The ideal bathing temperature should be between 37-38 degrees celsius. Use your wrist or elbow to check whether the water is warm enough.
- Never leave your baby unattended during bath time. Unexpected phone calls and doorbells can wait.
- If your baby is big enough to sit in the bathtub, then fill water up to their belly buttons.
- Never forget to put an anti-slip mat in the bathroom and under the baby’s bathtub before starting the routine.
- Use bath toys to distract the baby’s attention. Let your bathtimes be memorrable.
Hope we have covered the basics of giving your baby the perfect bath time. Giving the perfect bathtime for your infant can be stressful even for veteran parents. We hope that this article has put your fears to rest.
