Having a new born in the family is one of the most excited things that can happen to anyone. Those initial moments with the new born, no one can ever forget. His delicate skin, teeny tiny face, and body are so beautiful, that you cannot stop yourself from holding him again and again. But at the same time, you are also scared touching him because it can cause harm to him. Similarly, when it comes to the question of bathing a new born, you have to be very careful. It can be an extremely stressful task to perform in the beginning, but slowly and gradually you will be comfortable doing it. Therefore, it essential that you make yourself aware about the do’s and don’ts of bathing your baby before doing it. Because there may be times that your baby do not like the way you are bathing him, so, it would be best if you enlighten yourself about the correct procedures. So, you both can start to enjoy and also can have the comfortable bathing time. But what are those correct procedures that you need do to follows? What is the perfect time to bathe your baby? Which kind of bath is good for your baby? And the most important one, how often should you bathe a baby? Let’s look at all the answers one by one.

Age Wise Bathing Procedures

In the initial few weeks, you and your baby will spend some beautiful and gentle time with each other. You will be excited in watching and capturing his first smiles and the special moments. But as he gets older, bathing him becomes an important task that you must do. Moreover, it will be a great way to relax him down after a big and tiring day of learning. Initially, there are possibilities that he may not like bathing, but as the time will pass, baths will be lots of not only for him but also for you. So, let’s look at the different things you must keep in mind during the various phases of his initial years.

Till He Gets Three Months Old

Bathing him for the first few months may be difficult and frightening for you. There might be chances that he also not likes it, and then what to do?
If your baby is not accepting the bathe well, then do not go for a full bath in the beginning. Start with just washing his face, hands and bottoms every other day. To keep your baby engaged and happy, sing his favorite lullaby with a smiling face all the time. Do it with your full heart and eventually your baby will start liking the bathe.

1. Check The Water’s Temperature

It is important that you check the water’s temperature before giving your little one a relaxing bath. If you cannot tell the temperature by checking it with your elbow, always use a thermometer and make sure that the temperature of water is no more than 36 degree Celsius, or else his skin may get burnt due to the heated water.

2. If His Skin Peels Off

This is the common phenomenon that takes places in the new born, especially in those who were born past their due date. They may have flaky or scaly skin that can peel off when we bathe them. To protect their skin from peeling off, remember to shorten their bathing time. Bathe them for less than 10 minutes, apart from this do not use any soap products and rub them gently that also in a sorbolene cream after they are done with bathe.

3. You Don’t Know How The Midwife Did

There are high possibilities of such situations, and it may have looked too complex to you watching her taking care of your baby. But it is not that difficult as it looks. Here are some basics you can go for:
• In the beginning, wash his face while he still has his dress on. Also, clean his eyes from inside and outside, carefully with the help of a cotton wool.
• Aftermath, undress him but leave his nappy till the end.
• Do not forget to give support to his neck and head, and slowly lower him into the bath, starting with the feet, lay him back, but keeping him cradled in one of your arms.
• After laying him comfortably, wash him gently and then take him out with care. After bathing, babies can be slippery most of the times, so hold them firmly, and then wrap him in a clean towel.

Three To Six Months Old

After few months, you and your baby start feeling comfortable during bathing, even for some, it can become the favorite time of your day. Let’s look at some more ways to make your bathing time more special.

1. The Best Time

By now you may be completely familiar with your baby’s routine. Therefore, to bathe him, choose a time when you both are unstressed, relaxed and will not be in any rush. The favorite time may vary from person to person. For some, night can be the best time, and for others it may be the morning time when you two are alone in your home.

2. Bath Along With The Baby

This can be a great opportunity for you and your baby to make the bond stronger; also, babies love to take a bath with their parents. So, do not think just jump in a bathtub with your little one.

3. Sing-A-Song

While giving him a bathe, it is good that you sing so that you can keep him engaged. Thus, drag out all the nursery rhymes that you know and start singing them. And if it is a night time, when he is taking the shower, you can go for a gentle lullaby so that he can have a sound sleep.

4. Make The Bathe Comfortable

Before starting, make the room temperature and the bath a nice one, if you are using them. Keep the bath at a level that is comfortable for you so that you can keep supporting him easily while giving a long sumptuous bath. Also, if you have a big bath that you are using, put a pillow or cushion under your knees so that they do not get hurt.
While following the above procedures, it is good if you have an adult company with you so that you can get help from them.

Six To Nine Months

Scalding and drowning are the two major risks that babies can face during their bathe. Therefore, parents should give high focus to these risks and care the babies properly because these are highly preventable. There are established facts that more of the toddlers and infants die from drowning than in car accidents. Here are some tips for you so that you can prevent your little ones from these crucial situations.
1. As you are done with the bathe, remove the plug so that you can avoid any condition of getting the electric shock.
2. Turn all the taps tightly, so that they cannot be turned on, accidently, by your little one’s hands.
3. Before putting your baby into the water, do not forget to check the water’s temperature. It should not be more than 38 degrees Celsius once they are six months old. You can either use your elbow, wrist or even a thermometer to check the temperature of the water.
4. Maintain the level of water filled in the bathe. Do not exceed the water level from 8 cm or the belly button of your baby.
5. Do not fully trust the safety devices. Not always, the bathe seats and other equipment can save your baby’s life but only you can do. Therefore, do not lose focus while giving them bathe.
6. Never keep your phone with you or even it would be better if you will turn it off while giving him a bathe. There are no rooms for any distractions when your little one has a relaxing bathe.
7. This is the golden rule you cannot break. Never leave the baby unattended in the bathe, even for a single second.
8. Drowning does not make any sound, it just happens. Similarly, your baby can slip into the bathe any time without making any sound. Thus, you cannot afford turning back while giving him a bath for a single minute.
These are some very important tips you cannot afford to miss. Following these tips will not only save your baby but also help you in keeping the situations under your control.

Nine To Twelve Months

Bathing time for children is an activity that teaches them very important life concepts such as ‘cause and effect’. It will not only teach them, but also will help them in learning and developing it. When he is in the bathe, playing with water, he is getting smarter and smarter. Do try these activities so that they can have a great bathing time.

1. Encourage Them To Get Wet

When your baby is inside water, throw water on them and encourage them to splash it around with their feet and hands. Doing so will give them a full body work-out that will help them in improving their balance and coordination.

2. It’s Toy Time

Keeping some small and simple toys, that can float on water, would be a good idea. These toys will not only enhance the fun of bathing, but also help your little one to develop some fine motor skills and also teach some basic physics.

3. Bubble Bath Is A Good Idea

This is the time when your baby loves the bubble bath most. Make them laugh by putting some of the bubbles on your face and head and tell them to pop the big bubbles. Repeat the same procedures with them.

4. Any Time Reading Time

If your baby loves bathing, then this can be an awesome time for both of you to enjoy some reading. The market is full of loads of waterproof bath books that you buy and read during their bathing times. Reading to them will develop their listening skills also.

Twelve To Eighteen Months

Now is the time to get serious regarding the bathing of your little one. It can be devastating sometimes. Therefore, here is a complete list that your one-year-old might need during his bathing time.

Toys

Some of the toys for which you can go may be:
• One or two bath books
• Toys that can stuck to the side of tub or on the tiles
• Bubble baths that come with the added feature of cleaning
• Floating cups, toys, and funnels

Towels, Soft Cloth, etc.

You can go for the following options if you want to buy one:
• Hooded towel that can be used to wrap him up
• Towel to dry hub
• Small wash cloths to cover his eyes while washing his hairs or to wipe the face

Skin Care

There are varieties of products available in the market, but the one you need are:
• Cream to prevent nappy rashes
• Moisturizers to protect the skin from getting dried
• Shampoo with no-more-tears quality, and
• A soap-free bath which especially designed for the toddlers’ skin

Eighteen Months to Two Years

This is the time when they can easily become fractious, grubby and over-stimulated by the end of the day. Thus, bathing is the best way to calm them down. To make the bathing time their calm time, follow these tips.
1. Let your little one bathe himself and also encourage him to wash himself.
2. Keep on rotating the bathing toys, so that they do not lose the excitement of playing with them. You can go for some of the things that are in your kitchen cupboards, and there is no need to buy lots of toys.
3. Initially, let them do whatever they want to, for example, some splashing and kicking in the beginning. But slowly and gradually calm them down and tell them to relax.
4. Give them full attention during their bathe. You can make their bathing time as the “us” time when they can have your complete focus on them only. This will not only make them love their bathes, but also help you in maintaining their safety.
5. Make their bathing time a “no standing rule”, so that they can sit comfortably and relax their bathes to the core.

Types Of Bathe Your Baby Can Have

Sponge Bathe

In the first week of your baby, it is best and also recommended to give him sponge baths. To give a sponge bathe use warm water and a damp washcloth. Wash and wipe his hands and face frequently, followed with the cleaning of his genital area after every change of the diaper.
When you are almost ready to give your baby a sponge bath, wrap him in a towel after undressing him. Lay down him on the towel, pad or blanket on his back. Before using the washcloth, wash it thoroughly, and wire out extra water then wipe his face. No need to use soap during the sponge bath. Aftermath, wipe the eyelids from inside to the outside corner with the help of a clean cotton cloth or a cotton ball.
As informed above, there is no need to use the soap. But in case your baby is dirty or smelly, you can use a little quantity of moisturizing soap. Give special attention to creases of under the arms, around the neck, behind the ears and the diaper area. Also, clean between his fingers and toes. To maintain the warmth of your baby, expose only those parts that you are washing.

Tub Baths

As the umbilical cord stump dries up, falls off and the area gets healed, you can go with the tub baths for your little one. It would be more sensible if you use your kitchen’s sink or a small plastic tub instead of the standard one because your baby is still tiny and doesn’t need much space.
Until your baby is not crawling and messing around, there is no need to bathe them daily, thrice in a week during the first complete year will do the work. Also, bathing your baby daily may dry his skin.
For most of the babies, warm water is soothing, but there are a few cases that may not like the warm water. Therefore, it is better to take them in and out. Also, baths do not take a lot of time; five minutes bathing is more than enough for your baby. Do not forget to clean them before the water gets cool down too much.
In the beginning, it may be scary for you to hold your new born, as his body may be soapy and slippery, but with practice and confidence you will be used to it. Therefore, just stay calm and maintain a good hold on him.

Safety During Bathing Your New Born

Always do keep in mind the following things:
• Never make your baby sit in the tub when the water is running because the water can be too hot or deep.
• Do not leave your baby unattended, because less than an inch of water or less than 60 seconds are more than enough to drown your baby.
• Always carry your baby if your doorbell rings or you get an important phone call that you cannot miss.
How Often Should You Bathe Your Baby?
There is no need at all to bathe your baby daily. Moreover bathing your baby daily or several times a week may dry his skin. The most important part that needs cleaning regularly is the diaper area. So, if you are cleaning them daily and using clean diapers properly, that is more than enough. Apart from diaper area, the neck, and the face are the ones that are needed to be cleaned.

How To Bathe A Baby?

To give a proper bath to your baby, follow these steps:
1. Hold your baby on the knees and then lay them on the changing mat. Undress them, leaving the diaper on and then wrap them in the towel.
2. Dip in the cotton wool in the warm water, not too much, and wipe your baby’s body. Start with gentle wiping of the eyes from the nose. Always use a fresh cotton wool for each eye.
3. Similarly take the fresh cotton wool and after dipping them wipe around his ears. Follow the same procedure to clean the baby’s face, hands and neck.
4. After wiping the complete body, dry them gently with a soft towel. Now, remove the nappy and wash baby’s genital area and bottom with warm water and fresh cotton wool.
5. Dry out your baby carefully including the skin folds and put him on a clean nappy.
6. This will relax him. Now dress your baby in your favorite clothes. Your baby is ready again and can play with you again.

So, follow these tips and tricks to bathe your baby properly, and also keep in mind the safety tips because it is important to be attentive and focused while giving them a bath.