Become a pro at bathing infants with these step-by-step instructions on bathing newborn babes

Bathing Infants

It can be intimidating bathing infants the first few times. They seem so fragile and wiggly, not to mention slippery! But take heart! Follow these easy steps and you'll soon be teaching all your friends about bathing newborn babies like an experienced maternity nurse.

My babies both have always enjoyed their bath time. When Lexi was about 4 months old she started to cry at bathtime, but I soon realised that she was crying when I took her out of the bath because she loved it so much!

Bathing infants is really a lot of fun.

Pre-planning is all it takes to ensure that your baby's bath runs smoothly. It's funny because the bath itself only takes a couple of minutes, but getting it ready and finding the right time to do it can seem like the whole day has gone by.

Getting Ready for Bathing Infants

Many people reccommend warming up the room where you are bathing infants. I personally have never done this because I always bathe my babies in the kitchen and I don't have a heater in there. What am I gonna do - turn on the oven? ha ha Just kidding! Needless to say, my babies are alive and well and not the least bit chilled today. So, having said that, if you care to heat the room, this is your first step in the bathing infants process.

Bathing Infants - Supplies

Next, make sure you have all your supplies ready and within reach. Once the baby is undressed it's too late. You have to keep your hands on her the whole time and can't be reaching for things or she will try to hurtle herself off the counter. Here's what I recommend:

- Fill baby bath or kitchen sink with lukewarm water (I like to fold a towel and lay it on the bottom of the sink so it is cushy on your baby's bum)

- Mild soap if desired

- Two washcloths (but once you're a pro I bet you only use one, like me!) ha ha!

- A towel to lay baby on after bathing newborn

- A towel for drying off

- 2 Fresh diapers (you never know when 'the big one' will come rushing out and ruin that clean diaper! Suddenly you are covered in you-know-what and you have no other diaper within reach - better bathe her all over again! Yes, I am speaking from experience here.)

- Clean clothes

Bathing Infants Tip: You can put the towels and clothes in the dryer beforehand to make them nice and warm for baby.

I don't recemmend playing music during a bath. Some people say that you should play music when bathing infants. But I think this is a great time for baby to be able to look into your eyes and hear your comforting words. Also, like Tracy Hogg recommends in her book The Baby Whisperer be sure to treat your baby with respect and tell her what you are doing. You wouldn't want someone to plunge you into a bath without telling you what's going on, would you? Say, "Hi sweetie, mommy has learned all about bathing infants and I know you're going to love this. Mommy is going to give you a bath now. You like your bath, don't you? It's nice and warm, isn't it sweetheart? Can you feel the nice water on your skin?"

Start the bath:

You can keep your baby dressed so she stays warm while you wash her face and hair. Lie her on the countertop (this is why I like giving a bath in the kitchen because I like to use the counter beside the sink).

Eyes: Put a little bit of water on the washcloth. Wipe baby's eyelid from the inside corner to the outside corner. Use a clean corner of the washcloth for the other eye.

Face and neck: Use the same washcloth to gently clean baby's face with water only. Don't forget behind the ears (no need to get into the ears). Lift the chin gently to wash under the neck folds (it can get smelly in there!).

Hair: Holding baby's head and neck steady over the edge of the sink, squeeze a little warm water from a washcloth onto baby's head. Next, squeeze a tiny bit of shampoo on and lather. Rinse with the wet washcloth and dry.

Into the bath: Now you are ready to undress your baby and gently place her in the bath. Test the temperature of the water by dipping your elbow into it. You can also buy bath thermometers in cute shapes. Clean her chest, stomach and arms with the washcloth; you do not have to use soap if you don't want to - plain old water is fine. (Ok, not "old" water, you know what I mean!) If you use a mild soap, squeeze a little bit onto the wet washcloth and follow with a water-only washcloth to rinse. Then carefully hold your baby in a sitting position, leaning against one forearm or roll onto her stomach, while you clean her back.

Follow any instructions from your doctor for care of the umbilical cord. When I had my first baby, the advice of the day was to use alcohol, but I never got around to it. Jeesh, what kind of mother am I? (A great one actually!) Once my second baby came along, the advice of the day was not to do anything with the cord -- see? Mothers do know best.(grin)

Next, move on down to baby's legs and feet with the warm washcloth. If using soap, rinse well with the water-only cloth, getting in all the cute little creases of fat. Use a new washcloth to clean the genitals. For girls, remember to clean from front to back. it is not necessary to clean inside the labia every time, just now and then. The mucus (or whatever that is!) in between a girl's labia is normal and does not have to be completely removed in order to be "clean". If you have a boy, and you have chosen to circumcise him, follow your pediatrician's (or doctor's) recommendations for caring for circumcisions.

One other thing: I do use soap on baby's feet because people like to kiss their feet all the time! Also, as baby gets older, she will start to put her feet in her mouth so it's good for the to be squeeky clean.

Lastly, gently lift baby out of the bath and lay her on the towel you have placed on the counter. You may choose to use powder or lotion at this time, or not. My first daughter had extremely sensitive skin so I couldn't use any lotions on her at all. But my second baby had no problems, so I liked to use a lavender lotion that makes her smell heavenly. Put on your baby's diaper, dress her, and you're done. Now your baby is sweet-smelling once again. The more you do it, the more comfortable you will feel at it.

There you have it. That's all there is to it. You are now an expert at bathing newborn babies!

Have fun!

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