Living with a newborn baby has endless learning curves. They rely on you for simply everything. Learning how to bathe a newborn may seem like a trivial task, but for many new mothers and fathers it is something that may take some practice.
How often you decide to bathe your child when they are this young will be up to you. Some parents feels they should bathe them daily, while doctors say this can dry their skin to use caution when doing so. Newborns do not exactly get dirty on a regular basis like older children will as they don't lay on floors, play outside and they don't eat solid foods to get very messy. Their neck, face and diaper areas are the places that will need careful attention paid to.
Deciding what time of day to bathe them is another decision. Most parents go with the evening, as this sets the tone for years to come. Baths at night have a habit of calming kids down and getting them ready to sleep. Use a time that is not very busy in your day and one that you can spend time doing it and enjoy them. Some parents do not even use a tub until the child is much older. They simply sponge bathe the newborn for many weeks. This again, will be up to you. Their umbilical cord will need careful cleaning, and many organizations say it is best to give the baby a sponge bath until that has completely healed up.
After those things have been taken care of, you can down to the cleaning portion! Use very mild soap on your baby as they are prone to rashes at this age. they do not need lathered up in soap or shampoo. Instead, use baby safe products in case they get any in their eyes, nose or mouth to clear it out quickly. Clean their necks well, and their hands, face and diaper areas. Use baby powder if they need it to smell more fresh and to stay dry as well.
You do not need a lot of water to bathe a newborn either. Usually about three inches of water will be suffice, this is plenty to keep their little bodies warm and it can also prevent drowning as well. If you opt to use a baby tub for those beginning stages, make sure you are using it as the package states to. This can keep your baby from getting injured and some even have excellent safety features on them such as stickers on the basin that show when the water is too hot to place the baby in and so on. They are relatively inexpensive and you can use one for months until the baby grows out of it.
