Bathing your baby - a guide

How often should I bath my baby ?

Many parents bath their kids once each day. A daily bath is not really necessary until the baby starts crawling around, getting into things. Procure only mild soaps or neutral cleansers with gentle pH content. These are designed specially for infants.

To keep your baby clean between baths, wash his or her face thoroughly and frequently, clean off the genital areas after every nappy change, and remove any obvious muck. When you are bathing your baby, it may be scary to handle a little one who is slippery and soapy - so maintain a good gripping. Most of the babies find warm water to be more comfortable and soothing.

Where should I bath my baby?

In a standard bath, you may be required to kneel down or lean towards your baby. It will also provide lesser control over your baby’s movements. So use a small baby sink or baby bath made of plastic.

What's the recommended way to give a bath to a baby?

Here are some steps for you to follow when giving a bath to your baby. With some luck, bathing your baby is sure to be an enjoyable activity and will be time well-spent.

1. Collect all the needed bath accessories before starting the bath.

2. Make sure that the bathroom is warm enough and the bathing water is reasonably warm and not too hot. A water temperature of 38 degrees Centigrade or 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal and can help babies retain their body heat.

3. For babies up to six months of age, use a level of five inches of bath water. A rule of thumb is to let your baby’s shoulders to be covered in the water, and not more. For older children, the level of the bath water should not be higher than the waist, in a sitting position.

4. Bring your child to the bathing area and then remove his or her clothes.

5. Use one of your hands to support your baby’s head and neck, while gradually slipping him or her into the bath water.

6. Wash your baby using a sponge or a flannel with some soap, from front to back, and top to bottom. Use moist cotton wool for cleaning facial regions, including the eyes. Wash the genital areas as a matter of routine. If dry mucus seems to have collected in the corners of your baby’s eyes or nostrils, dab it with moist cotton wool so that it can be removed easily.

7. Use a clean flannel to rinse off your baby thoroughly.

8. Wrap your baby with a clean and dry bath towel and pat dry. If the skin gets dry, or if nappy rash has occurred, try applying a moisturising lotion.

Saftey when bathing your baby

Here are some safety tips you need to consider, when bathing a baby:

• Irrespective of the kind of bath support or bath chair you are using, do not leave a baby unattended when in bath. Keep all the things you will need for the bathing process, before starting it. These are toiletries, towels, clean and dry pyjamas and nappies. If your phone rings or someone knocks on the door during the bathing and you need to answer it, scoop up the baby using a dry towel and take him or her with you.

• Don’t put a baby into bath water while water is still flowing into it, this is because the depth can become too high, or the temperature of the water can change.

• Fill the bath tub with cold water first, and then add hot water. This technique will reduce the possibility of your baby getting scalded.

• Use anti-slip bath mats so that your baby does not slip and fall. These are cheap and available in many colours from almost all supermarkets.

• Ensure the water for bathing is only comfortably warm and not too hot. An ideal water temperature is 100.3 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Centigrade. This temperature can help babies retain their body heat.

• For babies aged six months or younger, use a level of bath water that is about five inches. Your baby needs to be inside the water only up to the shoulder level. For older children, use water levels that are no more than waist-deep, when in sitting posture.

• If your baby can sit up, use a bath seat. But you still need to look out for the safety of your baby, even when using bath seats. During the period from 2000 to 2003, six toddlers from the UK had drowned when left unattended, even while using a baby bath seat.

• Educate your baby to adopt a sitting position at all times when inside the bath water. This will avoid possible slippage.

• While many babies and their parents love bathing time, some babies detest it. There is no need for daily bathing routine. Your baby will be clean enough as long as you wash out any obvious dirt or excreta. Little toddlers tend to get dirtier and may need a daily bath. There is also no need to wash the baby’s hair very often, once per week is probably enough. This is because the hair produces little oil content.

• Avoid using bubble baths and shampoos. They may cause baby skin to get sensitive and dry. Use a baby bath product or a mild and gentle soap or cleanser. You can alternate between water-only baths and water plus cleanser baths. Do not use strongly fragrant adult soaps and bath products on your baby.

• Ensure that you adjust your water heater settings for a maximum temperature of 120 degrees F or 49 degrees C. A baby is likely to get scalded within a minute if the water temperature is 140 degrees F or 60 degrees C.

• Make sure your baby is not touching or playing with the water taps. It may cause minor injuries.

• For newborns, it is important that body heat loss is minimised after a bath. Keep the room warm, and wrap your baby with a dry towel and dry him or her before putting on the nappy. Then cuddle your baby for about seven minutes to transfer some warmth. Then wrap your baby up in a warm, clean and dry blanket as you lay him or her to sleep.

© Medic8 ® All Rights Reserved.