The Gentle Art of Bathing Babies
Our top tips for bathing your bub
Tiny little bodies require the gentlest of baths. Most babies love to have a bath and it can be a special bonding time for you and your little one. Having just come from a marine environment, being in the water can be a soothing feeling for bubs.
Bathing baby at a similar time each day can also help to establish those all-important routines everyone keeps going on about. In addition, a nice bath can be a wonderful settling tool for when baby is upset.
We've put together a few handy hints to help make bath time a breeze.
Bath Temperature
Bathing babies is recommended at between 37-38 degrees Celsius. Get yourself a bath thermometer to take the guess work out of getting the temperature right and to put your mind at ease.
Bath Support
A bath support is a fantastic tool to have for at least the first 6 months. Having to support your little one's head and neck means you only have one hand left to do everything else so a bath support will make for a much more relaxed wash.
Hooded Towels
Hooded towels are perfect for drying bub from head to toe and keeping their little body warm from bath to change table. Ensure you dry your bub thoroughly making sure to get into all the skin folds to prevent trapped water or irritation.
Face Washers
Face washers are an ideal way to wash baby, especially in the early days. They allow controlled, small amounts of water to trickle over baby as needed and can gently wipe in all the little hard-to-reach areas.
Baby Wash
Your baby won't need anything particularly fancy in the soap department, but using a gentle baby body-wash is great for a freshen up after a long day of milk spills, sick and dirty nappies! Choose a wash specifically designed with babies in mind, it's important they are gentle as a regular wash or soap may be too strong for your little one's delicate skin.
You can also choose a softly scented wash with calming oils such as lavender and chamomile to encourage relaxation.
Moisturisers
Having a gentle moisturiser on hand at your baby-change is a great idea to soothe any skin irritations or redness after bath and to avoid dry skin.
Kneeling pads
Something for you! Getting yourself right down into a bath night-after-night can take a toll on your knees! Get yourself a kneeling pad to protect your knees when reaching down to wash your little one.
TIP: Get everything ready to go before you put baby in the bath. Get a face washer to hand, your chosen baby wash and perhaps a little plastic cup to help you rinse the suds. It's a great idea to make sure a towel is in reach and you have prepared a fresh nappy and change of clothes for afterwards.
