The task of bathing a tiny, slippery baby can overwhelm any new mother but the seasoned ones ought to know that it is not all that difficult as it seems. With some preparations and plenty of care, it should be an easy task to bathe your baby.

You can bathe your baby after the umbilical cord comes off. Some parent’s bathe their baby daily whereas others feel that daily baths are not necessary until baby starts to crawl. Until your baby starts moving around and getting messy, it is sufficient to bathe him once or twice a week. Just wash baby’s face and genital areas thoroughly each day. Bathing a baby daily is also fine. The decision is entirely yours.

Here are a few tips to make bathing your baby easy.

• Make preparations in advance. Assemble everything you would need before you start the bathing process. You will need a baby bath tub or a clean sink, warm water, baby soap, baby oil if you wish to massage your baby before bathing him, wash cloth, baby towel, a change of clothes and diapers and of course, a baby.

• Bathe your baby in a warm room. Make sure that there are no air drafts, open windows or anything that will make your baby feel cold.

• Use lukewarm water to bathe your baby. Ideally the temperature of the water should be 90 degrees Fahrenheit or 32 degrees Celsius.

• Bring your baby to the place where you intend to bathe him and undress him completely.

• Gently place your baby in the tub. Until your baby is able to sit up on his own, make sure that you support his neck and head with one hand.

• Then you can start soaping your baby. Newborn babies do not need much soap. It will dry his skin. Just use a soapy washcloth to wipe him or lather some baby soap into the bath water and then wash away the soap. For older babies, a soapy washcloth will work fine.

• Wash baby’s face and body first and his head last. Wetting his head first will make him feel cold as the bath proceeds.

• For very small babies, you can use a moistened cotton ball to clean baby’s eyes, nose and face and wash his head with a soapy washcloth.

• Remember to clean baby’s fingers and toes. Amazingly, they accumulate a lot of lint.

• The belly button, diaper area, region behind the ears and folds of the skin are other places that require special attention while bathing your baby. A lot of dirt can accumulate in these places.

• After you have rinsed away the soap from baby’s body, wrap him in a towel and pat him dry.

• Now that your baby is clean and dry, you can apply baby cream or powder if you wish and put on fresh clothes and diaper. Viola! You have a squeaky clean baby in your arms.

POINTS TO BE REMEMBERED

• Never leave your baby unattended in a bath tub. A baby can drown in even 2-3 inches of water.

• Avoid phone calls and other distractions while bathing your baby.

• Make sure that the water is lukewarm and not too hot or cold.

• Always have a firm grip on your baby. They tend to be slippery.

Once you have overcome the initial nervousness, bathing your baby should be a fun and bonding experience. Soon you will be doing it like a pro.

Mark Perry

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