How to bathe a newborn: tips for baby’s first bath
Your baby’s first bath is one of the many magical firsts of parenthood. Here is how to make it calm, safe and short.
Giving your newborn a bath for the first time is perfectly normal to approach with a healthy dose of nerves. The good news: newborns need very little, and a calm bath is mostly a matter of preparation.
Wait for the cord
Until the umbilical cord stump falls off, usually within two weeks, a sponge bath is all your baby needs. Keep the stump clean and dry, and fold the nappy below it.
Get everything ready first
A warm room, a towel with a hood, a clean nappy and a mild, tear-free wash within reach. Never leave your baby alone in the water, not even for a second.
Keep it short and warm
Water at 37 °C, checked with your elbow, and five minutes are enough. Wash the face with plain water, then the body and the scalp last, so your baby does not get cold.
A bath is not about getting clean. In the first weeks, it is about getting to know each other.
— Claire Moulin
Pat, do not rub
Wrap your baby straight away and pat the skin dry, folds first. A few drops of lotion afterwards keep newborn skin soft.
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