Tips to Bathe a New Born baby

Bathing a newborn baby can be a challenge, especially for a new mother. In the first few weeks of birth, the mother is still trying to figure out how to handle her baby. Babies are extremely fragile and it is not uncommon for the mother to feel daunted by the tasks that require excessive handling of her infant.

During the first couple of weeks of the baby’s life, you can take the help of someone close to you to bathe the child. As time goes by, you will begin to feel comfortable with your baby and will be able to handle him/her without any hiccups. The only thing that you need to remember is that babies become slippery when they are wet and therefore, your hold on the baby should be strong enough to let him/her remain in your grasp.

Your baby usually doesn’t need an actual bath in the first two weeks of his/her life. Till the umbilical stump falls off, the baby can do simply with being wiped with a slightly wet washcloth. You can clean the baby’s genital area, hands, feet, and face with the cloth. After that, every time you change your baby’s diaper, clean the genital area once.

If you are still a little scared of the entire process of bathing a baby, here’s what you can do:

• The water that you bathe your baby in should be lukewarm. A temperature of about 120°F is near perfect. Any hotter, and your baby may end up with severe burns.

• A baby usually doesn’t need to be bathed in a tub in the first year of its life. However, if you are bathing your baby in the tub, make sure that you do not leave the baby unattended even for a minute. An unattended baby may drown in the tub so you should be extra careful about this.

• Place the baby in the tub only after you have filled up the tub. If you leave your baby in the tub while the water is running, the baby may get hurt due to the pressure of the water or the changing temperature.

• Before you begin with the bath, gather every thing that you would need. You should have all the towels, diapers, talcum powder, soap, and shampoo ready and at hand.

• Fill up the tub to three fourths of its capacity. Filling the tub to the brim will only lead to water spilling over the sides which may cause you to slip.