Bathing a newborn is a confusing task for many parents and can be stressful, especially for young parents. However, for the baby, it is a wonderful time for them to feel the warm steam on their skin and bond with their parents.

Bathing your baby will bring many benefits, first of all, bathing helps your baby to be clean, remove dirt, and agents that can cause skin infections. Bathing will make your baby feel comfortable, the body will quickly circulate blood to nourish the skin, can eliminate fatigue, crying, and improve the baby’s resistance.

This is also an opportunity to comprehensively check your baby’s skin to see if there are any unusual phenomena, because many infectious diseases are manifested by rashes on the skin.

When can a newborn baby start bathing?

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that after 24 hours of birth, you should bathe your baby or at least 6 hours, because bathing your baby immediately after birth will make the baby more susceptible to hypothermia and hypoglycemia; interrupting the skin-to-skin connection with the mother, interrupting breastfeeding. The substance is a white substance that covers the baby’s skin, as a moisturizer and anti-bacterial agent. If you bathe your baby too early, it will dry out the skin and make the baby’s skin more susceptible to irritation.

1. How long should you bathe your baby and do you need to bathe him every day?

Many parents wonder if their baby needs to be bathed every day when they get home? Because when they are at the medical facility, the baby is bathed and cared for by medical staff. In fact, babies do not need to be bathed every day, because babies rarely sweat.

• If it is summer, you can bathe your baby once a day, because in the hot summer, babies often sweat a lot, their bodies become sticky, so bathing is the most enjoyable time for them. You can bathe your baby a little longer, 5-10 minutes is appropriate.
• If it is winter, mothers should only bathe their newborns once every 2-3 days because in cold weather, babies sweat less and are not as dirty as mothers think. If the baby vomits, mothers can wipe the baby’s body regularly. If you do not bathe every day, mothers should wipe the baby’s body. This is the time for mothers to check the baby’s body to see if the baby has diaper rash, red rash, or insect bites. According to AAP – American Pediatric Association, babies only need to bathe 3 times a week, bathing too much will dry the baby’s skin.

Bathing a newborn is a confusing task for many parents.

2. Time to bathe a newborn

Parents can bathe their baby at any time of the day. However, they should bathe their baby when there is warm sunlight, preferably around 10-11am or 3-4pm. If the baby is not too hungry or too tired, it will help the baby enjoy bathing.

3. Steps to bathe a newborn

• Place the baby on a flat surface, remove all clothes and diapers, gently carry the baby to the bathtub.
• Support the baby’s nape with your left hand, wet the towel with your right hand, wring the towel, and clean the face, especially the eyes and ears.
• Wet the baby’s hair, rub the shampoo evenly. Use the towel to wash the shampoo off the baby’s head.
• Slowly lower the baby into the bathtub, but still support the baby’s neck with your left hand.
• Wet the baby’s body, rub the shower gel all over the body, avoiding touching the navel area.
• Lift the baby up and transfer to the second bathtub filled with clean water. Rinse the body parts again.
• Then take the baby out and place it on a dry towel.

4. Other notes when bathing a newborn

Wrap the baby in a towel and dry the baby from head to toe, including the genitals. Use a cotton swab to dry the baby’s ear rim. Put a few drops of saline solution on the cotton swab to clean the umbilical cord and around the umbilical cord.

Put a diaper on the baby, avoid the diaper rubbing against the navel. Always check the water temperature with your elbow or the inside of your wrist before bathing, make sure the water temperature is warm enough to avoid burning the baby. The best room temperature when bathing a baby is 27 degrees Celsius. The water level in the tub should be at the baby’s shoulder level (5-10 cm).

Note, you need to prepare everything you need for your baby within reach: Bath towel, washcloth, shower gel, clothes, clean diaper. Avoid using shower gel with lots of detergents, choose baby products because otherwise it will dry out the baby’s skin.

Do not add more water while the baby is bathing, avoid too cold or too hot. If parents are not proficient in bathing their baby, they should have experienced helpers such as grandparents.