Newborn Baby Health Care: Bathing Newborn Doesn't Have To Be Nail-bitingly Daunting

When can we bathe our newborn?

It’s not advisable to bathe our baby every day, 1 or 2 times a week is good, and we don’t even have to use soap or any bath products at all. The safest sign is when the umbilical cord stump is healed, that’s the time we can try bathing the baby. Before then, sponge baths will do.

Let’s set up in a spacious area and mind the room temperature (74 degrees F is ideal) then get bath towels and washcloths, a baby bathtub, cotton and q-tips. Measure the temperature of the bathwater using your elbow (90 degrees or less) and always keep an eye on the baby. It’s important to support the baby’s back and head with one arm as we wash the baby. Use q-tips to clean the outside of the ears, cotton to rub around the eyes and between fingers and toes. Don’t wash their hair while sitting upright. Make the bath brief as the water will get cold, let’s wrap the baby in the bath towel to dry them off. As the baby grows and gets stronger they’ll be able to sit up on their own, then newborn baby health care will be easier for us, especially when giving them a bath.