Table of Contents
Introduction
When should the baby be bathed for the first time: Many newborns have their first bath after birth. The midwife or the father traditionally bathes him. Some midwives advise against cleaning the baby after birth since the sebaceous oil has properties that protect the skin of newborns.
However, it is not present in the skin of all babies at birth. On the other hand, if the baby bathed after delivery, essential minutes are “stolen” from the mother-child bond ( bonding ) in the first moments together.
The first bath at home should occur once the belly button has fallen off and fully healed. Reduces the risk of germs entering the navel wound and causing infection.
Many parents dread bath time for the first few weeks after birth. Doubts about getting the correct temperature or how to hold the baby to enjoy the bath without slipping disappear with the bath routine.
When giving the first bath, it is recommended to enlist the help of a midwife, who can provide you with advice on how to bathe babies and young children. It is also much more relaxed if both parents are present helping each other during the bath.
How Often Should Babies be Bathed?
As a daily relaxation ritual or as a weekly bath, you are the one who decides how often you bathe your baby. Pediatricians often recommend taking one to two baths a week for the first few weeks of life. If you live in an area anywhere the water is very hard, your baby’s skin can become dry if you bathe him too often.
To keep it clean, it is usually enough to wash the face, hands, and bottom regularly with a warm, damp washcloth. Usually, it is not necessary to add bath products.
As a general rule to apply, we recommend that you bathe the baby when it is dirty. During the first months, it is dirty only when the baby has to spit up too much milk or the diaper cannot hold it all. Soon after he begins to crawl, you will need to bathe him well more often.
Where do I Bathe The Baby?
In a bathtub or a bathtub bucket? This is a query many parents ask themselves already with their prepartum preparations. Midwives and pediatricians often disagree. As in many other things with the baby, it is best to try which option is best. You can also use the washbasin (if it has the correct dimensions) to bathe your baby. We recommend that you wash your baby where it is most comfortable and pleasant for you.
Regardless of where you bathe it, safety is still critical. Never permission a baby or young child in the water unattended because accidents happen in seconds.
If you bathe your baby in the sink, you have to make sure that he cannot accidentally turn on the water tap because if the water is too hot, it could cause burns. It is best to briefly switch to cold water when you finish filling the place anywhere you are going to take a bath.
The Baby Bath, Step by Step
As a over-all rule, the following steps should be followed when bathing a baby:
- Prepare everything you need for the bathroom so that it is at hand: water at 37 degrees, mittens and soft towels, diapers. If your baby by now has hair, you will also need a brush. Always check the water temperature with a thermometer. Because young babies perceive pain with delay. They react much later than older children to hot water, so they can more easily suffer a dangerous and dangerous scald.
- If you are going to use a bathtub for babies, you have to fill 3/4 parts of water, although the size of your baby is also decisive.
- Preheat the changing area. Temperature changes are very unpleasant for babies. Thus, if the area of the changes preheated, sudden changes temperature and the risk of catching a cold are minimized. A hooded towel also helps keep it cool.
- Undress the baby. See if your baby is comfortable enough to go into the bathtub adventure. Babies who have already had positive experiences in hot water can take a bath when they are not in such a good mood. The bathroom often used, as in the case of adults, to calm down and relax. Babies with gas or abdominal discomfort are also soothed by a hot bath.
- Slide the baby slowly into the water so they don’t panic. Go telling him what you are doing or sing him a song, this serves to reassure babies who are more fearful. Always keep it well secured in the palm of your hand. Let a midwife explain exactly how to hold the baby.
- Clean the baby gently with the help of a washcloth. Do not forget to also clean the folds in the skin and those points that are more difficult to access such as between the toes, behind the ears or in the wrinkles of the neck. Except for the hair for last so it doesn’t get cold over the head.
- You decide if you prefer to use shampoo, lotion or soap. If you want to bathe the baby with a little oil, for example to remove cradle cap from the head, keep in mind that when you take the baby out of the bath, his skin will be especially slippery. A squirt of breast milk in water also said to be effective against dry skin.
- After bathing, dry your baby as best you can before covering him. To escape skin irritations or infections in the folds, it is essential to dry all these parts well without rubbing. Many midwives also recommend drying the baby carefully with the hair dryer. It is incredibly essential to cover the baby’s small penis with a towel or mitten so that no electrical shock can occur.
The baby’s bath must last between 5 and 10 minutes so that it does not get too cold. It is best to always have a watch in sight.
Games for Baby Bath From 0 to 6 Months Babies
Although it is not necessary to bathe the baby every day in the first weeks of life. Many children enjoy this moment, which is why their parents immediately incorporate it into their routines. In addition to serving to take care of the hygiene and the skin of the little one, the bath can also become an entertaining and stimulating occasion for him. This article proposes some games and activities for the bathroom, from ducklings and other typical toys to some initial exercises for him to swim through funny songs and soap bubbles.
How to Make Bathing a Fun Routine
The bathroom is one of those moments that soon become routine in children’s lives. In this case, the routine does not mean dull: babies need practice. Although the child hardly gets dirty in the first weeks of life and it is not necessary to bathe him every day (this can even be harmful). The habit of daily bathing soon after will be incorporated into his life. That is why it is advisable to ensure that it develops in the best possible way.
It is essential to take care of the baby’s skin and make that moment positive and not generate tantrums, anger, or fear on this excellent development. In this sense, games in those first months of life play a central role. Here are some ideas for playing and entertaining your little one during the bath.
1. Toys
A first possibility is to offer a “partner” to the child to be with him in the bathtub. The most typical toys for this environment are ducklings. But in reality, it can be any doll that adapts to the water and is to your liking. Another option is a rattle, a chew toy, or even a book designed for use in water.
With most of these toys, you can play games such as “appear and disappear,” which consists of hiding it underwater and bringing it back to the child’s surface. It is one of the greatest fun games for babies and will fill the bathtub with laughter and smiles. The doll’s presence in the routine of each bath, to entertaining, serves to give the little one peace of mind.
2. Containers
Containers such as a glass, a bowl, or a saucepan can be considered one more toy. Still, they have the peculiarity that they allow you to play with the water in another way. Collect it, pour it on the surface of the bathwater so that the child can see the effect that it produces, pour it on the baby’s skin, etc. You can also incorporate funnels and other kinds of utensils to fill and pour the water. Which will draw the attention of the little one.
3. Soap Bubbles
Another possible game, which will also activate the baby’s interest and creativity, is the soap bubbles. It is straightforward. Water (if it distilled, the better), soap (dish soap, bath gel, or shampoo for children), and some instrument to shape the bubbles, which can be improvised with a straw or a funnel, or a more specific tool. Since this game more challenging to practice in each bath, it can be reserved for “special occasions.”
4. Songs
Another way to make bath time very enjoyable is to accompany it with a musical theme. On YouTube there are many songs about bathing , such as ‘ Mar de bañadera ‘, ‘ Canción para bañarse ‘ or ‘ Bubble bath ‘. Of course, parents can sing any tune their child likes and even makeup one.
5. Games to learn to Swim
One more alternative is to play games with the little one that are the first steps in learning to swim or getting familiar with the water.
As proposed in this video on the website My baby and me. The child can remain placed in different positions in the water: “hammock position,” floating, turning, splashing, and changing jobs. The video suggests these activities to give the baby a “stimulating bath,” not an ordinary bath intended for the child’s hygiene. But some of them can put into practice during the daily bath, even combined with the games mentioned above.
