What you need to bath a newborn baby

The good old ‘Rubber Duckie’ often springs to mind when you think about babies and bath time, but what does a newborn really get out of sharing its bath with a small, yellow duck?  Well, nothing much initially….but it can add to the bath time fun when your baby grows up a little.

Bathing a newborn can be quite daunting for first time parents.  Newborn babies are very fragile and slippery when they are wet.   It is essential for parents to be organised and have everything they need for bathtime in place and within arms reach before they put their newborn in the water.  Parent Packs have put together helpful list of the essential items you should consider for bathing your newborn baby.  Let’s just stick to the essentials for now, and leave the ‘Rubber Duckie’ sitting on the side of the bath…

A baby bath is a good place to start.  But a baby bath can take on many shapes and sizes. There is simply the family bath, with the obvious benefit being that you don’t need to go out and purchase yet another item for your baby.  However, the downside is that you require a considerable amount of water to fill the bath up, and it isn’t the most comfortable position for your back to lean over the bath while immersing a newborn in the water.  Another option is a hard plastic baby bath or an inflatable baby bath which either sits inside the family bath or rests on a metal stand.  The metal stand enables you to bath your newborn at your waist height, which is a great back saving option.  An important thing to consider when purchasing a baby bath is weather it has a plug at its base and a piece of pvc pipe (if using the baby bath on a stand) as this allows you to easily drain the water out of the baby bath without having to lift the bath and tip the water down the drain.  You can use a shower hose attachment to your bath spout or basin spout to easily fill your baby bath.

Another great baby bath option is the laundry tub.  Just make sure you rinse the tub very well so there isn’t any chemical residue in the tub, as that is the last thing you want to come in contact with your newborn baby’s sensitive skin.

A baby bath insert/rest is great for supporting your baby and helping you to free up a hand to wash your newborn.  Independent of which baby bath option you choose, a bath insert is a very inexpensive and practical device.  You can either get a hard plastic bath insert, or a wire stand covered with terry towelling – both are great.  At Parent Packs we suggest the terry towelling option as we feel it is softer and more comfortable for your newborn baby.

When you first bring your newborn baby home, a water temperature thermometer is essential for peace of mind when it comes to ensuring you have the right bath water temperature for your newborn.

Muslin Face Washers

Cotton wool balls are great for washing your newborn for the first couple of weeks - especially around their eyes, neck, ears, and other small creases and folds where ‘baby goo’ tends to collect.  It is best to use a new cotton wool ball after each wipe of an eye or part of the body, do you don’t spread and ‘baby goo’ that you have collected.  Just wet the cotton wool ball, squeeze it lightly and then wipe it over your newborn baby.  It is much easier to clean these areas with wet cotton wool than a thick terry face washer.  When your newborn is about a week old, another option is to use muslin face washers.  As with the cotton wool, muslin face washers are great for cleaning all the small creases, as they are fine and gentle on the skin. After your newborn baby is a few weeks old, a terry towelling face washer can also be useful.

A gentle baby wash can be used to add to the bath water for a cleaner feel.  Make sure you choose a bath wash that is delicate for bathing infants.  Newborn babies have very sensitive skin.

Baby Bath Towel

There are two main types of baby bath towels – normal bath towels and hooded bath towels.  Newborn babies can lose body heat very quickly and it is said that they lose most of their heat through their head.  That being said, hooded bath towels are great for covering your newborn baby’s head and then easily wrapping their body with the rest of the towel.

A gentle baby lotion can be used it your newborn baby has dry skin.  As with the baby wash, ensure that the lotion is suitable for infants.

Parent Packs have created a comprehensive Baby Checklist which outlines the essential items you need for bathing a newborn baby. Check out our Baby Checklist

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A Bobble Water Bottle - a must for keeping you hyrdrated!

Bobble Water Bottle

Introducing the Bobble Water Bottle, the latest addition to our Baby Checklist!

Essential to help keep you hydrated during labour, your hospital stay, and especially important if you choose to breastfeed.