When to bath your newborn baby
Following a few weeks of top and tail bathtimes, your baby will be ready for their first bath when their umbilical cord falls off. As expected, you don’t need to bathe your newborn baby as frequently as you do yourself - 2 -3 times a week is plenty. However, if your baby grows to love their bathtime there’s no reason why you can’t bathe them more frequently.
The best time to bath your baby is when they’re awake and content - this means not already showing signs of sleepiness or being unsettled. If the room you're bathing your baby in is also warm (between 22 - 24 degrees) - you’re almost ready for baby’s first bath! Use a room thermometer to guide you on temperature.
How to prepare for baby’s first bath
The easiest way to ensure a smooth first bathtime for you and your baby is to have everything you need to hand - as once you have a little wriggling baby in your arms it’ll be much more difficult to grab the things you need.
Have the below ready for your first bathtime;
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Wash cloth
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Any massaging oils or after bath creams
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A fresh nappy, babygrow and sleepsuit
How to bath your newborn baby
With a warm room and everything you need at the ready, it's now time to bathe your baby. Begin by filling a bathtub with cold water, eventually adding in hot water to create a warm bathtime. It’s best to begin with cold water so you don’t create pockets of hot water. You can also use a bath thermometer to ensure the bath water is at the ideal temperature - between 32 and 37 degrees.
You can bathe your baby in the bath by supporting their upper body, but to make things a bit easier consider a baby bath or bath support. Our Baby Bath is a much smaller bathtub for your baby - keeping the bath water warmer for longer. It also features a bum bump that helps give you and your baby a bit of extra support until they’re old enough to begin sitting up by themselves. Our Newborn Bath Support cradles your baby in the bath and allows you to keep your hands a bit more free to bathe them.
With our baby bath or newborn bath support fill the water up to the max line. For our baby bath this is indicated on the foam backrest and on our Newborn Bath Support it is indicated on the side of the support.
Only bring your baby to bathtime when the water is at the correct temperature. This saves them fussing and allows you time to get the water right. Undress your baby and if they’ve used their nappy clean them up before putting them into the bath then follow these steps;
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Place your baby inside the baby bath feet first and rest their bum behind our bum bump, supporting their head and shoulders. With our Newborn Bath Support, simply place them on top. You may wish to swaddle bathe them also.
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Never leave your baby alone whilst bathing them - not even for a second.
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Begin by gently washing their face and eyes with the cloth and the folds of their neck and behind their ears.
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If they have hair, softly apply some baby shampoo to create a lather and use swirling motions to clean their hair. Our baby brush makes this easier and gently massages your baby’s head also.
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If your baby doesn’t have much hair, still run water over their head gently to get them used to the sensation. Our Washy Jug has a curved edge to allow you to set it against your baby’s head and stop any water getting into their eyes.
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Once complete, you can wash their legs - again getting in between the folds and their little toes. At the end of bathing your baby, clean their genitals.
Once your little one is squeaky clean, wrap them in a towel and change them into a fresh nappy and pyjamas ready for bedtime. Once baby is down for their sleep, you can easily clean up after their bath time as our baby bath features a drain plug and our Newborn Bath Support wipes dry quickly.
Why use the Shnuggle Baby Bath?
Our baby bath was designed with parent and baby in mind - as we know all too well how nerve wracking those first few baths can be. We also know how important it is to help encourage your baby’s independence as they grow - which is why our bum bump feature is loved by so many. Whilst bathing your baby in a big bathtub can seem daunting, the compact size of our baby bath is perfect for those newborn days and all the way up to 1 year. Our added feature of a foam backrest feels warm to the touch and instantly relaxes your little one. If you struggle with back-pain, or may have c-section our bath stand is perfect for bathing baby while you heal. Available in a range of colours that match our other baby items, this is one baby ‘must have’ we promise you’ll get plenty of use out of.
Why use the Shnuggle Newborn Bath Support?
If you’re wondering why would we have two baby bath products that essentially do the same thing - it’s incredibly simple. We think parents deserve to have the option of how they’d like to bathe their baby and purchase what they’re most comfortable with. Our Newborn Bath Support offers an alternative way to bathe your baby - it takes some of the pressure off of supporting your baby in the bath by allowing them to be cradled within the support. This also helps keep your hands free so you can give them all of your attention and bathe them more efficiently.
If you’d like more information on bathing your newborn baby, follow our advice in the links below;
