When it comes to having a peaceful and comfortable bath with your baby, one of the first things you’ll want to get right is the bath temperature.
Because baby’s can't regulate their own temperature, their bath needs to match their own body heat - around 37 celsius. While a common way to test your baby’s bath temperature is to stick your elbow in the water and see how it feels - an exact way to know is to use a bath thermometer.
How to fill your baby’s bath with water
Whether you’re filling your own bath up or using a baby bath, always start with cold water first and then gradually add in hot water. This helps avoid random hot spots in the water. If using our newborn bath support, make sure to only fill the water up to the max line that appears on the side. This helps create warmth and keep the water at the recommended level. Similarly, on our baby bath - fill the water to the max line indicated at the bottom of the back rest. Due to the compact size of our baby bath, your bath water should also stay warmer for longer.
Why use a bath thermometer?
Whilst dipping your elbow in may seem like a fool-proof method for checking the temperature of your baby’s bath - it’s always better to have peace of mind that you’ve got it perfect every time. A bath thermometer removes the guesswork and lets you know that you can safely bathe your baby. A bath thermometer is also particularly useful for friends and family if caring for your baby while you’re not around. As a parent, you’ll become used to routine - but others may not be. A bath thermometer can help give everyone a little bit of extra help and support. A small, compact and incredibly cute bath thermometer (if we do say so ourselves) - it can neatly fit in your overnight bag for relatives.
Our bath thermometer works by floating in the water. It has a small metal node that detects the temperature of the bath water and displays the temperature digitally - meaning less hassle of trying to work out whether the bath is ready yet for your little one. Our bath thermometer has a range of 32 - 37 degrees indicative of the ideal bath temperature - anything below this or above this is considered too cold or too warm.
How to use our bath thermometer
As soon as you’ve reached the max line on either your baby bath or newborn bath support, pop our Bobbin’ Bath Buoy Thermometer into the water and let it detect the temperature for a few minutes. If it’s too warm, it’ll display the temperature and a red light. If it’s too cool it’ll display the temperature and a blue light. These displays give you the opportunity to adjust the bath temperature to get it just right. Leave our Bath Buoy in the water and wait until it goes green. If it’s all good to go - you’ll have the temperature displayed with a green light!
How often should I use a bath thermometer?
We recommend using a bath thermometer up until your child exits the toddler stage - ensuring that every bathtime is a safe one. Even if you think you’re a dab hand at bathtime, we can all get distracted and realise perhaps the bath water is too cold. Whilst your baby may make you very aware of that - very quickly, our bath thermometer can help avoid any tantrums. Our Bath Buoy is also useful for the toddler stage. While they might be better at regulating their temperature, they’re still small and delicate and will benefit from the same bath water temperatures of 32-37 degrees. As they’ll play for much longer in the bath, you can check just how much the water is cooled and use this as a good excuse for bed time!
Should I take the bath thermometer out when it’s reached the right temperature?
Keep our bath thermometer in for the duration of your baby’s bathtime so you can keep an eye on the water and ensure it doesn’t cool down too much. You can also recheck the temperature by tapping on the screen - this will provide an updating reading while it’s still in the water. Due to it’s toy like appearance, it shouldn’t bother your little one and doesn’t take up much room in the tub or in our baby bath.
Is there anything else I can do to ensure a safe bathtime for my baby?
Of course! We have a full guide on how to have a safe and comfortable bathtime with your baby. If you’re still concerned about temperature, we also have our Moonlight Plus that can monitor room temperature. This is especially useful for bathtime routines and change and nighttime routines letting you know if the room you’re in is too hot or cold for your baby. It also uses the same traffic light system of red = too warm, blue = too cold and green = all good. Our Moonlight Plus of course also operates as a night light, giving a soft and subtle glow to those precious moments with your little one.
To find out more about how to have a great baby bathtime, read our blogs below;
