Steps to Bathing a Newborn
In the early days of bathing your baby, you will be doing sponge bathes until the umbilical cord falls out and then you can move on to submersion baths. I like to think of sponge bathes as less is more- after all, the baby (s) are not outside running around and getting dirty! So, to do a sponge bath, I take a baby washcloth, run it under warm water, squeeze out excess water and then wipe down from head to toe.
A submersion bath is a little bit more involved, so I like to make sure my supplies are all setup first!
Supplies:
Soap/Shampoo
2 washclothes
2 cotton balls if you have
Receiving blanket if you have
Towel
Process:
-Fill tub with as much water as you would like baby in
-test temperature to make sure warm
-begin by washing each eye with a moist cotton ball starting from the inside corners outward
-Use damp washcloth with soap to wash baby's scalp and rinse with washcloth
-Wash baby's arms and armpits and rinse
-Wash baby's legs and feet and rinse
-Support baby with hand to lean forward to wash back and bottom, then rinse
-Be sure to wash all folds and creases in neck, arms and legs
-Wash genitals last
Extra's:
Talk or sing to baby while in bath and lay warm wet washcloth on chest/stomach area when not using it to keep baby warm
