Is Bathing Your Baby Any Good? 7 Ways You Can Be Certain.

Holding a newborn baby during the initial few days or weeks after their birth is in itself a nerve-wracking task. Therefore, when a new parent has to bathe their newborn, the first few bathing sessions are bound to make them nervous and shaky. You might feel jittery to hold the delicate baby and wash them while being fearfully cautious that the baby doesn’t slip out of your hands and fall. Many a time, the baby might not be in a condition to be exposed to water for a long time. Generally, babies love their bath time, but what if the little one whimpers whenever it’s time to get drenched, instead of gleefully sloshing in the water?
There could be many possible reasons for your baby’s bathing misery. The little one might be feeling the water is too hot or too cold. Or they might simply abhor being wet or getting their hair shampooed. If you keep the neck, face and diaper-area of the newborn clean, you wouldn’t need to bath them every day because they won't get dirty since they lie down and sleep most of the time. Hence bathing the infants 3 times a week is sufficient to keep them clean.
Irrespective of the situation, if you feel bathing your little one is a worrisome matter, then we have a bucketful of tips for you to turn your baby’s bath-time into an effortless and enjoyable sport. Follow these simple baby care tips for their first few baths, and in some time you will be a pro, and both you and your baby will look forward to bath-time.
1) Sponge bath
If your baby was born extremely weak or was a premature one or has the umbilical cord stump stick, then you can avoid the normal bath and stick to sponge baths. Since newborns are always wrapped up, they don’t get that much dirty. The only areas that need to be cleaned are: the diaper area, under the chin, between the fingers, and behind the ears. A sponge bath with lukewarm water will suffice to keep your baby clean initially till you are confident enough to handle bathing the baby in the bathroom and the baby is fit enough for it.
Baby bath capes
After a relaxing and fun-filled bath, highly absorbent and soft baby bath capes are just perfect to wipe the kids dry swiftly and snugly. They are great for the baby’s delicate skin and also keep them warm. Specially designed for babies, baby bath capes are delightful baby bathing products. In the marketplace, these capes come in various designs and colours. If you search for baby bath capes online, you would also find organic cotton knitted ones. These bath capes made from organically farmed cotton are not just beautiful but also extremely soft to your little one’s skin. And with organic products adding another layer of safety to the health of your little one, they are the right choice for wiping your baby dry after their bath.
2) Keep the same bath time every day
It is necessary to keep the bath time of the babies fixed to make them follow a set routine. Ideally, it should be that time of the day or before night, when the baby is supposed to go to sleep. A massage followed by a bath will help the baby sleep better.
3) Taking help while bathing the baby
If possible, it is better to have someone help you when you are giving a bath to your little one. In most of the cases, new moms are not so confident in handling such a tiny body all by themselves. Another person besides them can prove to be a boon if you happen to feel scared if your baby starts crying or you would want someone to pour water while you hold the baby.
4) Keeping things handy
In case you have to give a bath to your baby all alone as you might not have anyone to help you, then it is imperative to keep all the required essentials during and after the bath close by where you can reach out to them easily. It could be risky to try and open a shampoo bottle, or search and try to reach for a towel while holding the baby with one hand.
5) Shampoo towards the end of the bath
It is a good idea to finish bathing the body first and then shampoo the baby if you must. This will save the baby from being in the water for too long and they will be less cranky.
6) Go for tear-free shampoos, soaps, and washes
If bathing is an activity that your baby does not enjoy much, and if you use shampoos and soaps that annoy them, then the bathing experience is going to become turbulent for both of you. So make sure to get shampoos, soaps, and washes that are tear-free and soothing for your baby.
7) Toys for the tiny tots
Kids are lively and bustling with energy most of the time and bath toys enhance their bathing experience.Toys help distract their attention and keep them busy. This helps the parents to carry out and wind up the child's bath while also providing fun and amusement to the baby.
As each baby is different, their reactions while bathing would be quite different as well. After a few baths, you would surely be able to figure out what works best for your little one and decide how to go about bathing them accordingly. So go ahead and make bathing time pleasurable for you and the apple of your eye.
- Smarth Chugh
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