Bathing Your Baby

Watch out…here comes rubber ducky! It's bath time, and both you and your baby are in for a ton of fun! Keeping baby's skin clean is essential to good health, and bath time can also be a wonderful bonding experience. You need not bathe a newborn more often than every other day, increasing the frequency as baby gets older. Even though you may not give baby a full bath every day, make sure the diaper area is kept clean at every diaper change and that face, skin folds under the chin, and hands are cleaned after every feeding.

The choices you make when bathing your baby are important. Finding the right cleanser is key, because bathing with water alone may not be enough to clean soil from the diaper area. Soaps or cleansers that are too strong can irritate baby's delicate skin and eyes. That's why it's best to use a mild, pH-neutral allover baby wash that's formulated especially for babies and that's gentle to both skin and eyes. Use your hand or a soft baby washcloth and a product such as JOHNSON'S® HEAD-TO-TOE® Baby Wash.

Routine Bathing

Sponge baths have long been recommended for newborns. But new guidelines state that immersion bathing is a safe and effective method of keeping baby clean. Babies who are bathed by immersion tend to be calmer and quieter and have less heat loss than babies who are sponge-bathed.

Here's how to bathe your baby:

  • Start with only a few inches of warm— not hot-water deep enough to allow baby to settle in with her shoulders well covered; the ideal water temperature is 100°F to less than 104°F. Swirl the water with your hand to make sure there are no hot spots, and always double- check the water temperature using the inside of your wrist before you place baby in the water
  • Gently place baby's entire body, except for her neck and head, in the water, using one arm to gently support baby's back, head, and neck. Continue to support baby with one arm while bathing with the other. For more information, ask your nurse or doctor for a Tender Touches™ guide to bathing your baby. To watch “how to” videos from experts and other moms like yourself, visit YouTube.com/baby
  • First cleanse the areas that are most sensitive and most important to keep hygienic. Start with the eyes, clean the rest of the face and head, and then work your way down to the diaper area. Always wash the diaper area from front to back. Cleansing in this order will prevent germs from spreading
  • To wash baby's eye area, use a soft washcloth and plain water without cleanser. Gently wipe away any crust (dried mucus), starting from the inside corner and wiping to the outside corner of the eye area. If there is no crust, there is no need to wash the eye area. Do not wash the eye itself
  • After washing baby's eye area, rinse the cloth well. Then add a small amount of gentle cleanser, such as JOHNSON'S® HEAD -TO-TOE® Baby Wash, and gently wipe the rest of baby's face and body. This ultra-gentle cleanser can be used to wash baby all over, including hair. Don't forget to wash behind baby's ears! Remember to rinse baby thoroughly after cleansing
  • Older babies have more hair, so they may need a shampoo, like JOHNSON'S® NO MORE TEARS® Baby Shampoo. To wash your baby's hair, wet the washcloth and apply a small amount of baby shampoo. Massage over baby's entire head; don't be afraid to wash the soft spots. Rinse the cloth well with warm water. Add more water to the washcloth, and use it to remove the shampoo from baby's head. Avoid getting the shampoo in baby's eyes
  • Now let your baby take a few moments in the tub to enjoy the warm water. Pour cupfuls of the water over baby's body for warmth. Don't run water from the faucet directly onto baby, as water temperatures can change suddenly. As your baby gets older, you might want to give baby a toy or two to play with in the tub after all the cleansing is done. NEVER leave baby unattended in water, not even for a moment
  • After the bath, dry baby immediately. Newborns should then be diapered and wrapped in a warm blanket, and a cap should be placed on baby's head. Within about 10 minutes after the bath, baby should then be dressed and the cap and blanket replaced with dry ones

For a finishing touch, you can apply a moisturizer, such as JOHNSON'S® Baby Lotion, to your baby's skin. Use a protective ointment, such as DESITIN® ORIGINAL™ or DESITIN® CREAMY® ointments, or DESITIN® CLEAR™ Multi-purpose ointment, on the diaper area.

You and baby may be a little apprehensive about the first few baths. But as you both get comfortable with the routine, you will look forward to bath time as a fun and relaxing part of the day.