Ever wondered how you will feel or how your baby will feel when the little one is ready to take his/her first bath? Well, that is exactly what we are here to tell you about! You, ofcourse will have to give the little one his/her first bath at a certain point of time, but that time does not come immediately after he/she is born, since staying warm is very important for the little one during this time. In the hospital, in order to keep the little one clean and hygienic, the nurses will only use clean and warm towels to wipe your baby. When the nurses are satisfied that your baby’s body temperature has reached a stable level, then they will give the little one his/her first bath a few hours after birth. It is also normal, however for the doctors/nurses to wait a few days after the baby’s birth to give him/her a bath. Sometimes the doctors might even recommend that the child only be subjected to a sponge bath till the time the umbilical stump falls off. In case you are afraid to give your baby a bath at home, consider asking the nurse on tips. The nurse will most of the time be more than willing to show you how to do the needful, and might even let you give the baby his/her first bath in the hospital itself. This will in turn help you gain confidence in being able to give your little one a bath at home too. In the beginning, bathing your baby twice or thrice a week is more than sufficient, since babies rarely tend to get dirty. However, once they start to crawl or move around a little, then you might consider giving them a bath more often. Things To Keep in Mind: When giving your little one a bath, whether it is you doing it or someone you trust, there are a few things that need to be kept in mind.
- You need to remember that your little one can lose his/her body warmth easily. This basically means that the bath that is given to the baby needs to be a short one albeit thorough.
- It shouldn’t last for more than 10 minutes at the most. Not only does this make sure that your baby doesn’t lose any body heat, but it also helps in not drying out your baby’s delicate skin.
- Make sure that the room you plan on giving your baby a bath in is warm and that any windows/doors that might usher in cold winds are closed.
- Having towels handy is extremely important as you can use these to cuddle your baby and keep him/her warm post the bath.
- Remember to switch off any air conditioners or fans that might be running, atleast till the time your little one is all dressed up, warm and ready.
- If in case you give your baby oil massages everyday, then a bath daily sounds good since the oil, especially during summer, might end up blocking sweat pores and could even result in rashes and prickly heat.
- If you feel tempted to give the little one a bath twice a day in hot and humid weather conditions, remember that it could prove counter-productive, especially if you live in a place where hard-water supply is there. The hard water will in turn affect your baby’s skin and dry it out.
Try sticking to the one bath a day regime if your little one gets too dirty in the beginning, and even if that doesn’t seem to keep the crawler clean, then you can always alternate between a bath and wiping the little one clean with a warm towel. Your little one’s first bath is a major milestone in his/her development. Ofcourse there are always precautions that you need to take with anything and everything associated with your baby, but a bath is a good thing! And your little one might just enjoy it!
