Baby bathing

Bathing your newborn baby is not an easy task. You have to take care of many things. But babies love bathing. It relaxes all their muscles and they feel fresh. It helps in the growth and development of your baby. It helps in cleaning all the bacteria, dirt, sweat, infections, allergies, and viruses present in the body. A warm bath cures all your body pains and aches and you feel fresh and happy. The same applies to kids and infants too. You may have noticed how babies sleep happily for long hours just after having a warm bath.

Nowadays bathtubs are available in the markets for your newborn baby. Traditionally people used a different method to bathe their babies. I also used the traditional method and didn’t use any bathtub till my baby turned 5 months old.

 

You have to make sure that you and your baby are safe while bathing.

• The water shouldn’t go inside your baby’s ears, nose, and mouth.
• The water shouldn’t be too hot or too cold. It should be warm.
• The bathtub or the stools on which you sit or use to bathe your baby should be made up of anti-slip material so that it doesn’t slip while bathing and hurt both you and your baby.
• Do not apply soap or shampoo directly to your baby’s body and head. First, take it in your hand and rub it with your palms. And then apply it to your baby’s body and head.
• Clean your baby’s mouth and tongue with your fingers.
• When you bathe your baby for the first time the thin layer of the skin will come out which acts as a protective layer when the baby was in the mother’s womb. So don’t get tensed if it’s coming out. Gently remove it without scrubbing it hard.
• Rub your baby’s body gently. Don’t scrub hard or use any scrubbers or other bath items for your baby’s sensitive skin.
• Massage your baby before every bath.
• Keep all the things ready needed for your baby after a bath like clothes, towels, diapers, etc.

Massaging your baby is very important before a bath. This will help him in relaxing his muscles and helps in good blood flow throughout the body. It also relieves constipation and helps in the overall development of the body. Massage should be done from head to toe. Don’t press your baby’s body too hard while massaging. Your baby should enjoy his massage and shouldn’t cry. You can use mustard oil, olive oil, castor oil, or coconut oil for massage. These all are natural products and help your baby in many ways. There are other baby massage oils available in the market but I prefer using natural products which have no chemicals in them.

Make sure you massage every part of the body like the hands, legs, chest, stomach, face, and hips. Enjoy your time with your baby together and let your baby also enjoy this process. Tell him a story, sing a song, talk to him, and do a lot of cuddles. Massage and bath time are the best times to bond with your baby.

In the traditional method, the process is a bit different. In a bathroom, two small stools are kept near a bucket. One stool is a little higher than the other. The baby soap and shampoo are kept near the bucket. The mother or any other family member sits on the higher stools with legs kept straight on the second stool. She sits in such a position that the right side of her right hand of the mother is towards the bucket for easily taking out the water from the bucket with the help of a mug.

The baby is placed on the mother’s legs in such a position that the baby’s head is towards the mother’s face and the baby’s legs are towards the mother’s legs. First, the baby is placed in the back position where his head is between the mother’s thighs. The back part is slowly washed with soap and shampoo. The baby is placed in this position because the water doesn’t go inside the baby’s eyes, nose, or mouth. After the back is washed the baby is placed in the front position and washed again.

 

For washing the head and face, the baby is placed in an upright position on the mother’s legs by catching his head with the mother’s hand. On the other hand, you can wash your baby’s face and head and rinse it slowly. While pouring water on the head make sure you cover your baby’s face with your hand by keeping it in a cap position.

While washing your baby’s face make sure you don’t rub it too hard. And make sure soap doesn’t go inside his eyes or nose. Your newborn baby will cry when you bathe him because this process is all new to him and he doesn’t understand anything and start crying. You shouldn’t worry about that but you should try your best to comfort your baby. Sing to him and let him enjoy the water.

Before you plan to bathe your baby you have to keep everything ready so that you don’t search for things after bathing your baby. This can be harmful to your baby as your baby will be wet till you search for his things. So make everything ready and then go to the bathroom to give a bath to your baby. Here I will tell you what all you need to keep ready:-

• If you have a heater at home then turn it on or put some water on a gas stove and boil it till it’s hot or warm. Remember to add cool water to the hot water when you bathe your baby. Check the temperature of the water with your elbow or your fist. It should be warm, not hot.
• If you are using a bathtub then add warm water to it. Keep baby soap, baby towel, and baby shampoo near the bathtub or the bucket in the bathroom.
• In the dressing room keep your baby’s clothes, socks, head cap, powder, baby lotion, diapers, wipes, another towel, and a baby wrapper ready so that you quickly dry him and clothe him up before he catches a cold.
• Turn off the fan in the dressing room as your baby may feel cold. You can also turn on the heater if it is too cold outside though your fan is off.
• If you’re bathing your baby in the traditional method then you have to wear loose and comfortable clothing or a nighty so that it doesn’t get wet and it should be easy for you to pull it up to your thighs to bathe your baby.
• I didn’t use baby soaps or shampoo for my baby. When my baby was less than one month old, I used Himalaya baby products. But after using Himalaya baby soap my baby’s skin got dark so I stopped using it and used Mysore sandal soap that we use at home for a bath. After one month of using it, my baby got his white color back. I also used Himalaya baby massage oil but other people told me castor oil has many benefits for the skin so started to use it daily for massage.