Tips and Tricks to Make Your Baby’s Bath Safe – and Fun
Bath time can be stressful for any new parent. There are a lot of concerns – how often does the baby need a bath? What products are safe? How do I limit the risks? To ease your anxiety, we’ve collected a few tips here for Baby Bath Safety Month to help make bath time a fun, relaxing and safe experience for you and your baby.
What’s best for you baby?
Every baby needs to get clean – depending on how old your baby is (or how much of a mess he’s made) the frequency will change over time. Most sources recommend giving your baby a basic sponge bath until the umbilical cord falls off (also, if circumcised, wait until that heals as well). After that, your baby is ready for a tub bath – about two to three times a week is fine, just clean his neck, face and diaper area daily.
Preparing the Bath
The safest way to bathe your baby is to use a baby bathtub that has a sling, or a contoured design, like this Fisher-Price model, to ensure he’s secure. Other kinds of bathing equipment, like bath seats, run the risk of your baby tipping over, so avoid these.
In addition to keeping your baby secure, it is important that the temperature is not too hot or too cold, and that the soap and shampoo you use won’t irritate his skin. To regulate temperature, consider using a baby bath thermometer like this one, which changes colors to indicate the correct temperature. You can also use an infant tub with a built in thermometer, like this one from Buy Buy Baby.
What to Wash With
Use a soft wash cloth and a dye-free, gentle soap. If your baby has cradle cap, you can use a cradle cap brush to gently remove flaking skin from your baby’s scalp.
After you’ve finished bathing, wrap your baby in a towel to keep your grip on them (wet babies are slippery!) and to keep them warm – babies can get chilly easily when wet.
Make it Fun!
If your baby seems to enjoy playing with the water and toys and seems more active in the bath, a morning bath may be better to help get them ready for the day. If they seem more relaxed by the bath, a bath before bedtime may help them calm down. A bath is a great time for learning and working on motor skills, so have fun with your baby – play with toys, help them clap and splash and try new things – if they start thinking of the bath as fun now, they won’t put up as much of a fuss when they’re older!
Important Safety Reminders:
Remember – Never ever leave your baby or toddler unattended in a bath – a baby or small child can drown in any amount of water.
Do not assume that your water heater is already set low enough – most water heaters have a default setting of 140 degrees, which can scald your baby in 3 seconds. Set your heater to 120, and aim for a bath temperature of no more than 100 degrees. If you don’t have a bath thermometer, you can check the temperature with your elbow.
Author: Emily Smalter
Emily is currently enrolled in a Master's of Social Work program at Kansas University. Outside of her schoolwork, Emily advocates for women to have a stronger voice in both the public and private realm, and spends her spare hours writing on how to make the seemingly smaller tasks in our lives more manageable.
What’s best for you baby?
Every baby needs to get clean – depending on how old your baby is (or how much of a mess he’s made) the frequency will change over time. Most sources recommend giving your baby a basic sponge bath until the umbilical cord falls off (also, if circumcised, wait until that heals as well). After that, your baby is ready for a tub bath – about two to three times a week is fine, just clean his neck, face and diaper area daily.
Preparing the Bath
The safest way to bathe your baby is to use a baby bathtub that has a sling, or a contoured design, like this Fisher-Price model, to ensure he’s secure. Other kinds of bathing equipment, like bath seats, run the risk of your baby tipping over, so avoid these.
In addition to keeping your baby secure, it is important that the temperature is not too hot or too cold, and that the soap and shampoo you use won’t irritate his skin. To regulate temperature, consider using a baby bath thermometer like this one, which changes colors to indicate the correct temperature. You can also use an infant tub with a built in thermometer, like this one from Buy Buy Baby.
What to Wash With
Use a soft wash cloth and a dye-free, gentle soap. If your baby has cradle cap, you can use a cradle cap brush to gently remove flaking skin from your baby’s scalp.
After you’ve finished bathing, wrap your baby in a towel to keep your grip on them (wet babies are slippery!) and to keep them warm – babies can get chilly easily when wet.
Make it Fun!
If your baby seems to enjoy playing with the water and toys and seems more active in the bath, a morning bath may be better to help get them ready for the day. If they seem more relaxed by the bath, a bath before bedtime may help them calm down. A bath is a great time for learning and working on motor skills, so have fun with your baby – play with toys, help them clap and splash and try new things – if they start thinking of the bath as fun now, they won’t put up as much of a fuss when they’re older!
Important Safety Reminders:
Remember – Never ever leave your baby or toddler unattended in a bath – a baby or small child can drown in any amount of water.
Do not assume that your water heater is already set low enough – most water heaters have a default setting of 140 degrees, which can scald your baby in 3 seconds. Set your heater to 120, and aim for a bath temperature of no more than 100 degrees. If you don’t have a bath thermometer, you can check the temperature with your elbow.
Author: Emily Smalter Emily is currently enrolled in a Master's of Social Work program at Kansas University. Outside of her schoolwork, Emily advocates for women to have a stronger voice in both the public and private realm, and spends her spare hours writing on how to make the seemingly smaller tasks in our lives more manageable.