Easy Pro Tips for Your Baby’s First Bath
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I have been compensated by JOHNSON’S® Baby for this post; however, I am sharing my own thoughts. All opinions are my own.
I’m here to share what I’ve learned about a baby’s first bath time so you can learn from my mistakes and benefit from what I’ve learned!
If you follow me on Instagram then you know that I just had my third boy! I’ve learned so much with each new baby and now with baby #3, I’m starting to feel like I’ve got the hang of things!
With my first baby, I bought the baby bathtub that was on sale at the store and grabbed the first body wash I could find. I thought that I was all ready for bath time. After all, what else could I need right? Oh, how wrong I was!
Bath time is so important for babies! So much happens during bath time.
- You wash off all their spit up – of course!
- You work on their cradle cap if they have one.
- You help them wind down from the day and prepare for bedtime
- You bond with your baby
It’s so important to have the right gear and method to make bath time enjoyable and successful for both of you but that doesn’t mean that it needs to cost you a lot. You just need to know the right tricks!
PLUS, for new parents, the first bath can be a bit nerve-wracking. How are you supposed to safely wash a slippery baby who can’t hold their own head up in a tub of water? What if they get soap in their eyes? What if the water is too hot? Or too cold?
When should you buy a bathtub for your baby?
You don’t need a bathtub for the first few weeks and maybe even months. You may never use a baby bathtub… so save your money! A clean sink will do just fine and is way easier!
Just place a small towel on the bottom of the sink and then fill with water! When I had my first two babies, I had baby bathtubs (yes, multiple) and then realized that I didn’t really need them and they were more of a pain than anything!
Temperature for Baby’s First Bath – cold or hot water?
Simple! There are tons of bathtub thermometers for under $10 that double as a toy – like a duckie! These thermometers make it really easy to tell when the water is just right!
Then, keep some small washcloths handy and just put one on your baby’s tummy to keep them warm if they get cold. Tada!
Best Soap for Baby’s First Bath?
There are so many options! With my first, I just grabbed anything from the baby aisle. Then one day I looked at the ingredients and was horrified by what they put in it!
I mean it’s soap for babies! You would think that it would be as safe and pure as possible right? Wrong!
So many soaps – even the ones that promise to be a “tear-free” formula – are filled with harsh chemicals that you definitely wouldn’t want to put on that baby soft skin! That’s why I started using AVEENO® Baby Wash and Shampoo!
They use ACTIVE NATURALS® Ingredients which basically means that all their ingredients originate from natural good-for-you ingredients! Their products are also very dry-skin and eczema friendly and contain oat extracts!
This is especially soothing for babies (especially those with a diaper rash!) Aaaaannnd…you can get AVEENO® baby products at the same cost as many detergent-filled products!
That’s a huge win in my book because I love a good value! (Don’t you just hate when doing something good for you meaning breaking the bank?) Plus just about every store carries it! You can even go to your neighborhood Walmart and find a ton of Aveeno baby products to choose from!
After watching this video, I decided to try washing my baby’s hair this way and it worked out great!
Baby’s First Bath Time Routine
- Place a washcloth in the sink and add a couple of drops of Aveeno Baby Wash & Shampoo
- Fill the sink with warm water and test it with a thermometer until it’s just right
- Hold the baby with one hand and wash his body with the other
- Take him out of the sink and wrap his body in a towel leaving his head fully outside of the towel
- Wash his face and hair using the same Aveeno Baby Wash & Shampoo by holding just his head over the sink and using a cup to rinse. You do this by holding the baby a bit like a football and just have his head over the sink.
- Then I take him to the changing table and dry him off
- Then I give him a baby massage with the Aveeno Baby Lotion and then dress him!
All in all, it only takes 5-10 minutes and it’s so much easier than using a separate baby tub! (I don’t have an additional item to take out, put away, or clean!)
So there you have it!
A baby’s first bath really isn’t that hard or complex. You just need to know a few really simple tips and have just a few of the right items and you’re set!
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