Who remembers that first bath you gave your little one? Did they have their first bath at the hospital or was it at home? I was lucky enough to have had the first bath at the hospital supervised by the amazing nurses, but it didn’t make it any less scary the first time I had to do it alone at home. I remember it very well because it started with a poop explosion that I was not at all expecting. That’s a super fun new mom surprise that nobody can prepare you for! At that point I don’t even think I had gotten a baby bathtub, so my only option was to use my roasting pan. Yep that’s right the turkey roasting pan, Christmas dinner will never be the same for me! I remember yelling to my husband to “GET THE ROASTING PAN!” The good news is it worked however I did end up having to buy a new roasting pan.
Bathing new babies can be scary because not only are we nervous but we are also fundamentally afraid of breaking the baby. January is bath safety month so we thought we would share some bath safety tips so you can enjoy bath time with your little baby, even if their bathtub is a roasting pan!
1 – Never leave you baby alone in the bathtub. This one is a no brainer but sometimes with mom brain it actually isn’t a no brainer so worth saying just in case you were thinking baby wanted to escape to a spa bath on their own as much as you do.
2 – Put the water in a small tub, like a roasting pan. Seriously though when your baby is little you want to make sure that you keep them in a smaller bath so you can control the temperature but also can get a better hold on them when they are in the water. Add cold water first then just enough warm water to get the water warm but not hot. A good way to check the water temp is using your elbow
3 – You probably don’t need to give you baby a bath every day. However, that decision is totally up to you. We used to give my daughter a bath every day because it was part of her bedtime routine. Then her skin started to get dry, so we pulled it back to 2-3 times per week. There is no rule here so do what feels right for you and your baby.
4 – Keep that towel handy. Nothing worse than getting out of the bath and feeling cold so make sure to have that towel ready for your babes when you take them out of the bath to avoid them getting chilly. This is also usually a great time for some cuddles!
These tips were taken from a few sources including parents.com and Fairview.org.