by Sarah Love

Created on: March 15, 2009

Your baby has been home for a couple weeks and you are thinking it is time to try out bath time!This can be a fun event, but needs some forethought to make sure every one has a good first bath. By making sure you have a couple items and getting yourself and baby prepared, bath-time can be a big hit!

It is a good idea to make sure your baby's belly button has fully healed before giving a full bath.

It may take a week or two before your baby's umbilical stump falls off, but make sure to keep it clean before that happens. Use a cotton q-tip and some warm water to gently clean around the area. It may seem red and sore, but baby is just healing and it is nothing to worry about. While you are waiting for your baby's belly button to heal, make sure to give nice wipe-downs with a warm washcloth as needed. Don't over wash baby! Their skin is sensitive and still getting used to being out in the open air.

It has been a couple weeks, baby's belly button is nice and healed, and you can tell baby is ready for their first bath! But, how do you do it? Giving baby a bath isn't anything to get concerned about, and with a few basic items, you can do it! Make sure to purchase an infant/child bathtub, which can be used in your bathtub or shower. Many tubs come with different level adjustments for infant to small child. Mine is a mesh cover that lies over the tub and you can lower it using side adjustments. It is a good idea to check out your baby stuff before you use it for the first time, so make sure to spend some time with your tub and read the instructions before use it will help you feel more comfortable when you do bath-time for the first time!

Pick a time of day that you know baby is alert and usually happy. Even after a few weeks, your baby has started showing a routine to its day and you are starting to get to know when baby is more aware or when naptime is looming. If your baby goes into bath-time during an awake and happy time of day, it is more likely that you will have success! While getting ready to have a bath, keep baby occupied either in a swing chair, playing on a blanket nearby so you can have your hands free to get everything ready.

Set your baby tub in your tub or shower and fill with warm water. My tub has a plug in it that turns red if the water is too hot.
Your bath water should be warm to the touch but not too warm that you can't keep your hand submerged in the water without pulling it out about 100 degrees. If you are unsure if your water is too hot or too cold,

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>