Okay, let's be honest, the first few baths with your new baby are both exciting and a little overwhelming. These few steps will have you feeling more confident and give you everything you need for bathing your newborn in the first months of life.
First Step, Gather Supplies
First things first, get all of your supplies in order! Once the baby’s in the bath, you won’t be able to leave their side, not even for a second, so it’s important to get all of the materials you need together. Here are the things we recommend for bathing your baby:
- Hair + Body Wash
- Washcloths
- Something for pouring water over your baby
- Everyday Lotion for after bath moisturizing
- All Over Ointment for spot treating extra dry areas
- A baby brush for any flaky skin on head
- Extra towels just in case
- An organic cotton towel for after bath drying and cuddles
Fill Your Tub or Sink With Water
Fill the tub up with about three inches of water (90 degrees or so) for bathing a newborn. Feel free to use a tub specifically for newborns, but we've also found success using a normal bath tub or kitchen sink! (Babies are slippery, so sometimes it’s helpful to put a towel underneath them while they’re in the water.)
After the sink or tub is full of about 3 inches of water, test to make sure the temperature is lukewarm before putting baby in. Slowly ease your baby into the tub feet first. You should use one hand to support the baby’s head and neck. Make sure your baby is relaxed and comfortable. Be prepared for some tears. Not all babies like the feeling of being lowered into water, especially not at first. But who knows, your babe might love the water right away!
Washing That Baby!
This next step is the fun part—washing your babe! Try starting with our Lavender Rosemary Hair + Body Wash. How to wash your babe:
- Use your hand or a soft, muslin cloth and wash your baby from top to bottom both on their front and back. Then wash your baby’s scalp with the wet cloth.
- If any mucus is stuck around your baby’s nose or eyes, dab at it a few times before wiping it off.
- For symptoms like cradle cap, we recommend using a brush to get flaky skin off the scalp. Brush in circular motions using water and Wash.
- To clean wash out of hair and off baby's body, use a small amount of water to wash out hair. Guard little ones' eyes with your hand while cleaning hair.
The Bathtime After Party
Once the washing is done, be sure to thoroughly rinse all of the soap off your babe and out of all of the crevices and corners. After bath time is over, lather up some Everyday Lotion for whole body application to keep that skin smooth and fresh. After Everyday Lotion, we recommend spot treating any irritated skin with All Over Ointment to seal in moisture.
Repeat these bathtime steps for as many baths as you need, until you start to get more comfortable and develop your own routines and habits. Sending bubbles and love to you and your little ones. Be sure to send us photos of your baby’s first bath or find us @tubbytodd on both Instagram and TikTok.
xx Team Tubby
Click here to purchase The Newborn Gift Set with six must-have products for your first bath and beyond!
