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I am not going to make you wait I’m coming right out with the #1 best bath time tip you will ever hear.
1. Gently pour water on your baby’s face from the beginning.
This will save you so much struggle in the future.
It can be just a small drizzle of water. You don’t have to get it in their eyes and you can avoid their mouth.
Get your baby used to a bit of water in their face from the beginning.
Do this EVERY SINGLE BATH. Forever. The End.
This tip though will seriously help you once your baby is older. Just think about bathing them as a toddler, or even yet taking them swimming.
When you put kids on swim lessons you pay a couple of hundred bucks for someone to get your child to put their face in the water to blow bubbles.
Get them used to water in their face from the beginning.
Eliminate the fear that comes with water by making it a frequent part of their routine.
Time to get to the other tips!
2. Partner Does Bath Time
Every family has its own unique structures and situations. I suggest though that your partner does bath time.
This is a great time for them to spend with your child. Especially if they are the working parent or not the primary caregiver.
For example, I was a breastfeeding momma. This meant I was responsible for all feeding and most nap and bedtimes. My husband took charge of bath time. This became his responsibility. When I was home with our daughter this was a chance for me to have a break as well.
3. Positive Experience
Keep bath time positive. We don’t want fussing or crying. We want this to be a positive place with positive associations.
Water has so many emotions tied to it.
- Fear
- Danger
- Risk
- Fun
- Summer
- Relaxation
Though we want to have a healthy respect for water in general we also want to keep that positive association. Your baby’s first experience with water is the bath.
Make it a good experience.
If you can tell bath time is going south, wrap it up.
4. Rolls
Babies and toddlers go through various phases of being rolly polly. Make sure you are getting into those rolls. Also with this make sure you are fully drying in their rolls. Moisture can lead to a rash.
5. Frequency
With a newborn, you don’t want to over bathe them. You can easily dry out their skin. Especially if you are in a cold climate.
If you want to space out the frequency of baths clean in their neck creases. This is likely the dirtiest area due to milk dribbles and spit-ups.
6. No Standing
When your baby starts learning to pull up and stand teach them to sit down.
You can do this gently with positive encouragement.
Make it clear though that we sit in the tub.
It is for their safety.
7. Minimal Toys
You do not need many if any bath toys at all. A cup will do the job.
You just end up spending time cleaning them all up.
If you are given toys and choose to use them, only put two or three in the tub at a time.
Also, remember any toy that can get water inside can be a place for mold to grow which is a danger to your baby.
Keep it minimal.
Encourage your baby to feel the water with their hand. As they get older teach them to cup the water in their hands.
If you are trying to have a baby on a budget check out 7 Smart Ways to Cut Costs and Save Money when having a Baby . Cutting out bath toys is another great idea to stay on budget.
8. Preparing for Bath Time
There are a few steps you should take before your baby is in the water.
First, you need to have everything ready and available for the bath itself. At no time can you leave your baby unattended.
You will need to have items such as body wash, shampoo, conditioner, washcloth, towel, and anything else you may need during the bath.
Before the bath starts you need to prepare for after the bath as well. When you take the baby out of the water and wrap them up in a towel where are you going to take them and what should you have available?
These could be items such as pajamas, lotion, a clean diaper, hairbrush, nail clippers, or whatever else you may use.
It is helpful to have everything ready to go so you can quickly care for your baby.
9. Order
One of my bath time tips is to consider the order of steps you take. Bath time can be broken down into playtime, washing the body, and washing the hair. A tiny newborn will skip the playtime, but for general purposes, we will leave it in here.
Consider the order of these steps. For a newborn, you will wash their body before doing their head. This way their head is dry for most of the time they are in the bath. This will help them stay warm.
For an older baby, you could keep the same order, but throw playtime in at the beginning.
The order does matter as much as they get older, but it is something to consider.
If you have some consistency to the bath they know what to expect and will do better with transitioning from one thing to another.
10. Pour Water on them from the Beginning
And remember tip #1. Let water run in your baby’s face from the beginning. Trust me it will help.
Conclusion
Bath time can be fun for some families and a complete disaster for others. I have known babies to love the bath and others to scream from start to finish.
Try implementing some of the tips and strategies to make bath time and joyful as possible.
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