When Can I Use Soap on Baby's Face

Washing your baby

4-minute read

You don't need to bathe your babe every twenty-four hours, but you should wash their face, neck, hands and lesser carefully every day. This is oft chosen 'topping and tailing'. Cull a time when your infant is awake and content. Make sure the room is warm. Get everything ready beforehand.

You'll need a bowl of warm water, a towel, cotton assurance, a fresh nappy and, if necessary, clean dress.

Yous may observe the following step-past-footstep guide useful:

Hold your infant on your genu or lay them on a changing mat. Have off all their apparel, apart from their singlet and nappy, and wrap them in a towel.
Dip the cotton ball in the warm water (make sure it doesn't go besides moisture) and wipe gently around your infant's optics from the within corner to the outside corner. Apply cotton wool wool ball for each eye. This is so that yous don't transfer any stickiness or infection from i eye to another.
Wipe gently around each nostril to become rid of mucus. Exercise not put anything inside your baby'south nostrils (including cotton buds). This tin damage the lining of the olfactory organ and cause bleeding.
Use a fresh piece of cotton fiber wool to clean behind and effectually the outside of your infant's ears, merely not inside them. Practise non endeavour to clean inside your baby's ears considering it is very piece of cake to crusade damage.
Wash the remainder of your baby'south face up, nether the chin, neck and hands in the same mode and dry them gently with the towel.
Take off the nappy and wash your baby's bottom and genital area with fresh cotton and warm h2o. Dry very carefully, including betwixt the skin folds, and put on a clean nappy.
Information technology will help your babe to relax if y'all talk, sing or smile while you launder them.

Bathing

Babies only need a bath ii or iii times a week, but if your baby really enjoys it, you can bathe them every twenty-four hours.

Don't breast-stroke your baby straight after a feed or when they're hungry or tired. It's a expert idea to requite a baby a bathroom at the end of the 24-hour interval. This helps to set up up a bedtime routine. Make sure the room is warm. Have everything you lot need at paw: a babe bath or washing-up bowl filled with warm h2o, a towel, infant soap, lotion or shampoo, a make clean nappy, clean dress and a launder fabric.

Put a non-slip bath mat on the floor and ane in the bath. Brand sure yous accept everything you need close by and turn off your telephone so you're less likely to exist distracted.
The water should be warm, not hot (37 to 38°C). Turn the water off and cheque the temperature and mix it well so there are no hot patches. Fill up the bath to about 8cm.
Hold your infant on your knee joint and clean their confront.
Lower your baby gently into the bowl or bath using one paw to concord their upper arm and support their head and shoulders.
Kneel down or sit on a low stool so that you don't hurt your back.
Keep your baby's caput clear of the water. Use the other mitt to gently swish the water over your babe without splashing.
Shampoo the hair last (you merely need to do this once or twice a week).
Never go out your baby lonely in the bath, non even for a second. It is of import to stay with your infant at all times when they are in the bathroom and they have your total attention.
Gently lift your baby out of the bath and wrap them in a soft dry towel.
If your baby seems frightened of bathing and cries, endeavor bathing together. Make sure the water isn't also hot. Information technology'due south easier if someone else holds your baby while yous get in and out of the bathroom.

Bathing a newborn - video

Video provided by Raising Children Network.

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Last reviewed: July 2020

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