Did you know that newborns between the ages of 0-2 weeks should only get a sponge bath? I sure didn’t when I was a new mom. I had no clue what I was doing.
Luckily, I had my best friend on hand to give me some tips from a mom who had already been there.
Why a sponge bath and not a bath in the baby tub that you got off your baby registry? Newborns that still have their umbilical cord or are healing from a circumcision should not be submerged in water and therefore a sponge bath is the perfect solution.
I gave my newborns a sponge bath about every 3 days. Too much bathing would dry out their skin.
One of the biggest mistakes I made as a new mom was to not have my bathing station set up before starting. I learned this the hard way so take this pointer from me; get everything ready and set-up before you start.
Here is what you need:
I gave my newborn babies a sponge bath in our kitchen next to the sink.
full sized bath towel to lay baby on
1-2 washclothes
baby bath towel (to wrap baby in while you bath him/her)
bowl of luke warm water (I recently discovered this rubber ducky that checks the temperature of the water for you!
Bath Soap (I love the smell and gentleness of this Honest Company Calming Body Wash
optional: cute hooded towel or robe (pictures of my babies in these towels always made it into our baby book)
change of clothes
new diaper
hair brush
your phone to take pictures of baby’s first bath!
HOW TO:
*Note: babies might get a little fussy during the sponge bath. They will be unwrapped from their warm swaddle so they might cry. THIS IS TOTALLY NORMAL. You are not doing anything wrong if your baby cries! I wish I had known that when I was a new mom.
First, place baby on the bath towel wearing only a diaper and wrap him/her in a hooded towel. I try to keep the areas that I am not cleaning covered so baby doesn’t get too cold.
Start working head down and wash baby’s head and face. I usually put a squirt of water on the washcloth and rub it in with a little water.
Next, move to the neck area. Babies tend to spit up and get fuzz in the crevice of their neck so gently lift baby’s head so you can get a wash clothe under baby’s neck.
Wash baby’s arms, chest and hands next. Baby’s like to make fists, so gently open their hands to clean out any fuzz that might have gotten stuck.
After washing baby’s head, face, arms and body, cover his/her top half with your towel while you wash the legs and diaper area. The baby in this picture stopped fussing and so I did not need to wrap her. This wasn’t always how of sponge baths went in our house.
When I wash the diaper area, I switch the wash clothe and clean in all of baby’s rolls and crevices. This should be the last area you clean. After this, I move baby to a dry towel or robe.
Get your camera out because these hooded robes/towels and a clean baby make the best pictures for your scrap book.
With a fresh diaper and change of clothes already handy in your station, dress baby and enjoy those post bath smells and snuggles!
Watch my YouTube tutorial “How to Give a Newborn a Sponge Bath”
Check out all of my videos on my YouTube channel, Burnt Pancakes. Click here
I am not a licensed physician. For all questions and concerns, please consult your child’s pediatrician.
