Baby's First Bath
baby’s first bath
Written by Shay Gabriel | Images by Annica Quakenbush
There are so many sweet firsts to savor when baby arrives! Among my favorites? Baby's first bath.
While I knew that I wanted to delay my firstborn’s first bath, I had envisioned placing her into the cute little whale tub we had — a baby bath with a mesh sling. But when the moment arrived, I changed my mind — I didn’t want to put baby in the whale tub for a gentle sponge bath. Instead, I discovered a much cozier alternative, for both baby and me: bathing together! I’ll share the approach we like to take when sharing baby’s first bath.
First, a quick disclaimer: Be sure to consider any medical limitations for baby or for birther, e.g. healing from cesarean birth. When in doubt, consult your healthcare provider.
Why I love sharing my baby's first bath:
Being directly on me is comforting for her
My body temperature helps regulate her body temperature
My body props hers out of the water so that her healing belly button isn't submerged
I can sense firsthand how warm & comfortable the air & water are
I can nurse her if she'd like
I find it easier to gently move her around & wash her (as compared to washing in a baby bathtub)
It's an opportunity for bonding
It's relaxing for me, too! (And that’s a big deal in the fourth trimester, if you ask me.)
You could even approach this as a sitz bath with healing herbs.
Here’s a little reel I made with my second baby’s first bath. I had recalled how special this felt with my firstborn, so I planned to share my second baby’s first bath, too. I had asked my partner to document the moment with some pictures and video, and I’m so glad I did. It’s already hard to believe how small my second babe once was!
My sweet newborn enjoyed every moment of her first bath! No harsh temps, no clear discomfort, no tears. Making the experience as comfortable for baby (and for me) did take a little thoughtfulness upfront.
How I prepared to share baby’s first bath
Steam the room: First, I warmed the room by turning on a space heater and running a hot shower to create steam (with the drain plugged to start to fill the bath).
Fill the tub (a little) to a warm (but not too warm for baby) temp: Then I ran the bath water and adjusted to a temperature that felt warm to the touch, but not too hot. (You could also use one of those handy little bath thermometers.) I kept the water level pretty low; my goal was to be able to lift baby up out of the water with my legs crossed and to ensure that her healing belly button wouldn’t be submerged. A much different water level than if I were to lounge back for a soak by myself!
Undress yourself: Next, I made sure I felt comfortable without clothing on, while still outside of the bathtub. Then I got inside the bath by myself to make sure the water was actually at a suitable temperature for a little two-week old baby.
Undress baby: If you have another set of adult hands, this might be a helpful time for someone else to undress baby and safely pass them off to you in the bath. Otherwise, you can pop back out of the tub to undress baby yourself (and it’s an extra opportunity to check that the air doesn’t feel too cold). Personally, I found it easier to hold baby against my chest and step into the shallow bath together…they’re still so little at that stage!
Enjoy your shallow bath together! I love keeping baby skin-to-skin on my chest for a bit, having a cozy nursing session if they’d like, then nestling them in my crossed legs to support them up out of the water. I used a soft cloth to gently glide along baby’s skin, avoiding her face.
At the end of the bath, it was still warm enough in the bathroom to step back out of the shallow bathtub with baby against my chest. But you could have someone else ready to wrap baby in a towel if you’d prefer.
We waited until baby was almost 2 weeks old before giving her first bath. When did you give baby their first bath? Did you bathe with them? We’d love to hear from you!
Image by Erin Mason
Shay Gabriel is a content creator at Sprout and Blossom whose love of parenthood and psychology has merged into a super-obsession of all things birthy, baby, & beyond. She believes an informed experience lends to an empowered experience, no matter where you are along the perinatal or parenting journey.