Baby > The essentials > Washing your baby > How to bath your baby

How to bath your baby

Advice on how to bath your baby, safe water temperature and what you will need to make baby-bathing easier, plus the opportunity to purchase baby baths, bath seats and accessories.

How to bath your baby and what you will need to make baby-bathing easier:

Get together everything you may need to bath your baby.
Fill the baby bath, washing up bowl, or family bath with 2 to 3 inches or 5 to 7.5 centimetres of water so that it feels warm but not hot, approx 90 degrees F (32 degrees C). You can purchase bath thermometers to ensure the water is not too hot.
Take your baby to the bathroom or place you have chosen to bath him and undress your baby, only when the bath water is completely ready. You may decide to bath a small baby in the room where he sleeps to develop a routine, or if you have older children to bath your children all together.

Gradually put your baby into the bath, using one hand to support his neck and head. Pour cupfuls of bath water over him regularly during the bath so he doesn't get too cold.
Use soap sparingly, as it dries your baby's skin. Wash your baby with your hand, a flannel or a sponge from top to bottom, front to back.
Wash your baby's scalp with a wet, soapy cloth. You will only need to wash your baby's hair with shampoo once a week.
Use moistened cotton wool to clean your baby's eyes and face. One piece for each eye and another for his face. If dried mucus has collected in the corner of your baby's nostrils or eyes, dab it several times with a small section of a moistened cotton wool to soften it before you wipe it out.
A routine wash of your baby's genitals is all that is needed. For girls, be sure to wash the area from front to back, being careful to gently clean between the folds of skin. Simply wash a boy's penis with soap and water.
Rinse your baby thoroughly with a clean flannel or sponge.

Wrap your baby in a towel and pat him dry.
If your baby's skin is dry, or if he has nappy rash, you may want to apply a mild lotion after his bath.

Chat or Ask a Question:

If you have a question about this article or something else, visit our friendly forums & ask the AskBaby community.

Chat about how to bath your baby with our friendly community...

Your Comments:

We'd love to hear your comments on this article...

My baby was frightened of being bathed on his own so i decided to try bathing with him and breast fed him at the same time to comfort him. Worked a treat though of course babies can be very slippy when wet but either a muslin cloth or towel handy can help to assist grip i found. Also it helps if you have someone to hand the baby to when you're getting out helps! Otherwise though i'd wrap him in a towel on his changing mat on the floor (never high level whilst you've not got full attention on him). I found i could eventually wash myself too with baby products and this made for efficient use of time! He's a real water baby now and can swim unaided at just over 3. I'll do the same i hope for this one when he/she arrives to help with the acceptance of bath times. Palm palms below sounds an interesting product, i'll have a look! Also with nappy rash i'd recommend leaving nappies off as much as possible and also using re-usable cloth nappies, really helped my little boys bottom! I used them as much as possible as i found disopsables (which contain some sort of chemicals) seemed to make any problem worsen. Also Metanium cream is great for really sore ones.

by Happymummy123

1st Nov 2010, 11:45am

If the baby have rash for example, Do i have wear him/her nappies or let him/her be free from it from some time. I need some early advice please.
by clemence	14th May 2010, 5:31pm

this site has been a great help for my coursewrk and exam thanx
by chels216	23rd Apr 2009, 9:23am

i'm a childcare student and we got taught to wrap your arm around the childs back n place your hand under the arm furthest from you.... it supports the baby's head and gives you a decent grip... =D

we also got taught to top and tail the child first... starting with the head obviously as it's the least dirty. then use wet cotton buds to wipe the eyes... only use each cotton bud once... then do the tail... then bathe the child.

by chloe18

11th Dec 2008, 9:34am

Great article. I had a major fear of bathing my baby after she was born. We tried a wonderful new product that is incredibly simple and works amazingly well. They help to have a great grip on your baby while bathing. My husband uses them too when he showers with our baby. It's called Palm-Palms baby bath grips.
by RSBMD	7th Jul 2008, 9:04am