Tips for Grooming and Bathing Your Baby

Something that parents are hardly ever anxious to do is give their newborn a bath. Grooming their baby can be as equally nerve racking. Between the umbilical cord stub, tiny finger nails and peeling skin cleaning and bathing newborn babies can be very intimidating. Here are some tips to help you bathe and groom your baby with confidence.

1. Take every time that you change your baby's diaper as an opportunity to clean their umbilical cord stub.

2. When you test the temperature of the water for your baby's bath test it on your wrist.

3. Your baby might pee and poop in the bath, the warm water helps them to relax their muscles, so be prepared that might happen.

4. Clean really good behind the baby's ears, you might even put some lotion behind the ears after the bath. Be sure to wash the baby's neck folds really well too.

5. When you wash your baby's hands rinse the soap off before you soap up another area. Sometimes a baby will have the reflex to rub their eyes.

6. A newly washed baby can be very slippery, make sure that you have an extra good grip on them before you lift them out of the bath.

7. Keep the towel that you are going to dry your baby with near you. Tuck the towel into the collar of your shirt or under your chin when you lift the baby out of the bath so you can get a good grip on them. You can also lay the towel down and lay the baby on to it if you feel that is safer.

8. Once the bath is over babies often want to nurse right away, swaddle them in a towel and go ahead and feed them before getting them dressed.

9. It is a good idea after a bath to brush your baby's hair to help encourage any cradle cap that they have to come off. It will be easier since their scalp had been in water.

10. By cleaning a baby's ears after they have a bath any ear wax that the baby may have will come off easier and by using safety swabs as oppose to q-tips you won't have to worry about hitting the baby's eardrum.

11. A good time to cut your baby's fingernails is when they have fallen asleep after a bath. This is helpful because not only will your baby stay still but also their fingernails will be softer since they had a bath.

12. Holding the baby in the shower can make a baby feel more comfortable, just wait till their belly can be submerged in water before you do this and of course make sure you have a really good grip at all times.

13. Anytime that you use squirting toys at bath time make sure that when you are done that you squeeze all of the water out of them so mildew won't grow inside of them.

14. When your baby has teeth and you are feeding them solid foods it is a good idea to brush those teeth with your finger and some water. You can also use baby toothpaste, make sure that it is fluoride free and safe to swallow, and a finger toothbrush too.

There will come a time when bath time is a lot of fun for mom, dad and baby and grooming can be extra fun when a baby's hair is long enough to put ribbons, clips and bows in and of course everyone enjoys playfully spiking their infants hair.