Bathing your baby is an important part of baby care, but while it is beneficial for baby development you don’t have to bath a newborn every day. You can top and tail, ensuring that her face and bottom are kept clean.

Babies usually love bath time and it may become a special bonding time for you both or a chance for dads to get involved with baby care.

Start your bathing routine by warming the room, filling the bath with warm water and getting everything you need together, so baby never has to be left alone. Your baby should never be left alone in the bath, even for a second – babies can drown in just a couple of inches of water. If you have to leave the room, wrap her in a towel and take her with you.

How to bathe your baby:

1. Undress your baby and wrap her in a warm towel.
2. Clean her bottom with a wipe or cloth before putting her in the bath.
3. Wash your baby’s face with the bath water before putting her in the bath.
4. Wash her hair before before putting her in the bath by holding her, wrapped in the towel, backwards over the water. Scoop water over her hair with your free hand, apply a little shampoo and rise.
5. Pat her hair dry gently using a soft towel.
6. Take your baby out of the towel, check the water temperature again and lower her into the bath holding her so that her head and back is supported on your arm. Use your other hand to soap and rinse her.
7. Once she is bathed, lift your baby out onto a towel on your knee and gently pat her skin dry, paying particular attention to the area around the cord.

Some other bath time tips:

1. Save time by only using soap every other night or if your baby is particularly dirty and just use water followed by baby lotion.
2. Once baby is able to sit a special bathing baby seat for the bath will keep her safe and you’ll be able to use both of your hands to wash her.
3. If you don’t have a firm table top free for a baby bath use it inside the bath. Splashes and spills will then go down the drain and you can squirt the quantities of soap and shampoo you need on the side of the bath and wash it off easily afterward.
4. Invest in a gardening knee pad or fold up a thick towel to kneel on.
5. Bigger towels make life easier. You can envelope your little one and dry her off much more quickly.
6. Bath time is a key time for baby development and should be enjoyable. As she grows she will want to play certain games while bathing, play with certain toys and possibly hear the same bath time song over and over again.

Author's Bio: 

Debra Aspinall is an experienced journalist and the editor and leading writer for the Emma’s Diary website, one of the UKs foremost pregnancy and baby websites. Debra writes on pregnancy related topics such as baby development week by week, giving birth, having a baby, baby stages week by week and etc. She also writes on women’s health and beauty issues and contributes travel articles to glossy magazines in London and the Home Counties.