What products to use for bathing the baby?

In general, the baby’s first bath is done by the nursery nurses when the baby is born, a few hours after birth. In very few situations is the bath sent home, once one has been discharged. In very few realities the first bath of the newborn is done with the mother, after the birth to still continue that feeling of bond and home that you had in the womb.

In all these cases, however, we must not forget that the skin of a newborn is delicate and different from that of an adult, therefore our detergents or creams penetrate their skin more easily and could develop allergies.

If the stump has not yet fallen, the bath can be done anyway and in this case it is even more important not to use hygiene cosmetics and to dab it well with a towel so as not to leave it damp.

The use of cosmetic detergents, therefore perfumed, is not absolutely necessary until the newborn introduces solid food into his diet and therefore certainly after 6 months when weaning begins .

Until that day, it does not produce sweat and therefore does not emit any unpleasant odors. Yes, feces, urine and regurgitation have a strong smell, but it is not their skin that gives off bad smells because the sweat glands start their activity later.

Furthermore they are not dirty because they do not crawl yet and, if placed on the floor, they are usually placed on blankets or the floor of the house is cleaned accurately following the normal hygiene of everyday environments.

What does the first months bath consist of?

The baby’s bath  acquires in the first months, more than a moment of hygiene, a moment of relationship, tranquillity, relaxation. It can be considered a rite that introduces the newborn into the night.

The bath can be done in the parent’s lap, sharing the same tub or in a large sink or in the classic tubs (a laundry basin is also fine).

Avoid all types of cleaners, from those that foam to those that do not, as they are not necessary at all.

Very little is needed for your baby’s first bath:

• Warm water (the water temperature must be between 37-38 degrees) You don’t need to buy a thermometer but just immerse your elbow, which is the most sensitive point of our body, to understand if it’s okay. The room temperature, on the other hand, should be around 20-22 degrees.
• Neutral Marseille soap or corn or rice starch and a spoonful of whole salt to dissolve in water. The salt is used because it restores the mineral salts lost during the bath itself. If your child suffers from dermatitis, only use starch and not salt. Excellent instead of starch, oats . Avoid all commercial products because they contain chemicals and fragrances.
• Towel to dry it
• Diaper and the necessary to dress him

How to proceed

Undress your baby, if he has just passed stools or urine, wash him before immersing him in water. Once undressed, wrap your baby in a towel and with all this immerse him in the warm water of the tub or tub. Only once your child has relaxed can you slowly open the front of the towel and wash it with the ingredients or detergents you have chosen for its cleaning.

It doesn’t matter to carefully wash the back part, the one still wrapped in the towel, because I repeat, it’s not dirty and it’s still small so it needs to feel contained and safe, with boundaries. When he is able to sit up by himself, then the bath will become a moment of play and the towel that wraps him will no longer be needed!

When to take a bath?

The best time to bathe is when the baby is full . Between one feed and another or right during the feed. Don’t worry about indigestion as the environment and water are warm. You can serenely take a bath once/twice a week and daily after each diaper change, also focusing on the face, neck and creases.

After bathing the baby, if the skin is dry, you can massage it using cold-pressed sweet almond oil . Keep the bottle in the fridge, away from light and then in a dark container and take it out only when you need to.

Alternatively, you can use sunflower oil, rice oil or grape seed oil . If you don’t like the smell of the oil, you can put 20 drops of lavender essential oil in the bottle itself, which will further relax you.