When can I give my newborn a bath?

Your baby needs to stay warm, so he won’t have a bath straight after he’s born. Your midwife will just wipe your baby and dry him using clean, warm towels. If your baby has creamy, white vernix on his skin, your midwife will take care to leave it on. Vernix is a natural skin cleanser and helps your baby's skin barrier to develop.

If you want to, you can give your baby a bath two hours after the birth. Just as long as your baby is healthy and full-term, his body temperature is normal, and the room is warm.

In some hospitals and birth centres, your midwife may help you to bathe your baby. However, you’ll probably give your baby his first bath some time after you get home.
When should I start giving my baby regular baths?

It's up to you. You may enjoy giving your baby a bath from day one. Or you may find it simpler to top and tail your baby using cotton wool and a warm, damp flannel or sponge.

You can carry on topping and tailing for the first week or so. You may feel you need time to recover from the birth and get used to handling your baby before you are ready to bathe him.

Newborns can lose body heat very quickly. So your baby's first bath should be quick but thorough, and last no longer than five minutes to 10 minutes. Make sure the room is warm, and close any doors and windows to stop draughts. Have warmed towels at the ready to wrap your baby up and cuddle him afterwards.

It's fine to give your baby a bath before his umbilical cord stump has fallen off and healed. Bathing your baby won't make an infection in the stump more likely, and it won’t slow down the healing process. Just be sure that you allow it to dry off properly afterwards.

For the first few weeks, you can bathe your baby using just water, or a little mild liquid baby cleanser. If your baby's skin is dry, you can add some baby bath emollient to the water. Bear in mind that the emollient will make your baby slippery to handle.
How often will my baby need a bath?

It’s up to you how often you give your baby a bath. Newborns don't need a bath every day, as they don’t get very dirty. Bathing him two or three times a week is fine during the month or so. Frequent baths may lead to dry skin, depending on what you use in the bath.

Bear in mind that if you live in a hard water area, too much tap water on its own may dry out your baby’s skin.


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