Bathing one’s baby can be a major stressor for parents, especially in the earliest days. You just welcomed a tiny, seemingly fragile being into your life and now you’re supposed to…put it in hot water?! And not hurt it?!

It can be done, folks, so first: take a deep breath.

Whether you’re reading this as preparation before you welcome your baby, as preparation as you’re about to give your baby their first bath, or as preparation for a second or third bath that goes smoother than the first: YOU’VE GOT THIS! As I often tell parents, if you’re coming to me with questions (or reading a blog post addressing your questions), you’re ahead of the game and you’re already doing well!

For newborns, I recommend swaddle bathing. Swaddle baths started in NICUs and are making their way into mainstream for all newborns, not just preemies. Swaddle bathing involves swaddling your baby in a receiving blanket and slowly submerging them into the warm water of the bath, unwrapping one limb at a time for bathing and immediately re-swaddling. By keeping the water warm and continually wetting the blanket, the baby stays warm, soothed, and calmer throughout the bathing process.

In their clinical trial, Edraki et al. (2014) found that, compared to conventional sponge bathing, “swaddle bathing is more effective in maintaining body temperature and preventing heat loss in premature infants” and “the crying time during the bath was significantly lower in the newborns of the swaddle bathing group than in those of the conventional bathing group.[1]”

A short instructional video (with Spanish subtitles)

The beauty of a swaddle bath is that it’s less stressful for the baby and, accordingly, less stressful for the parent! We would all rather watch our babies relax than watch them cry. Edraki et al (2014) wrote that containing the newborn during the bathing process, coupled with immersion in water, “simulates the familiar and secure uterine environment and promotes a calm and stress- free bathing experience for the newborn.” The same principles that apply to swaddling for sleep apply to swaddling for bathing!

St. Luke’s Hospital Birthing Center offers the following steps for an enjoyable swaddled bath:

Baths can be drying to the skin if they are too long or too frequent. It is best to keep them short, no more than 10 minutes and not more frequent than every other day.
Ensure you’re in a warm, draft-free room. It also may help to have the room quiet and dimly lit.
Have bathing supplies within arm’s reach (towels, diapers, wet wipes, wash cloths, receiving blanket, mild baby wash and gentle moisturizing lotion if needed).
Use a deep baby bathtub or clean sink.
Fill with warm water to about where baby’s shoulder level will be.
Bath water should be warm and comfortable to your inner forearm (100˚ to under 104˚ F).
Undress baby and, using a soft receiving blanket or towel, swaddle their arms close to their body.
With both hands, hold your baby firmly under their bottom and back of neck and shoulders. Gently lower them into the warm water.
Hold them gently but firmly as they get accustomed to the water.
With one hand securely supporting the neck and shoulders, use your free hand to gently wash their face with plain water. Start with their eyelids, wiping from inner to outside corner.
Except for baby’s hair, wash from top down, unwrapping one side at a time, using mild baby wash as needed.
Wash baby’s scalp last, with gentle massaging circular motions.
Thoroughly rinse off any cleanser residue from baby.
Dry off baby immediately. Pay close attention to umbilical stump and gently dry around it.
Use some gentle moisturizing lotion if needed. Avoid putting on baby’s hands or face.
Diaper baby and put him or her skin-to-skin with parent. Or swaddle with warm blanket and hat.

If you want to see it in action, here’s the link to a more involved Facebook video from Lou Lou and Company (the woman giving the bath is a former NICU nurse)! What I love about the video is that it shows a sink bath, because really, folks, a sink is all you need in those early days!

Once you understand the technical aspects of swaddle bathing, I’m hoping you can take that deep breath and bathe your baby in as stress-free of an environment as possible.

Final thought: Softly sing or hum to your baby as you bathe them! I tend to pick out two or three songs that I always sing while giving babies baths, because doing so creates an air of familiarity and - hopefully - happy associations!

Suggestions: “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” “Once I Caught A Fish Alive,” “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” and “Baby Shark!”

(Okay, I’m half-kidding about “Baby Shark.”)

Happy Bathing!

[1] Edraki, M., Paran, M., Montaseri, S., Razavi Nejad, M., & Montaseri, Z. (2014). Comparing the effects of swaddled and conventional bathing methods on body temperature and crying duration in premature infants: a randomized clinical trial. Journal of caring sciences, 3(2), 83–91. https://doi.org/10.5681/jcs.2014.009