Creating Newborn Bathtime Routine
Hi there!
I’m Fiona, the lead Doula & Lactation Counsellor for The Delivery Womb.
My mission is to fortify the family unit by helping you prepare for birth and thrive through the fourth trimester. I love a good mocha paired with a thriller (not horror) movie or an inspiring book and an almond danish!
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I think every single parent appreciates routines because it brings simplicity to our lives and a bit of control. The thing about newborns though … they don’t care about any of it! They are about eating, sleeping, getting loved on, being held and staying warm. That’s it. Bathtime prevents all of that in their eyes so remember, it’s less about keeping them clean (because they are probably cleaner than us adults) and more about creating an enjoyable experience.
So let’s start by throwing our expectations out the window.
Not every bath time will be exactly the same. Not every bath time will entail every aspect of your routine. Some bathtimes will be short and not necessarily sweet, even with our best efforts (and it doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong - it just means your baby isn’t a robot and isn’t up for it that day).
Sequence of events is more important, not necessarily the time of day.
Especially in the early days of meeting your newborn, take the pressure off of yourself. You are still learning this particular baby, their likes and dislikes, their habits and behaviours and overall their personality and preferences. So rather than trying to force your baby to get on board with your desired schedule (rarely ends well), let’s give them an opportunity to tell you what time of day they prefer. Start by focusing on the sequence of events for your bathtime routine.
Don’t set yourself up for failure
What many people don’t share is that between 7:30 pm to midnight, many babies have a period of fussiness for a variety of reasons: overstimulation from the day, desire to cluster feed (get in more calories before bed), this is when they may have been most active in your womb (hence, this is their wake up time), just to list a few. So if you’ve tried bath times in the evening and they aren’t going well, listen to what they are telling you. Your baby may prefer to take a bath in the early morning or in the afternoon rather than at night.
If that isn’t the case for your babe, apply what I just said to any time of day where you have noticed your babe isn’t as content. That may not be the best time to introduce an enjoyable bath experience. Once your babe begins enjoying bath time, then you can move it to a time of day that works better for you.
Baths don’t have to be every day
A full bath does not need to be every day of the week. As we know soap strips the body of important oils that are meant to protect, hydrate and nourish our skin. Even with lotions and oils, they weren’t produced by our body so they just don't do the same job as effectively. What needs to be done every day is using a clean rag (yes every day it should be new) to wipe their face, neck and hands. You can also rinse and wipe their genitals, as commercial wipes often leave a film of residue on the skin.
You can enjoy a bath with your newborn
Two people, one tub! I cannot speak of all the benefits of this! Skin to skin, opportunities for breastfeeding, Babies are slippery when wet so this does work better in the tub when starting out rather than in the shower. And I highly recommend you have someone to pass your baby to so you can have a moment to yourself.
Below is a glimpse at what your bathtime routine can look like. We’ve love to hear if any of these tips have helped your newborn bath routine on Instagram!
Would you like some help setting up your bathtime routine?
Maybe even someone to help identifying what time of day works better for your family?
No problem! We can actually schedule an hour video call for us to help you make this part of your experience more enjoyable! Don’t want to do it alone? We also offer a Baby Spa day experience for those of you in Brampton, Mississauga and the surrounding cities.
