How to Take a Bath with Your Baby – Ultimate Guide to Co Bathing With a Baby

How to take a bath with your baby was one of the first things I looked up when I was getting prepared for delivery. I was so eager to spend time with my baby alone and share some intimate moments with her.

I bet you feel the same way, and like me, you are eager to know all the precautions and what it entails to take a bath with your baby. This is not something you want to go into blindly. You have to make sure you know exactly what you are doing, because making a mistake is too big a risk to gamble with.

This article provides you with an ultimate guide to co-bathing with a baby. It also informs you of all the steps you need to take, and precautions to ensure that you are not making any mistakes.
If you are ready as I am, then let us take this enjoyable knowledge ride together – shall we?

 

How to Take a Bath with Your Baby – Co Bathing With a Baby

When it comes to dealing with a baby – no matter the age, you shouldn’t take any risks. Before you engage in any act of trying out any process, you need to ensure that you are fully aware of what you are doing.

What this means is that you need to be one hundred percent sure that you are doing the right thing – and in the right method.

Another important point of note is that when it concerns dealing with a baby, you should be careful where you get your advice from. You must ensure that you are getting all your advice from a professional or medical expert.

In this article, we will discuss all the professional and expert tips on how to take a bath with your baby. Ensure that you read the article to the end to enable you to understand all the needed safety precautions and tips.

 

Is It Safe to Take a Bath With your Baby?

The direct answer to this question is yes! Experts say that bathing with your baby is a good bonding activity between mother and baby, and it is generally advised. However, before you decide to engage in skin-to-skin contact with your newborn, you must ensure that all safety precautions are taken into consideration.

We do not hope for the worse, but there is a lot that can happen if things go wrong. To prevent this, there are some things you need to keep in mind before you take a bath with your baby.

 

Precautions to Take While You Bath with Your Baby

When you want to bathe with your baby, there are certain things you need to keep in mind. These precautions would serve as guardrails to ensure that you are doing the right thing.
As we mentioned earlier, this is not the time you want to take any risks or engage in something you are not fully aware of – or educated in.

Below, we have highlighted the major things to keep in mind before you take a bath with your baby.

7 Precautions to Take While You Bath with Your Baby

1. Ensure the Baby is Old Enough

I know you are very excited to have a long-awaited bath with your baby – you want to experience that unique bonding. But you need to ensure that your baby is old enough to be in a bath with you.

All your excitement can wait until your baby is old enough and ready for that intimate bath. How do you know your baby is old enough? Well, before you put your baby in a bathtub, ensure that the baby’s umbilical cord has fallen off and the navel is fully healed.

2. Make Sure You Check the Water Temperature

Do not assume or trust your instincts on this one. Make sure to use a thermometer to check the temperature of the water. Ensure that it is in room temperate or slightly warmer. Also, make sure that the bathtub is not filled with water. Experts advise that the water should only be about two or three inches deep.

3. Make All Necessary Arrangements

So, before you step into the bathtub, ensure that you have made all necessary arrangements and placed everything you need around you. You should ensure that your towel, soap, bath toys, shampoo, or anything you need for the bath are at arm’s length.

Under no circumstances must you leave the baby alone in the bathtub to quickly pick up something – even if it is for a split second.

4. Do Not Step into the Bath Tub with Your Baby

Under no circumstance must you step into a bathtub with your baby in hand. This is risky due to the slippery nature of the bathtub and the ability of your baby to move at any time.

The best way to get your baby into a bathtub with you is to move the baby’s stroller or seat beside the bathtub. Then after you are fully seated and balanced in the bathtub, lift the baby onto your shoulder.

It is best if you have your partner around you. If yes, ask for your partner’s help in handing the baby over to you in the bath.

5. Always Use a Non-Slip Mat

You should ensure that your bathroom is covered in a non-slip mat to prevent you from slipping. Bathrooms have the tendency to make you slip at any given time, so you have to make sure you prevent this beforehand.

Also, you need to ensure that you have your baby in your grip at all times. Yes, both hands must be on your baby all through the bathing process. In order words, you need to be in control at all times.

6. Ensure Your Baby is Warm at All Times

While in the bath, you must be careful not to get carried away with your own bathing activities that you end up abandoning your baby. Make sure that your baby remains wet – but warm at all times because the baby is prone to catching a cold. Trust me when I say you don’t want that to happen, and must do everything to prevent it.

7. Always Make a Safe Exit

When exiting the bathtub, you must take into consideration that both you and the baby are wet. So, you need to reverse the same method you applied when coming into the bathtub.

Place the baby back into the rocking chair or stroller by the bathtub. Or better still, if your partner is in the house, call for his or her help in taking the baby off you.

 

How to Take a Bath with Your Baby

When you want to take a bath with your baby, it is advisable to engage in sponge baths. Also, you should increase the bonding with your baby by placing them on your chest. This is also known as kangaroo care – it is a perfect bonding tactic between mother and baby.

When to Avoid Bathing with Your Baby

You should not bathe with your baby when you are not feeling relaxed or in the middle of something else. Also, experts say that you should avoid bathing with your baby when they are hungry.

Another time to avoid bathing with your baby is when they have just been fed.

Benefits of Co-Bathing with Baby

There are numerous benefits of co-bathing with your baby. We have shared a few below; check them out:

  • It increases the bond between the parent and baby
  • The skin-to-skin contact increase breast milk production, so it is a great time to breastfeed
  • It is therapeutic and helps to relax both the parent and the baby
  • It offers you an opportunity for some memorable and personal moments with your baby

 

FAQ – How to Take a Bath with Your Baby

Question 1: What Age Can I Bathe with my Baby?

You can bathe with your baby from after two weeks to a month. The most important thing is ensuring that the stump of the umbilical cord has fallen off. Then the navel area has healed completely.

Question 2: Can I Take a Bath with My 1-Month Old?

Yes, you can take a bath with your 1-month-old baby. However, as you know, babies do not grow in the same pattern. So, before you engage in the bath, ensure that their navel area is completely healed.

Question 3: Can I Take a Bath with My 6 Month Old Baby?

Oh yes, you can take a bath with your 6 months old baby. However, you should make sure that you take all precautions into consideration.

Question 4: Can I Take a Bath with My 1-Year-Old?

Taking a bath with a 1-year-old is not really advisable for me because the baby is getting mature. So, it may not be a good idea to get into the bath with them. But it depends on the parent.

Question 5: Can I Bathe with My Newborn?

No, you should not have a bath with a newborn baby. You need to make sure the baby is between two weeks and one month old. Also, you need to ensure that the navel is completely healed and the baby does not experience any discomfort around that area anymore.