How to bathe baby?

Bath time is above all a moment of discussion and sharing with your baby. A ritual that also evolves according to the age of the child. How to organize? What safety actions to adopt? Which bath accessories to choose?

Baby bathing is part of the basic care provided by parents during the first years of a child's life. If bathing your baby may seem simple at first glance, there are still certain rules to follow for a pleasant and safe bath! From birth to 3 years old, discover our advice so that bath time is a privileged moment between the baby and his parents.

When to bathe baby?

As long as you are on maternity leave, the best time for bathing is in the morning when you wake up. Later, when he is at the nursery, with the childminder, it will be more practical in the evening when he comes home. Take turns with your partner!

It is best for a newborn baby if the bath lasts no more than five minutes. If you see that he is having fun, you can extend it a bit. But in any case, the bath should be short-lived. Three to five minutes maximum is enough for an infant. If your baby takes no pleasure in this bath and cries, a dip of a few seconds is also suitable. Useless to insist.

Why does a baby cry in the bath?

Your baby fusses, cries, cries when he is in the bath... Most of the time, he shows his discomfort because the water temperature is not good. It is often too cold! If the water temperature is correct, your baby may simply need to be reassured, because it is a new experience for him, with special sensations... Keep him close to you, especially the first months, reassure him, cuddle him.

What temperature for the baby bath?

Babies hate the cold, and if they associate it with bathing, it's a safe bet that they will dread this moment. Prepare a very warm bathroom with a temperature of around 22°C to 24°C, which is a little warmer than that of the bedroom, which is around 19°C. Beware of drafts.

Then it can be a special baby bath or a family size. In both cases, run a little water in the bottom and immerse a waterproof thermometer in it. The temperature should be that of the body, i.e. 36-37° C.

The first few times, if you're not sure, don't fill the bath. Just leave a background so you can easily rinse it off.

Before the baby bath, the preparation of the equipment

To bathe your baby, it is important to prepare everything in advance. You should have everything you need close at hand. Indeed, for safety reasons, you should never leave your child alone on the changing table or in the bathtub.

It is important to wash your hands thoroughly before proceeding with this step. Take off your jewelry to avoid hurting your baby. It sounds harmless, but if the phone rings, don't answer it.

Provide a towel to undress him and roll up a bath cape that you can easily unfold after washing your baby.

Also prepare clean clothes, clean diaper and body and hair wash.

How to bathe a newborn?

Start filling the tub, then:

For the first few days, you will surely be afraid to immerse your baby in the water, to hold him badly, to let him slip. Don't worry, the maternity nurse will do it with you to advise you and help you. Remember that bathing is fun for you and your baby. Little by little, you will get used to it.

Give a bath to a baby aged 3 weeks to 6 months with the bath bouncer

Very quickly, a few weeks after birth, your little one will feel cramped.

It's time to move on to the bath recliner that partially holds him up and elevates his head. Placed in the family bathtub, this type of accessory allows parents to have one hand free to wash their child. The other hand must always remain resting on him.

What soap for the baby bath?

Choose a surgras soap, bar, gel, cream or foam. It must not sting the eyes, be hypoallergenic, alcohol-free, fragrance-free and dye-free. Very practical, the two in one that washes both the body and the hair. Babies sweat a lot from the head, it is strongly recommended to wash the hair once or twice a week.

Bath robe: have you thought about the bath cape?

Getting out of the bath is a very important step. It must be pleasant for your baby! The ideal is to provide a bathing cape that you can put on him as soon as he comes out of the water. It will keep him warm and its material is very soft. You can also use a bath towel, which you have taken care to prepare beforehand.

Wipe your baby thoroughly starting with the hair and gently patting. Do not forget to dry all the small folds well (arms, thighs, groin, knees).

It's a good time to let him wiggle a little on the changing table, give him a few massages while applying a moisturizer. Auscultate his body well to check that no redness or spot has appeared.

Bathing a baby aged 7 months to 15 months

Baby moves a lot. So that he can also take advantage of the joys of the bath in a different way, it's time to put him in a sitting position on a bath ring which is fixed to the bottom of the bathtub using rubber suction cups.

But this seat in no way replaces your supervision... It should be used with care: even if it supports the child, it does not prevent it from capsizing or slipping in the water. It therefore requires your full attention.

When you empty the bath water, wait until you have taken baby out to remove the plug so that he does not catch cold and is not frightened by the sound of running water.

baby toys in the bath

Offer him toys and objects adapted to his age and abilities. This is the period when the child really begins to enjoy his bath, to play in it and to experiment with water. All water games amuse him, and he loves experimenting by filling cups, decanting or pouring… So many activities that require concentration and appeal to his understanding.

Bathing a baby from the age of 15 months

From 15 months, your baby enters the world of the older ones: he will now take real baths, free to move.

Some children don't like water and panic at the thought of diving into this large pool without the safety of a deckchair or a bath seat. If he is panicked the first time and refuses to go in, give it a dry run! Install him, seated and dressed, in the bathtub without water, on a non-slip rubber bath mat to prevent any slipping. Give him his toys and stay with him. A way like any other to familiarize him with this new universe.

Another possibility: once your baby is in the water and sits up well, wash his baby doll in front of him, explaining what you are doing and suggesting that he do it in turn.

For safety, to cool the tap, finish with cold water. Check, however, that the drops that may escape are not hot.

Give a bath to baby from the age of 2 years

At this age, the child is able to wash himself if you have taught him how to do it. Stay by his side to watch him and rub his back. Let him splash you, the wetter you get the happier he'll be, but don't splash him yourself, you might scare him!

Of course, continue to offer him toys. It's the age of imitation, and he's trying to do like mum, here's the time for bathers, soap dolls.

When discovering the difference between the sexes, around 2 and a half years old, the curiosity of the child must pass through words and not through bodily contact with the parents. The eroticization will be growing to reach its peak between 4 and 6 years. It is therefore necessary to formulate the prohibitions (of incest). The limit varies between children, and arises first with the opposite-sex parent.

Sharing the bathtub, a good idea?

With brothers and sisters of different sexes, this arises in the same way as with parents. Everything depends on the awakening of the child vis-à-vis this aspect. Usually, one or the other asks for a day not to share the tub again.

This is the beginning of modesty, between 3 and 4 years old. You must respect this wish and not impose on him, even for convenience, the presence of his brother or sister in the bath or when he undresses.

Baby bath: never leave him unattended

Until he is at least 5 years old, your baby must be supervised throughout his bath. Even in a bath seat, he could slip, get out, turn around and end up face down in the water.

Keep in mind that a child drowns quietly in a few inches of water, and a two-year-old who slips into the tub won't be able to get up.

It's very simple, consider yourself unreachable: a single moment of inattention, such as a discussion on a cell phone, can be fatal.

Always hold your child, and if you have to leave the room in a hurry, take him in your arms, wrapped in a towel kept close at hand. Do not entrust it to a sister or a brother, even for a few moments.

From what age to bathe every day?

It is not useful to give your baby a bath every day, even if there is no contraindication. This could possibly dry out his skin. Every two or three days is enough, unless your baby gets dirty. It doesn't matter when, as long as your child isn't hungry and you aren't in a hurry.

It all also depends on how your baby experiences bath time and the pleasure he takes in it: is it a moment he loves, or does he not like?

Don't forget that even without a bath, you must wash your baby every day, during daily washing, generally after each meal or after changing a diaper. We clean the private parts, the hands, around the navel, behind the ears, in the neck.