How to Give Your Baby a Tub Bath

As soon as Baby's navel and circumcision have healed, you can start giving Baby a tub bath, unless your doctor advises otherwise. It would be convenient to assemble the same equipment (List of Equipment for Sponge Bath) as for the sponge bath except that you will use a tub or bathinette in place of the basin water. Fill the tub or bathinette with about three inches of water that is comfortably warm to your elbow.

Place Baby on a large towel on top of the bathinette or table and clean his ears and nose particularly the creases around. Wash his face with water and his scalp with soap and water as you would during a sponge bath.

With your left arm supporting his head and shoulders, your left hand firmly holding the upper part of his left leg, and your right hand supporting his buttocks, gently lower Baby into the tub. Hold him firmly with one hand, supporting his head and back, then rinse him with wash cloth with other hand.

In cleansing genitals, if Baby is not circumcised ask your doctor if he wants you to clean under the foreskin, if baby is a girl, separate genital folds carefully and cleanse between them with a down ward stroke, using cotton dipped in water.

Lift Baby back on table or on top of bathinette, cover him with towel, and pat dry, paying careful attention to all creases and skin folds. Dress baby in clean clothes.

How to Give Baby a Sponge Bath

1. Cover Baby with a large bath towel in a manner that secures both his hands and legs. Hold baby's head and wash his eyelids with sterile cotton balls. Clean his nose and mouth with cotton balls dipped in sterile water. Next clean his ears with moistened swabs (never insert cotton swabs farther than you can see) and wash face with cotton or soft cloth dipped in warm water. Dry his face with the small soft towel (never soap baby's face.)
2. Support Baby's head and back carefully with one arm and hand. Shampoo his scalp gently with baby soap or shampoo, then rinse well and pat dry. (If scales form on the scalp, apply oil and leave overnight).
3. Soap and rinse the rest of Baby's body. Be sure to get all soap out of creases, or his skin may chafe. Pat him dry with soft towel - never rub. Never touch Baby's navel unless extremely necessary; simply change the binder. If the navel becomes wet, clean it with sterile cotton balls dipped in alcohol. Then cover it with sterile gauze and binder. Apply oil or lotion, powder lightly and put on Baby's clean clothes.