Step by step
- Pick a calm time, when the baby is awake, not hungry, not tired and not straight after a feed.
- Have everything ready and within reach: towel, diaper and clothes.
- Warm the room to 24–26°C (75–79°F).
- The water around 37°C (98.6°F). Check with a thermometer or your elbow before the baby goes in.
- Hold firmly and confidently, with the head and chest above the water.
- In the first month, nothing needs to go in the water. After that, a baby soap or bath oil, as the maker directs.
- No need to bathe every day. Three or four times a week is enough; in between, clean the face, neck, hands and diaper area.
- If they cry, don’t drag it out. Check the water and your hold are comfortable, and finish.
Good to know
- Never leave a baby alone in the bath, not even for a moment, and not in a bath seat either. Hands and eyes on them all the time.
- No cotton swabs inside the ear.
- Feeling nervous at the first baths is completely natural. You can ask someone experienced to help at first.
Sources: Israel Ministry of Health (Parenting). This is general information, not a replacement for a doctor, a well-baby nurse or a lactation consultant. You know your baby best, and when something worries you, it is always fine to ask.