How often should you bathe a newborn?

How often should you bathe a newborn?”

Newborns don’t need to be bathed very often. In fact, the first bath that babies get in the hospital is not for the baby’s benefit, but to protect the medical staff from a mother’s bodily fluids. Newborns can’t regulate their body temperatures very well, so getting naked and wet is not their idea of a good time. Until your baby’s umbilical cord stump falls off and any circumcision site has healed, which will take about 10 to 14 days, don’t submerge the baby in water. Instead, spot-clean any messes with a warm washcloth. Once the baby’s all healed up, you can just bathe her whenever she’s dirty. Or not- cleaning from top to bottom with a warm, damp washcloth is usually plenty, unless a major diaper blowout or spit-up happens. Once baby starts on solid foods, though, she’ll need regular baths- at least one a day, if not after every solid-food meal.

Share and Enjoy