How To Give A Baby A Sponge Bath

Baby! What a wonderful way to describe a little bundle of joy. After you have survived the hard days of pregnancy and the very difficult day of delivery, you are blessed with your baby. He/she looks so vulnerable that you are scared even to touch him/her let alone do his/her daily chores. One of the most important yet a very tensing thing, which a new mother needs to learn, is to sponge bath a baby. Although generally babies don’t need a regular bath, it is good to give them a sponge bath two times a week. The babies may act fussy and not knowing how to give them proper bath can make them and even you more uncomfortable. However, remember that giving bath to babies is important to keep them hygienic and clean. Don’t be uncomfortable as with time you will grow into it and become a pro soon. For further information on how to give a baby a sponge bath, read the below points to get the exact idea on how to go about giving your baby a sponge bath.

Tips for Giving Your Baby A Sponge Bath

The first thing, which you need to do, is to turn off the air conditioner and the fans as your baby needs all the heat with the bare body and clothes all shed.
Keep all the supplies near you so you don’t take much time giving the baby bath. It includes warm water, soap if preferred, baby towel, baby shampoo and a sponge or a washcloth. Also, keep the clothes and diaper nearby for the baby after the bath.
Before you start bathing the baby, check the temperature of the water with your forearm. Dip your hand and check the temperature and add more cold water if necessary. The water should only be slightly warm and no more than that.
Let your baby wrapped in the towel all the time and expose only the part, which you are bathing. Make sure that you don’t take too much time as the baby may start to get fussy and make the process difficult for you. While bathing the baby lay the baby in a comfortable position and well cushioned.
Start with the gentle sweeping of the eyelids with the warm washcloth from the inside to the outside corner. Wipe the ears and nose too however, never in any case put any kind of pressure on the part.
Now wipe the legs and hands not leaving the creases of the hands, legs, behind the ears and around the neck. Sweep the cloth around the fingers and toes too.
If you are soaping the baby, make sure that you don’t apply too much soap and wash it neatly with the cloth. The soap should be baby skin friendly and should not contain any harsh chemicals and flavor. The cloth also should be well wringed.
If you are shampooing the baby, gently wash his/her head over the sink with little water and later sponge it with the washcloth.
Don’t forget to wash the buttocks and the genital areas. Gently sweep the cloth through their buttocks from front to back. Wash the genitals as instructed by your gynecologist. You can simply sweep the genitals with cloth not leaving any part , though it is always good to take professional advice.
Now pat the baby’s body with a soft and dry towel not forgetting the creases around the legs, neck, and hands. Apply a baby powder and dress the baby in the change of cloth. One more thing, which you need to consider, is that there should at least be a break of 2 hours after you have fed the baby.

How to Cite

Related Articles

See also

More in 'Parenting & Family'