5 Tips For a Freshly (Sponge) Bathed Newborn!

Umbilical cord still hasn’t fallen off and your baby could use some freshening up? Tips for a successful sponge bath, below.

The only thing yummier than a newborn baby, in my opinion, is a freshly washed newborn baby! As a general rule, newborn babies don’t have to be bathed too often. Some even encourage delayed bathing (up to 2 weeks!). But if you want that freshly bathed newborn feel, you’re going to have to opt for a sponge bath until your baby’s umbilical cord falls off. If you can offload the sponge bath to a doting Savta or Bubby, all the better, but if it’s on you, here are our best tips for success.

• Gather everything you’ll need before you start. You need a towel, cup of warm water, washcloths, baby soap, lotion, clean diaper, footie, and pacifier. Your baby may not love the sponge bath, and you’re going to want everything you need within arms reach before you start.

• Keep it warm. Your baby gets cold a lot quicker than you do, especially when they’re wet! Raise the heat or turn down the air. Bonus points if you put a towel in the dryer right before for extra warmth.
• Undress baby and lay him on a warm towel. Cover your baby’s bottom half with the warm towel. Wet your washcloth with warm water, and uncover the top half and gently rub with water and a little bit of baby soap. Lift baby gently to wash the back of his head/neck. Use a clean washcloth and warm water to gently rinse. You can skip the soap entirely, but definitely don’t use too much; it will be hard to get it off.
• Cover, uncover, and repeat. Cover babies top with the warm towel, and uncover his bottom and repeat. Make sure to keep the area around the cord stump dry.

• Keep baby secure! He may cry, but keeping one hand under his head or just resting on him should help him feel calm. Keep one hand on your baby (either under his head or just resting on him) to make him feel secure.

Once your baby is washed, you can rub in some unscented lotion while his skin is still damp for best absorption. This will also help baby calm down if he wasn’t a fan of the wash-down! Dress him, swaddle him, and enjoy your newborn snuggles. 

Too overwhelmed and exhausted to even think about a sponge bath? This is your permission to take advantage of the ‘delayed bathing’ trend!

Newborn stage over? Check out our favorite baby baths here!

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