Most parents come home with a plan for feeding and no plan at all for bathing. Then the first evening arrives, and with it the questions. Is the water too hot? Is every night too often? Does any of this need to happen tonight?
Babies need far less bathing than most of us assume. And the part that makes the difference to their skin is not the bath itself, it is the ten minutes afterwards.
How often does a baby need a bath?
Two or three times a week is enough for most babies in the first year. They do not get dirty in the way older children do, and the bits that need cleaning most often, the face and the nappy area, are dealt with several times a day anyway.
Between baths, topping and tailing does the job: one clean flannel with warm water for the face, neck and hands, and a separate one for the nappy area. It takes two minutes and keeps a newborn perfectly clean.
A nightly bath is not harmful if your baby enjoys it and their skin is comfortable with it. But washing does remove some of the oils that sit on the surface of the skin, and on skin that is already dry or easily irritated, that adds up over a week. If you are seeing rough, flaky patches, fewer and shorter baths is the first thing to try.
Getting the water right
Warm, not hot. Around 37°C is the usual guide, roughly body temperature, which will feel barely warm to an adult hand. Test it with your elbow or inner wrist rather than your fingers, which are far less sensitive to heat.
Run the cold water in first and add hot to it, then swirl the bath through so there are no hot spots. Keep the room warm, because babies lose heat quickly once they are wet. Five to ten minutes in the water is plenty.
The rule with no exceptions: never leave a baby alone in the bath, not for a moment, and not with an older sibling watching them.
What goes in the water
For the first few weeks, plain water genuinely is enough. After that, a mild wash helps with the milk, dribble and nappy cream that plain water leaves behind.
What to avoid is anything that strips. Strongly foaming products, bubble baths and heavily fragranced washes are the ones that most often leave delicate skin tight and itchy afterwards, and sulphates are usually what is doing it. A sulphate-free baby and kids shampoo built on mild plant-based cleansers washes hair and body without that squeaky, stripped feeling, so one bottle covers the whole bath.
One honest note: no shampoo is truly tear-free, whatever the bottle says. Keep it away from the eyes and rinse well with plenty of warm water.
The ten minutes after the bath
This is where bath time is won or lost for dry skin.
Pat your baby dry rather than rubbing, and pay attention to the creases: neck, armpits, behind the knees, the folds at the top of the legs. Moisture left sitting in a fold is what turns into soreness a day later.
Then moisturise while the skin is still slightly damp. There is more water in the skin at that moment, and an oil or cream applied then holds it there rather than sealing in nothing. A cold-pressed baby oil works well for this, and it gives you the massage at the same time, which for a lot of babies is the calmest part of the evening. It carries a light natural scent from the plant oils it is made of, so it is not fragrance-free, and as with anything new, try a little on a small patch of skin first.
Hair, and the brush that comes after
Baby hair is fine and tangles easily, and a wet, knotted head after a bath can undo the calm you have just spent twenty minutes building. Comb it through with a soft, wide-toothed brush while it is still damp, working from the ends upwards rather than dragging from the roots.
For hair that knots badly, a no-rinse detangling spray such as the INCIA Natural Easy Combing Spray makes the brushing part quick instead of tearful. On a newborn, hands and a soft brush are usually all you need.
Questions parents ask
Does the bath have to be at bedtime?
No, though a lot of families end up there because it marks the end of the day. If your baby finds the bath stimulating rather than settling, move it to the morning and see whether bedtime goes better.
What about cradle cap?
Those greasy yellow scales on the scalp are common and usually settle on their own over a few months. Softening them with a little oil before washing helps lift them gently. Do not pick at them, and if the scalp looks inflamed or spreads beyond the head, speak to your health visitor or GP.
My baby's skin is drier since we started daily baths. What now?
Drop to two or three baths a week, shorten them, lower the water temperature slightly, and moisturise every day rather than only on bath days. Most skin settles within a fortnight.
Before the next bath
Bath time asks for less than it seems to. Warm water, a short soak, a mild wash when one is needed, and the drying and moisturising done properly afterwards will keep most babies comfortable between baths.
If you are putting a routine together from scratch, our baby bath time set brings the wash, the oil and the detangling spray together in one go. For everything around the bath, from nappy changes to pregnancy skincare, our guide to natural baby and pregnancy skincare covers the rest.
Try any new product on a small area first, and if a skin problem does not settle, or your baby seems uncomfortable, speak to your GP or health visitor.