Bathing Baby in Tub: Enjoyable Step-by-Step Bath Procedure

I met with my cousin who had given birth to a beautiful baby boy about a month before. When she mentioned that she thought he was a bit smelly, I laughed and jokingly said that if he stinks, she needs to bathe him.

I was humbled quickly, for I didn’t know that she felt insecure and not entirely comfortable handling him in water and didn’t know how to turn bath time into an enjoyable event. Well, together we quickly fixed that.

How to bathe a baby in a sink/tub? (1) Prepare the supplies and (2) the place where you want to bathe the baby. Fill the clean sink/tub with about 4 inches (10 cm) of warm water. (3) Get the baby ready for the bath—completely undress the baby and take the diaper off. Clean the baby’s bottom if soiled. (4) Check the water temperature again (100 °F or 38 °C) and place the baby in the sink/tub. Always hold the baby and never leave him/her unattended. Gently wash the whole body. (5) Lift the baby out of the sink/tub and wrap him/her in a warm towel. Dab the baby dry and put on a clean diaper and fresh clothes.

There are two main reasons why most babies cry the first few times they are given a bath. The first one is that they sense their parents’ trepidation, which in turn scares them and makes them feel anxious too. This can quickly turn into a spiral of insecurity and nervousness for both parents and baby. The second reason is simply because they are cold.

Step 1: Prepare all supplies

He who is well prepared has half won the battle. How true.

For the bath you will need:

1. 1. Dry clean towel (with a little hood – not compulsory, but very practical)

1. 1. Dry clean new clothes

1. 1. Fresh diaper

1. 1. Wet washcloth, wet paper towels (kitchen roll), or wet wipes

1. 1. Any medication (creams for rashes, vitamins, etc.) your little one needs

1. 1. Cotton cloth, extra towel or cotton diaper (muslin diaper)

1. 1. Cotton buds

1. 1. Disinfectants (for the umbilical cord)

1. 1. Hand sanitizer (for yourself and for wiping the diaper changing pad clean)

1. 1. Diaper changing pad

1. 1. Hair brush (we never bothered with one, but that depends on the amount of hair your little one has)

1. 1. (Sesame) Oil for massaging or for the bath

1. Baby bath tub or any bucket that’s big enough (we use a laundry basket to this very day)

This may seem like a very long list, but I’ll get into more detail why you should have all these items at hand.

Put all these items within easy reach. This means that when you stand or kneel where you want to wash the little one, you can reach everything without moving and you don’t have to open any drawers or cupboards. With a baby the only constant thing we can rely on is change; therefore, rather be a little overprepared than having to improvise and getting into a stressful situation.

Step 2: Prepare the place where the baby should have the bath

Now that you have every item prepared, let’s get the washing place ready.

Bathing the baby in a sink has the great advantage that you don’t have to kneel or bend into an awkward position. This is especially helpful when you’ve had a cesarean and the scar is not completely healed yet. Also, you can easily adjust the temperature by adding some more cold or warm water. Another advantage is that draining the water is very easy.

Make sure the sink is thoroughly clean before the bath and that all the chemicals you may have used are completely rinsed away. A disadvantage of the sink is that (compared to a plastic tub) the water cools off faster, so it may be necessary to fill the sink with warmer water first.

Unfortunately, babies outgrow a standard sink quite quickly. When our boy was about 6 weeks old, he was already too big for our bathroom sink. Ever since we’ve used a plastic laundry basket that we’ve placed into the normal bathtub—or the shower when we were traveling and didn’t have access to a bathtub.

The great thing about it is that you can fill it quickly and easily, and after the bath just dump the water into the tub/shower—you don’t have to carry/lift the heavy tub anywhere. Also, any splashing is safely contained.

In both cases you won’t need much water, about 4 inches (10 cm) or fist-high should be plenty.

Usually people aren’t used to kneeling on a hard surface like tiles for long. I personally always had a thick towel or even our diaper changing pad to kneel on. This made the whole process way more comfortable for me.

Make sure there is no draft in the room and that the room is very warm and cozy. Most babies are quite comfortable in the water but cry as soon as you lift them outside of the warmth. Therefore, it is a good idea to preheat the towels, diapers and clothes.

The easiest way to do it is to get a hot water bottle ready before the bath and place it on top of the clothes and diaper, and put the folded towel on top of it. This way the heat “soaks” into the towel and it’s nice and warm when you need it. Also, if you have a radiator or a heat lamp, turn it on.

Step 3: Get the baby ready for bath

Place your little one on the diaper changer or on a thick soft towel, close to the bathtub.

Many people prefer to wash the face separately with a warm wet cloth before they put the little one into the bath. We personally never bothered and gently washed the face in the tub.

Some newborns’ eyes are a little inflamed or very teary and tend to stick together. You can use a cotton pad with warm water or chamomile tea to very gently clean the clogged lashes and the eye.

It always amazed me how much dirt my son had under his tiny fingernails and how much fluff he could accumulate between his fingers and toes every single day! If your little one is the same, that’s when the cotton buds come in really handy—remove the dirt and fluff between the fingers and toes, then undress your little one completely.

Yes, completely. Also take the diaper off. I know that this is usually the time when babies decide to surprise us with a little puddle. That’s why you’ve prepared some muslin diapers or cotton cloths (or towels).

Place the little bum on top of half the cloth and use the other half to cover the danger zone. This way the rest of the room stays clean and dry in case the little one decides to surprise you—and if they do, you’ll have the hand disinfectant already close by. If the bum is dirty, gently wipe it with a wet, warm paper towel or cloth first—we don’t want the feces in the bath water.

Now comes one of the most enjoyable parts.

Put some oil, e.g., sesame oil, onto your hands and gently massage the whole body. Head, ears and face; arms, hands and fingers; neck, shoulders and belly; bottom, thighs, knees, legs and feet. (Not sure how to do a baby massage? Here is a step-by-step guide.)

Massage slowly and gently, but don’t be shy and apply some pressure. Use more oil when you feel that it gets absorbed very fast, and continue to stroke and massage if you’ve used too much oil. Massaging is a very special bonding time and you’ll be rewarded with shining eyes, little smiles and sighs of pleasure.

If you choose to massage your little one before bath, you won’t need any other products like washing liquids, soaps, milk or bubble baths, shampoos or lotions. My little one, David, is now almost two years old and we’ve never used anything else besides sesame oil. He enjoys his daily bath and although his skin is quite sensitive, he’s never had dry patches, hasn’t developed an allergy or had other problems.

I highly recommend saving your money by not buying tons of products and just investing in this special bonding time through massaging and bathing your little one every day. But whichever products you choose, try them on yourself first and make sure you are comfortable with them.

The last step before the actual bath is to prepare the towel, so that when you’ve finished the bath you can place your little one immediately onto the dry and warm towel and wrap them in warmth. We’ve always had the towel next to the diaper changing pad (or if you have a very big changing pad, use half of it). Unfold the towel, but leave the hot water bottle on top of it, so that it stays nice and warm.

Step 4: Bath time!

Now we are ready for the bath!

Check the water temperature again. This is easily done by placing your wrist into the water. The wrist is way more sensitive than the hand. Does the water feel comfortable to you? If not, adjust the temperature by adding either cold or warm water. You can also use a thermometer—the temperature should be around 100 °F, or 38 °C.

The following technique of holding a baby can be used for many months to come. We’d used it until David was able to sit comfortably all by himself. If you’re right-handed, use your left hand and arm to support your baby and your right one for washing, if you’re left-handed, switch things around.

Gently lift the neck, head and shoulders with the right hand and put your left arm under the baby. Place your little one’s neck on your forearm/wrist and hold the left shoulder/upper arm of your baby with your left hand. To do so, place your thumb on the shoulder and your other fingers into the armpit. Never let go, always hold your little one. Now you can use your right hand to lift the bum/lower back and carry your baby to the sink/tub. Once you’ve placed the little one in the sink/tub, you can remove your right hand from the bum and start to wash all the parts, but never let go of the head-supporting grip of your left hand.

Gently wash every little crack and fold—I know, there can be a lot of them! Usually it’s not necessary to use a washcloth—the water and your hand will do.

It’s not always necessary to pull back a boy’s foreskin or to separate a girl’s outer labia. If you think that it needs to be done, be very gentle. If you have doubts about cleaning your baby’s genital area, seek medical advice from your pediatrician.

Step 5: All clean, let’s get dry and dressed again

When you’ve finished washing, place your right hand under the bum/lower back again and gently lift your baby out of the sink/tub. Be swift, but don’t rush, this will just scare the little one.

Don’t be surprised if you’ll encounter some protest. Lifting the baby out of the tub is usually the time when they’ll cry a little. Stay calm and don’t get irritated by this. It’s usually over very quickly and won’t even happen after the first few baths.

Place the wet bundle onto the prepared warm towel. Wrap your baby in the towel and start to gently dab the easily accessible parts dry. Since baby skin is so sensitive, it is better to just place the towel on the skin and move your hand up and down to “rub” the baby dry instead of moving the towel up and down.

Now comes the fun part. Each and every fold needs to be dried as well. This will require some lifting of arms and legs, some stretching and gently rolling of the baby around. Usually the toes are so tiny that it’s not possible to get a towel in between them. Use cotton buds again, it’s easy and effective.

The same applies to the fold behind the ears, the outer ear and the fold between the fingers. Lift your baby off the damp towel as soon as possible and put your beloved little one onto a dry one. Put a muslin diaper onto the genitals again, to avoid any “accidents.”

Doing this also is a great way of inspecting every inch of your beloved little one’s skin and making sure that there are no rashes, sore parts or other easily overlooked problems.

If the umbilical cord hasn’t fallen off yet, gently dab it dry with a cotton cloth or a paper towel and disinfect it. Make sure no lint or fuzz comes off the cloth or towel.

Now is also the time to brush the hair and give any vitamins or medication or apply any creams your little one may need. Put on a fresh clean diaper and the pre-warmed clothes, and voila, bath time is over.
Empty and rinse the sink/tub, put away the dirty clothes and muslin diapers and hang the towel to dry. Re-arrange the supplies you’ve used—you’re good to go for the next bath.

Before the very first bath I recommend doing a dry run. Get comfortable with all the moves and with where your things are. Keep everything within easy reach and don’t get nervous. No one is born perfect. I wish you all the best and many hours of enjoyable and fun bath time routine!

How to clean the sink for the baby’s bath?

Scrub the sink with a sponge or hot soapy water. You can use baking powder as an alternative: Rinse sink with hot water, sprinkle baking powder on all sides and the bottom, scrub with a clean tea towel or sponge. Thoroughly rinse the sink after cleaning to make sure no chemicals remain on the surface.

Can I bathe my baby before the umbilical cord falls off?

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends sponge baths until the umbilical cord falls off and the belly button is healed. This may take about one to three weeks. However, many babies dislike sponge baths and prefer a normal bath. It is possible to bathe your baby in a tub before the umbilical cord falls off. After the bath, gently dab the area around the umbilical chord dry and apply disinfectant.

When to stop using a baby bath tub?

The transition from the baby tub to the big tub can be made when the baby is able to sit securely in a few inches of water. Sitting in a slippery bathtub with water requires more skills than sitting on a blanket or on the floor. But in principle, the baby tub can be used for as long as the parents and the baby are happy to use it.