After the birth of a baby, there is usually no need to bathe them immediately

After the birth of a baby, there is usually no need to bathe them immediately. It's actually better if bathing is delayed for several days. Many people wait a week or more.

Delaying bathing allows the white waxy substance, vernix, to continue to protect the baby's skin from infection. It acts as a natural moisturiser for your baby.

Delaying can support the blood sugar and help temperature regulation too. Babies arent great at stabilising their temperature straight away. If newborns become cold and stressed, the temperature can fall contributing towards a drop in blood sugar. This can then cause babies to become sleepy and more difficult to feed.

Baby's don't sweat like adults and aren't able to run around in the dirt like toddlers, so no need to rush!

Top and tailing is a gentle way to wash your baby to begin with. This involves getting a bowl of warm water and cleaning just the face/ head first with baby wrapped in a towel, and then bottom/genital area after.

How often you wash your baby is ultimately up to you but in the early weeks they don't really need to be bathed every day. Their skin is much more sensitive and thinner than ours so too much water may dry out the skin further.

When did you first bathe your baby?

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