How to give baby a Bath

Giving your baby a bath is a wonderful time to bond with him/her. It's a special time shared between us. As he enjoys a bath more, the time is even sweeter as compared to when he was apprehensive of the touch of water.

Ingredient: 1 bath tub of lukewarm water, baby bath, 1 dry towel

• Lift up baby's head gently and place your left arm at the back of his head with your left hand holding his left armpit. Make sure that your left arm is supporting the baby's head and neck especially for newborns and infants as their neck are still fragile. Refer to picture (1).
• Using your right hand, gently pick him up by holding on to his left leg. For infants or newborns, it would be advisable to support them at their buttocks with your right hand. Refer to picture (1).
• Place them gently into the bath tub.
• Allow the baby's head to rest on your left arm while you apply bath bath and wash him. Refer picture (2).
• To turn him over, gently sit the baby up and place his chin to rest on your right arm with your right hand holding his left armpit. Refer to picture (3).
• Once you have him secured in your right hand and arm, gently lift him up and then lay him down tummy first into the bath tub.
• You can now apply baby bath and wash him.
• Once done, lift him up by supporting his buttock with your left hand and place him on a dry towel to dry.

The above task can be quite taunting to first timers or when you are handling infants or newborns. As they grow older, it will become easier.

Tips:

• Newborns tend to be apprehensive of water for the first few times. Ryan gets scared every time he touches the water and he would cry. To give him more comfort and assurance, I would hold him very close to my chest and lower him down into the tub while trying to maintain our bodily contact while doing so. I found that this brought him comfort and security. Of course, I ended getting wet as well in the process.
• As they grow older and stronger, watch out for that sudden `kick' when they are enjoying their bath. If you are not careful, you might just drop him into the water or his head knocking against the side of the bath tub.
• You do not have to invest heavily into your baby's bath tub if you don't want to. I have seen bath tub costing close to RM90. The reason is because they will outgrow the bath tub within 4 to 5 months and you would have to buy a larger one for them.
• Have all the necessary items ready and within reach before placing your baby into the bath tub.

Ryan is now enjoying his bath so much that sometimes he does not seem to want to get out. He is also beginning to learn to play with water and bath bubbles. When washing his back, he is happily kicking his legs away, just like a little frog learning how to swim. Those moments are precious and priceless.