Baby's First Bath

A Trendy or Traditional Approach?

By Joe Cooke

Pages: 1 2 3 4

"It's actually OK to get the umbilical wet," says Gryler. "As long as you dry it off well after the bath." As for frequency, she simply shrugs. "Babies don't even need much washing in the first few weeks," she says. "Bath time should be a fun time, a time for Mom and Baby to bond."

Gryler realizes that she may be bucking traditional practices, but she considers herself an early follower of the new trend. In fact, her employer, St. Mary Medical Center, earned a prestigious "Baby-Friendly" designation as part of UNICEF's Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative. The birth center is state-of-the-art, including Jacuzzis and baby bath sinks that are designed for a full tub bath.

"There's no wrong way to bathe a baby," Gryler says. "Just avoid heat loss and have a good time. Remember, it's not even that important to bathe a newborn, so even if you accomplish nothing else but dipping your baby in the water, you've had a successful bath."

Even with the vast amount of information available on how to bathe a newborn, it's still normal to be a bit anxious. With our first child, we were so nervous we could barely focus on enjoying the bath. Even so, after a few tentative sponge baths, we settled into the joy of bath time. As Katie grew, we moved her little blue-green tub from the kitchen sink to the bathtub, and then she learned to sit up and the baby tub ent into storage.

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