You may be surprised to learn that your newborn doesn’t need bathing every day – although that’s fine too, if he or she really enjoys it. Otherwise, two or three bath times a week is enough, as long as you give your baby a daily clean-up of the face, neck, hands and bottom (known as ‘topping and tailing’), and thoroughly clean the nappy area at each nappy change.
Here are some reasons why it is now recommended to delay baby's first bath:
Body temperature and blood sugar: Babies who get baths right away may be more likely to become cold and develophypothermia. The minor stress of an early bath can also make some babies more likely to have a drop in blood sugar (hypoglycemia).
Bonding and breastfeeding: Taking the baby away for a bath too soon can interrupt skin-to-skin care, mother-child bonding, and early breastfeeding success. Onestudyshowed a 166% increase in hospital breastfeeding success after implementing a 12-hour delay in baby's first bath compared to those bathed within the first couple hours.
Dry skin: Vernix, a waxy white substance that coats a baby's skin before birth, acts as a natural moisturizer and may have anti-bacterial properties. Learn more about vernix here. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), it's best to leave vernix on a newborns' skin for a while to help prevent their delicate skin from drying out. This is especially important for preemies, as their skin is highly prone to injury.
