Bathe the baby, preferably in the morning or evening?

Bathing babies is a fun activity, as well as thrilling, especially for new parents. The reason is, bathing babies needs to be done carefully, considering that babies have very sensitive skin. If this is your first time giving your baby a bath, find out the best times to bathe her in this article.

It's a good time to bathe the baby

In general, you can bathe your baby at any time, as long as it doesn't interfere with their sleeping or feeding time.

Usually, the best time to bathe a baby is in the morning. This is because after bathing, babies can bask in the sun so that their body temperature warms up again.

Even so, bathing babies in the afternoon is actually not a problem. However, things to note, you must make sure the baby is not cold before and after the bath.

Then, how many times a day should your little one be bathed?

Actually, newborns to those who cannot crawl do not need to be bathed too often every day. Bathing too often will make your baby's skin dry quickly and can become irritated. Babies are also twice as prone to skin problems so you also have to be careful when caring for baby's skin.

Bathing the baby three to four times a week during the first year is sufficient. However, you can adjust yourself to your little one's condition. Given that Indonesia is a tropical country where the temperature is quite high and humid, some parents may want to bathe their children every day. Again, this is fine, as long as you are careful when you bathe your little one.

Regardless of how many times a day the baby is bathed, one important thing you have to make sure that the baby's body is always clean at all times. This can be done by regularly changing the baby's diaper or wiping his face, hands, neck and genitals every day.

Things that must be considered before and during bathing the baby

There are several things that must be prepared and paid attention to before bathing the baby, including:

• Avoid bathing the baby after breastfeeding or eating. Better to wait a while for his stomach to adjust to the intake that had just entered. This is done to keep your little one from being too full when being bathed. If the full stomach is squeezed accidentally while he is in the shower, it is possible for your baby to vomit.
• You should not bathe the baby for more than 10 minutes. Apart from being able to make the baby cold, bathing too long can also make the baby's skin wrinkled and dry.
• Babies born to 3 months of age cannot regulate their own body temperature, so they are very susceptible to cold air. Therefore, bathe your baby in warm (lukewarm) water.
• The ideal water temperature for a baby bath is 38 degrees Celsius. You can test the warmth of water by dipping the tip of your elbow in the baby bath. Your elbows should feel warm, not hot.
• There are exceptions for newborns whose umbilical cord has not been separated. Babies whose umbilical cord has not fallen off should not be washed, even if the water is warm. If the baby's umbilical cord is exposed to water, the chances of infection are greater. Instead, you can wipe the body using a washcloth or soft cloth dampened with warm water.
• After you finish bathing, you can breastfeed your baby. The direct contact between you and your baby will make him feel warm and comfortable, so that he will fall asleep.

Usually if you are getting used to the sleeping and breastfeeding patterns of your little one, you can find the right time to bathe him too. That is why, try to do all activities regularly. Babies love routines so they can learn to recognize what's coming next and get used to doing them. Well, this can make routines such as breastfeeding, bathing, and putting the baby to sleep easier.

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