You may be surprised to know that it’s more beneficial to delay your baby’s first bath. With both of my children, we delayed bathing for several weeks. I use a warm, wet washcloth to clean the folds of the skin where breastmilk gets into. Soap has never been necessary. My babies smell heavenly for the first couple years in their lives because of their healthy skin microbiome.
Are Babies Born Dirty?
Babies are not born dirty! Sure, they might have some blood or meconium on them, but that can be wiped off with a washcloth. Babies might be covered in a white substance called vernix, and vernix is not dirty!
What Is Vernix?
Vernix develops in pregnancy to protect the baby’s skin from constant exposure to amniotic fluid. It plays a vital role in the transition out of the womb. In postpartum, it helps with temperature regulation and protection from bacteria, and it naturally cleans the skin! Vernix can even help heal perineal tears in mothers!
Exposure To Vaginal Bacteria
Babies are exposed to their mother’s vaginal bacteria, which spreads to baby’s digestive tract, urogenital tract, respiratory organs, and the skin, and is key in the development of a healthy gut microbiome, which is essential for a healthy immune system and lifelong health.
Baby Scent Is Purposeful
Babies are born with unique scents that are attractive to their mothers. Washing them with soap masks their scent, which can interfere with bleeding control, breastfeeding, and bonding.
Many Baby Soaps Are Toxic
Skin is an organ! It absorbs what goes on it into the bloodstream. Many soaps that are catered to babies are made with toxic chemicals. It’s important to keep chemicals away from baby’s delicate skin to give them the healthiest start to life. Learn more about the harms of fragrance in the previous reel.
Bathing Is Stressful For Baby And Mother
Bathing is a stressful postpartum intervention for babies and often, even the mother. Even if baby doesn’t appear to be stressed, their body still undergoes stress as it works to maintain a stable internal environment. Bathing shortly after birth dysregulates the baby’s vitals, such as their temperature, respiratory status, and glucose levels, which can lead to hypothermia and cause feeding issues and lethargy. Other issues can arise, such as tachypnoea, hypoxia, and pulmonary hemorrhage. Delayed bathing helps babies remain calm and cry less.
Babies should be with their mothers instead! It is crucial for baby to be with mom, skin to skin, to establish breastfeeding and for bonding. Taking baby away from their mother to bathe them (or for any reason), increases mom’s stress levels, which is counterproductive to physiological postpartum and can cause postpartum complications.
How Long Should You Delay Bathing Your Newborn?
How long you wait to bathe your newborn is up to you! It depends on your home environment, who and what your newborn is exposed to, etc. Some families facilitate the first bath at a week, others at a couple weeks, and some after a few months. Just remember to use safe, gentle, fragrance-free soap that is safe for babies, water, or water with breastmilk for baby’s first bath to preserve their delicate microbiome and protect their delicate body.
How long did you wait to bathe your newborn?
