Raising Eco Baby on a Budget, Part 6: Bathing Baby

Looking for tips on becoming a baby bathing pro?

Bathing your little one can seem like an intimidating task for first-time parents, but it doesn’t have to be. I’ll show you how to make it just like playtime while skipping some unnecessary things that will save you time and moolah.

Bath Time with Baby

Why this matters

• Learning how to bathe a newborn takes practice – it’s not the easiest thing in the world to deal with a squirmy and slippery little human!
• It’s actually possible to bathe your baby too much. Babies are extremely sensitive, including their skin, and bathing more than every few days can actually dry it out and cause irritation. Using the right bath time products is important too, they should be gentle enough to use on baby’s skin.
• Baby-related advertising tells us that we need all the little doodads and toys when it comes to bath time, and that’s definitely not the case! Your little one will have just as much fun playing with a (clean) snot plunger (Sky’s favorite bathtub toy!) as they will with a million plastic cups and toys.

On a personal note

I loved my bath time with Sky. He was so content in the warm (not hot) water with me, resting on my bent legs with a wet hand towel draped over them for more warmth and comfort for us both. 

Ready to try?

• Pop on over and watch the episode for my tips on bathing your slippery small seal.
• The most important tip is never, ever leave your baby alone. They can drown in a second with only an inch of water. So that means absolutely no running to change out the laundry quickly, no nothing. It’s eyes ON the whole time.
• Make use of your sink and a hand towel while they’re still small enough to fit, and skip the plastic or styrofoam “baby bathtubs” (I used mine once before I realized it was more trouble than it was worth). And make sure to document baby’s first bath!
• When they’ve graduated from the sink, take a bath with them! It may be your only opportunity to bathe anyway, and you can bond with your little one while getting squeaky clean AND saving water. And if you can’t get in the tub with them, you don’t need to fill the whole bath, a few inches of water will get the job done!
• Skimp on soap. Babies don’t really get that dirty until they get older & start crawling around, and using harsh soaps like ones for adults should be avoided. But, when you want to freshen up their bum, opt for eco-friendly, mild types.

A Deeper Dig

More than half of children’s bath soaps, shampoos, lotions, and other personal care products tested by the group Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC) were found to contain 1,4-dioxane and formaldehyde. 

Fresh Pick

Wish they sold this stuff by the case! This hemp bodywash from The Wonder Seed all we use for wee ones and adults. It even bubbles to make a little bubble bath. 

Did You Know?

A baby’s skin, especially a newborn’s, is sensitive, and so all soaps are mild irritants?