How to bath a newborn?

Question

my 3 week old son is afraid of his tub and just screams the whole while I'm bathing him,

Answer 1

Give him sponge baths for now then start back putting him in his tub, he'll get used to it. He's gonna scream for a minute but like i said, he'll get used to it.

Answer 2

I can't really give you any advice because my son did the same thing. At three weeks he still had his cord attached so he wasn't in a tub yet. I had to sponge bathe him. He screamed on the top of his lungs everytime. I will tell you this much when we did finally use the tub he loved it. He is six months old now and he likes to take his bath. Now that it is summer i also take him in the pool with me and he loves that. I think his is just very little yet so give it some time and I think he will love it also. Oh and one more thing. Check the temp of the water and make sure it is not to hot or cold, that could be the problem. good luck

Answer 3

As the mother of three boys I would say the best thing to do first is get a small baby tub, they cost around $15-$20 and are worth it.

Make sure the water is warm, not too cold or too hot, a nice warmth. If the water feels too hot when you run it over the back of your wrist then it is too hot. Do not add a lot of water only enough to be able to wet your washcloth and wet the baby, I'd say about 1/4 full and no more then that.

If your son still has his umbilical cord make sure to clean it really good with a cotton ball and rubbing alcohol so it does not get infected when you are dressing him. Also if your son was circumsized remember to be very gentle. He could be in a lot of pain still from the circumcision and the crying is most likely from that and not the water. Remember to take care of the circumcision site when dressing him as you did with the umbilical cord. I used to place extra petrolium jelly on the diaper and also the gauze to ensure the pain would be as minimal as possible when they went to the bathroom.

Hope this helps and good luck! Your son will love the bath soon enough.

Answer 4

Thats what little babies do. They scream. But you don't need to put a baby that young in the water. You wrap the baby in a towel and sponge bathe him. Take one little body part out at a time and keep the rest wrapped in the towel, like wash an arm, then wrap it back up and wash the other. That way the baby won't get cold and upset. When my daughter was born they gave me a tiny little tub, about the size of a dish basin and some mild baby wash. they told me to take a clean washcloth and first wipe the baby's eyes with just some water. Then wipe the face, then move down the body. Get just a tiny bit of baby wash on the cloth and wash the baby's hair. Last, wash the bottom and private areas but be careful with the soap! It could irritate a newborn.

Answer 5

That will pass. Newborns are not necessarily fond of the bath. You can just put him on the spongy thing or a towel and give him a sponge bath. That is more than good enough for a new baby, even for their hair.

In a few weeks he'll love his bath. Just make sure he is solid in the bath so he can't slip or slide which might scare him.

Answer 6

Are you using one of those baby tubs? If not , they are great. I would put the tub in the kitchen sink, the bottom of the tub fits right in there. I would then get the temp right and fill it there with my baby in the tub. He didnt scream and likes it because he was closer to my face and not way down in a huge tub. I would be scared too, being surrounded in a big ole tub! gl!

Answer 7

Awww, my heart goesout to you. My daughter loved the water the first day I put her in the sink. Is the water too hot? What feels warm to you may feel a bit hot to the baby. R you can even try getting in the bath with him as long as you have someone that can come get him after you're done washing him up so that you can. Maybe your comfort will keep him calm and help him get use to the water.

Answer 8

believe me, i've had 2 and both cried like banshees. just make sure the room is warm so your son doesn't catch a cold. i'm making the assumption that you've got a baby tub and not using the actual bathtub. make sure the water is warm, not hot. bathe gently as to soothe him even though he cries.

be aware .... if you've circumcised him, he and every boy under the sun will cry no matter what. i remember when that happened to me and i'm 40 yrs old. :-) get some vaseline and coat his sword after the bath so his sword doesn't stick to the diaper when he dries off.

after about 2 months, both mine just quieted down & got used to it. as a matter of fact, when my daughter got older and we did give her her first bath in the bathtub, she slept better & longer.

Answer 9

you culd stick with sponge baths and wt washcloths and you'll be ok, but at some point, you'll have to bear the crying and bathe him in a baby tub -- but be very careful.

Answer 10

check the water temp try different temps not too hot to burn him but some babies do like it a little warmer than others.also just sponge bath him for a while.he's new so everything is new to him.he'll get used to it.try to relax around him too.I was so nervous w/ my daughter she wouldn't nurse.I finally relaxed and so did she.now shes 11 !