Complete Baby Bath and Grooming Guide

In this post, you’ll learn everything you’ll need to know about bathing and grooming your baby from birth to their first birthday. I include my tips and tricks to keep baby happy during bath time so it can be a fun time for everyone.

Bath time is a great time to spend some quality time with your little one. Your baby before the age of two can only learn from person to person interactions. Use this opportunity and make this an activity your baby will look forward to each day as they grow older. Not being afraid of the water will also help them ease into swimming much easier!

I’ve divided this first year bath guide to two sections:

1. Newborn baby: from birth to 3 months before they are sitting with assistance.
2. Infant baby: from 4 months onwards when they can start by sitting with assistance and later without assistance.

A big concern for many moms is keeping your baby’s skin baby smooth. Babies have hypersensitive skin, and their cell turnover is off the roof. Your baby might develop rashes, get baby acne or form cradle cap.

I will detail ways to prevent cradle cap, treat baby rashes, and focus on non-toxic bath and grooming products that will keep your baby well groomed.

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How Often and When to Bathe Your Baby

Newborn Babies: 0-3 months

Newborns do not get dirty easily, and they do not need frequent baths. I did not bathe my second daughter for the first week and a half.

You hospital may offer your baby a bath after birth. I didn’t know I could refuse the hospital bath for my newborn as a first time mom. I also didn’t know how to bathe my newborn, so I watched the nurse bathe my 2-day-old daughter at 5am on my hospital bed.

With my second daughter, I refused the newborn bath at the hospital.

A good rule of thumb is to bathe your newborn “when they get dirty“.

• Your newborn had a diaper blowout incident,
• Your newborn spat up and got milk all over themselves,
• Your newborn is feeling sticky and their hair is getting visibly oily. This might be once or twice a week.

Night time routine will not be a thing until your baby is at least 4-5 months old. Prior to that, they are still adjusting their day and night. Your newborn is going through multiple developmental leaps that disrupt their day, making it hard to form (or stick to!) routines.

Infant Babies: 4-12 Months

It’s great to build bathing into your baby’s night time routine at this stage. This would mean it is an every day occurrence.

If your baby is suffering from dry skin, I’d recommend doing the bath every other day (or longer if they don’t get dirty) especially during the colder months.

A simple night time routine looks like:

• after their “dinner”, running a bath, grooming, brushing teeth, and changing into pajamas for reading before bed.

You may not need to use a ton of shampoo and soap every day to prevent their skin and hair from getting too dry. I run a bubble bath for my daughter every night and use the body and shampoo on areas that are visibly dirty.

Baby Bath Temperature

Body temperature is best. This is about 37 to 38 degrees Celsius or 98 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you do not have a bath thermometer, a great trick I like to use is to dip your elbow into the water. If your elbow feels too hot or your skin turns red, the water is too hot for the baby. Do NOT use your hands to test water temperature as it will not be accurate.

• Floating Duck Bath Thermometer (Amazon.CA)

How to Bathe Your Newborn

Do not submerge your newborn baby fully in water when the umbilical cord is intact. You want to keep this area as dry as possible to prevent irritations. If this area gets wet, simply pat dry and let it dry fully before wrapping the baby up in layers to prevent infection.

You can give your newborn a sponge bath until their umbilical cord falls off and heals. Watch my favourite YouTube videos below. These are NOT my videos, simply the best videos from my research, credit to the original creators.

Step by Step Newborn Tub Bath

1. Set up bath station with:
   • baby bath rub/basin/sink – if you are putting the baby tub in the bath tub, then definitely get this set with the elbow rest and kneeling pad. Your knees and elbows will thank you.
   • newborn wash cloths – these are smaller and thinner for delicate newborn skin.
   • large burp cloth or larger wash cloth to cover their body
   • baby shampoo and body wash.
   • soft silicone head massager (you can also get this set that has everything) or if baby has really severe cradle cap, DermaFrida.
   • baby bath rinser cup – this comes with the set linked above.
   • optional but very helpful: small space heater to keep the room toasty.
2. Set up finishing station with:
   • warm hooded towel
   • baby face lotion
   • baby body lotion
   • baby hair brush with soft bristles
   • burt’s bees multipurpose ointment
   • clean diaper
   • clean outfit
3. Optional: Run hooded towel in dryer on medium heat setting to get it nice and toasty and set it out by the finishing area.
4. Optional: Get the room warm and toasty with a space heater.
5. Run the bath water in the baby bath/basin/sink and swoosh the water so there are no hot spots. The water level should be about 2 inches or an index finger length from the bottom of the tub. I like to squeeze some body wash into the tub as the water is running and not use so much soap directly on the newborn. Tip: if you are breastfeeding, try using some breastmilk mixed into the bath water if your baby has very sensitive skin and has rashes/baby acne.
6. Undress newborn in the bathroom or near the bathroom so they don’t get cold,
7. Rest the newborn’s head on the NON-DOMINANT arm, holding onto their arm. Using the DOMINANT hand, get a wash cloth, wet it with warm bath water and start from their eyelids.
8. Always wash the baby top to bottom.
9. Wipe from the inner corner of the eyelids to the ear.
10. Wipe the baby’s ears and face, then neck folds. You can use your fingers to get into the crevices.
11. Grab the silicone head massager and add a little bit of baby shampoo. Gently in circular motions wash the hair and scalp. This will gently exfoliate any dead skin cells and prevent cradle cap. If your baby has severe cradle cap, use the DermaFrida.
12. Cup water from bath and rinse off shampoo.
13. Wash the rest of the body, taking extra care in the folds and crevices. Use your fingers with a little bit of soap for areas like armpits and the inside of their hands where it is extra dirty.
14. To get your newborn to open her fist, press against her wrist and gently bend her hand downwards toward her arm, and her palms should open.
15. Use baby bath rinser cup to pour water over newborn body to keep her warm.
16. Wash the diaper area from front to back, taking care of crevices and ensuring there are no leftover stools in the bum. No need to wash inside the folds for little girls.
17. Rinse the baby’s body with a rinse cup or by using a clean wash cloth to squeeze the bath water onto the baby’s body.
18. To take the newborn out of the bath, place your DOMINANT hand around baby’s feet while your NON-DOMINANT hand and arm is providing support to baby’s neck and head.
19. Lift baby out and put baby onto the warm hooded towel.
20. Dry baby with the towel, taking care of crevices and folds to ensure she is fully dry.
21. Put body lotion on baby, taking care to rub it in well. Use this time to give baby a massage. Skin to skin and chatting with baby at this time is excellent quality time.
22. Put multipurpose ointment onto baby’s diaper area and put on a fresh set of diapers.
23. Put on a new outfit.
24. Put face lotion on baby’s face. First, place some lotion on the back of your hand and dot it onto baby’s face. Rub it in well by rubbing in small circular motions. Rub some into the hairline to prevent cradle cap. Tip: Whenever I see dry patches or skin flare ups, I add a “face mask” by mixing some face lotion with the Burt’s bees multipurpose ointment and let it sit on my daughter’s face while I comb her hair, then rub it in. It works wonders every time.
25. Use soft bristle hair brush and brush baby’s hair. I’d like to think it stimulates hair growth. This also helps brush out any leftover dead skin cells and dry baby’s hair faster.

Tips to Keep Newborn Happy During Bath Time

• Keep room very warm and toasty with a small space heater that rotates, especially for those first few baths.
• Do the baby bath in the kitchen area where there is more space and you can set out the bathing station and the finishing station side by side.
• Double rinsed burp cloth or wash cloth to cover their body to keep warm.
• Have some warmer water (than the bath water) ready in a small basin to pour on the baby when the bath water gets colder. I do this by having the slightly warmer water ready in the baby rinse cup and using this to rinse baby as a final step before I take the baby out of the bath.
• If your baby absolutely hates being on her back (it triggers the moro reflex), try lowering her into the bath in a “kneeling position”. You can do this by supporting her neck with your non-dominant hand by cupping her face with your thumb and pointer finger. Once her bum and body are washed, you can wrap her up in a warm towel and wash the head and face.
• Keep the water level level with their shoulders so they are not cold.
• Run the drying hooded towel in the dryer on medium heat before wrapping the baby to dry.
• Prepare the silicone head massager with some baby shampoo before you start. This will minimize the time needed to open the shampoo cap, or pump the shampoo onto the head massager if your baby is being fussy.
• White noise to mimic the womb.

How to Bathe Your Infant

Once your baby is able to sit with assistance with stronger neck muscles, you can prop them up a little bit with a bath support or bath seat. Do NOT use a bath support when your baby is a newborn. These bath supports are meant for babies with strong neck control 4 months onwards.

Baby Bath Tub or Baby Bath Support?

The best of both worlds might be getting the flexi bath bundle where you can use the newborn insert from about 4-6 months, and just use the tub. At $88.99 CAD, the bundle is basically the same price as you purchasing the Angelcare bath support and the flexi bath tub by itself. (edited Aug 2024 – looks like the price of the bundle has increased significantly to $104.99 CAD. the XL bathtub sits just under $100 so I would recommend this option if you’re thinking about it. You can use this well until your child is 3, and longer if you have another child.)

Conclusion

I would get the flexi bath XL new. It saves you water rather than filling the whole tub, it will grow with your baby, and it is easily stored away. It also has great resale value so I don’t see a need to purchase this second hand.

By 4 months of age, if your baby has strong neck muscles and you are finding it very difficult to support your baby, you can look to get a second-hand baby bath support (either for the flexi bath or the angel care) on Facebook market place for anywhere between $5-15 CAD.

I do NOT recommend getting any bath supports with fabric. The popular “blooming baby bath seat” is very difficult to dry properly (especially if you give baby a bath every day/every other day) and will grow mold over time. The resale value of these are also lower.

Step by Step Infant Tub Bath with Bath Support

If your baby is able to sit up independently, ensure your baby bath tub is secure on the floor of your bath tub or wherever you are giving the baby a bath.

1. Set up bath station with:
   • baby bath tub with support or bath support in the bath tub or shower area. You’ll definitely want to get this set with elbow rest and kneeling pad when baby is this old. I set my kneeling pad on a small step stool so I can also sit with baby if she wants to play in the bath.
   • large burp cloth or larger wash cloth to cover their body AND the bath support when they still need assistance to sit.
   • baby shampoo and body wash – I link a variety of different types I’ve tried and liked under “Baby Bath Product Essentials” heading below.
   • soft silicone head massager (you can also get this set that has everything) or if baby has really severe cradle cap, DermaFrida
   • baby bath rinser cup – this comes with the set linked above.
   • optional: small space heater to keep the room toasty
2. Set up finishing station with:
   • warm hooded towel
   • baby face lotion
   • baby body lotion
   • baby hair brush with soft bristles, tangle teezer is great for when baby has more hair.
   • burt’s bees multipurpose ointment
   • clean diaper
   • clean outfit
3. Run the bath water in the baby bath/basin/sink and swoosh the water so there are no hot spots. The water level should be level with the baby’s shoulders while they are on the bath support, or below their chest if they are sitting up independently. I like to squeeze some body wash into the tub as the water is running and also add a few drops of bubble bath. Tip: if you are breastfeeding, try using some breastmilk mixed into the bath water if your baby has very sensitive skin and has rashes/baby acne.
4. Prepare the bath support by putting a wash cloth on it to provide more comfort and less slip.
5. Undress baby in the bathroom or near the bathroom.
6. Gently place baby feet first, then bum, then rest their back onto the bath support.
7. Grab a wash cloth and gently wipe the baby’s eyes, ears and face, then neck folds.
8. To prevent baby from getting cold in the bath, I like to wash her body before washing her hair.
9. Grab the silicone head massager and add a little bit of baby shampoo. Gently in circular motions wash the hair and scalp. This will gently exfoliate any dead skin cells and prevent cradle cap. If your baby has severe cradle cap, use the DermaFrida.
10. Use the bath rinser cup and place the lip against the baby’s forehead to prevent water from falling down onto her face. Rinse the hair until there is no more shampoo.
11. Wash the rest of the body, taking extra care in the folds and crevices. Use your fingers with a little bit of soap for areas like armpits and the inside of their hands where it is extra dirty.
12. Use baby bath rinser cup to pour water over baby’s body to keep her warm.
13. Wash the diaper area from front to back, taking care of crevices and ensuring there are no leftover stools in the bum. No need to wash inside the folds for little girls.
14. Rinse the baby’s body with a rinse cup or by using a clean wash cloth to squeeze the water onto the baby’s body.
15. You can let baby play in the water if she is happy in the bath. At around 5 months, I started to ease my daughter into swimming by filling the full bath tub and using the neck floatie. I’ve linked a few of my favourite bath toys below.
16. If your baby has strong neck muscles, you can simply lift baby out of the bath tub from under her armpits.
17. Put baby onto the warm hooded towel.
18. Dry baby with the towel, taking care of crevices and folds to ensure she is fully dry.
19. Put body lotion on baby, taking care to rub it in well.
20. Put multipurpose ointment onto baby’s diaper area and put on a fresh set of diapers.
21. Put on a new outfit.
22. Put face lotion on baby’s face. First, place some lotion on the back of your hand and dot it onto baby’s face. Rub it in well by rubbing in small circular motions. Tip: Whenever I see dry patches or skin flare ups, I add a “face mask” by mixing some face lotion with the Burt’s bees multipurpose ointment and let it sit on my daughter’s face while I comb her hair, then rub it in. It works wonders every time.
23. Use soft bristle hair brush or tangle teezer to comb if your baby has more hair. Use a blow dryer on low setting if your baby has a LOT of hair.

Tips to Keep Infant Happy During Bath Time

Review all of the tips I’ve outlined on “Tips to Keep Newborn Happy During Bath Time” above.

• Again, I cannot stress the importance of keeping baby warm. I highly recommend getting a space heater if you do not already have one.
• Babies love bubbles. I highly recommend having a bubble bath because it makes it fun for the baby at this age to start water play. See below for some bubble bath fun recommendations.
• Add bath toys to bath time. My daughter’s favourite toys are linked below.
• Talk to your baby! Talk through each step you are doing in the bath to your baby. Make funny noises, sing, and play with your baby. This will not only greatly aid in their speech development, but also help them understand what is coming next and what to expect. They may not speak yet, but it’s all getting soaked up in their brain!

Baby Bath Product Essentials

Below are all of our favourite bath products. I focused on finding non-toxic and calming bath products for those that touch my baby’s skin directly.

For big box brands like Aveeno, Johnson & Johnson, Cetaphil, etc. I’ve noticed most of these have skin irritating ingredients such as palmitate, phenocyethanol, sodium laureth sulfate, and a common irritant, parfum or artificial fragrance (as opposed to natural fragrance). You can read more about these ingredients online or through the ThinkDirty app.

As for bath toys, I recommend not having too many. It’s important to keep the toys clean to prevent mold. I recommend staying away from squirting toys. These soft plastic toys with little holes are mold farms. Mold can materialize within the first 48 hours if the water is not drained from the toy properly. I’ve linked one that can twist to open.

Busy moms: I set the Burt’s bees bubble bath to come every 2 months and shampoos to come every 4 months with Amazon subscribe & save.

Baby Shampoo and Body Wash

Alternatives

• New found favourite: Carina Organics Baby Shampoo and Body Wash. It’s not a pump bottle but it’s a way better dispensing mechanism than the Weleda. Comes in both fragrance free/unscented and sweet pea scent which is mild yet refreshing. You can get the full set of the lotion, shampoo and bubble bath here.
• Attitude 2-in-1 Shampoo and Body Wash, Fragrance Free. Pump bottle.
• Honest Company 2-in-1 Shampoo and Body Wash is more expensive overall, but now you can get the 32 fl Oz refill carton so it’s more sustainable and affordable. The pump bottle design is great and you can twist to close it and it’s a great one to take to travel.
• Burt’s Bees Bubble Bath is my favourite for when they are sitting up independently and playing. Drop a few drops in running water (you don’t need a lot!) and it’s bubbles galore!
• For Canadian moms, if you’re going to Superstore, I also recommend the Pipette line for sensitive babies.

Face lotion, Body lotion

Bath Set Up

• Skip Hop Moby Baby Bath Essential Set (Amazon.CA): everything you need with elbow and knee pads along with a handy rinser that I still use everyday with my almost 4 year old.
• Floating Duck Bath Thermometer (Amazon.CA)
• Indoor Space Heater with Oscillation and Remote (Amazon.CA): if you don’t have one, get one. It’ll truly help you get through the newborn bath stage so much easier. Bonus for the oscillation so you don’t get blasted by the heat.
• Stokke Flexi Bath XL
• Angelcare Baby Bath Support (Amazon.CA)
• Organic Bamboo Hooded Towel (Amazon.CA): hypoallergenic, super soft and a great size. Washes well.
• Baby Washcloths 6 pack (Amazon.CA same / Amazon.CA affordable alternative)
• Comfy Cubs Large 100% Cotton Washcloths/Burp Cloths (Amazon.CA): my all time favourite multi-purpose burp and washcloths. I highly recommend these to have around the house. When you have a newborn, this is great to have drape on their bodies while taking a bath so they don’t get cold. The size is much larger than the washcloths linked above.

Grooming Essentials

• Prevention and daily care is key when it comes to baby grooming. It’s always easier to prevent than treat! To prevent cradle cap, I would start with the silicone brush in the brush set linked here (best value compared to FridaBaby DermaFrida) and brush baby’s hair with the soft bristle brush every day. Remember to massage the face lotion into the hairline, as well.
• Once my daughter’s hair got longer, I found it very hard to dry brush it even with the tangle teezer. I spray a couple pumps of the Honest Company’s Gentle Conditioning Detangler (linked London Drugs here, Amazon always sells out – Amazon link below for visual purposes) and it works wonders. It also conditions the hair making it super soft and easier to style.
• Baby nails get long and sharp quickly. Filing it as soon as it grows will prevent scratches on those precious baby face. I really like this electric trimmer as clippers are too sharp and those baby fingers and toes are very tiny.
• Oogie bear or the Frida baby 3-in-1 picker are great for hard to reach ear areas (OUTSIDE of the ear, not the ear cannel!) and fishing out those tiny boogers in those little nostrils.
• Beloved toothbrushes are my favourite because they’re super soft and has a 360 degree head. You’ll see some toothbrushes aimed at newborns/babies but the bristles are still hard to the touch. You should start brushing baby’s teeth as soon as they come through around 6 months. You can start by using just water, then later around 9-12 months use some fruity baby toothpaste. I started using a mild spearmint flavor baby toothpaste around 18 months.

Products Mentioned

• 4 Piece Baby Hair Brush and Comb Set (Amazon.CA)
• Tangle Teezer Detangler Brush (Amazon.CA)
• Honest Company Gentle Conditioning Detangler Spray (Amazon.CA)
• Bbluv Electric Baby Nail Trimmer (Amazon.CA)
• Oogiebear Nose and Ear Cleaner (Amazon.CA)
• Fridababy 3-in-1 Nose, Nail and Ear Picker (Amazon.CA)
• Beloved Cylinder Toothbrush
• Jack N’ Jill Natural Fluoride-Free Strawberry Toothpaste (Amazon.CA)(Well.CA)
• Weleda Children’s Fluoride-Free Spearmint ToothPaste (Amazon.CA)(Well.CA)

Bath Toys, Swimming & Bubble Play

• Squirt toy that twist to open (Amazon.CA) for easy cleaning. Your baby will be mouthing these toys, so it’s super important to keep them clean. Replace them once you see any mold forming!
• Babies are obsessed with cups. If you have the Lovevery 7-8 month Inspector Play Kit, use the stacking drip drop cups from there! My daughter LOVES those cups to see how water flows.
• Stackable bath boats (Mushie version here)(Amazon.CA) are also a favourite of ours. It floats, it stacks, and it contains water. What more could you ask for!
• Munchkin falls baby bath toy (Amazon.CA) is a super affordable, easy to clean bath toy for babies and toddlers. My daughter still plays with it and she’s almost 4.
• We started using the Water Baby Neck Floatie around when my daughter was 5 months old. We filled our tub with water and added a few drops of bubble bath. She hated it at first, but grew to love it. It helped her ease into water play, and later swimming. We took this to the swimming pool and it works super well there, too. High quality, wipes clean, and easily deflates for storage.
• Babies love bubbles. Linking the singing bubble maker here (Amazon.CA) and the bubble gun (Amazon.CA) we play with.

Bath Items Organization

• This Munchkin bath toy organizer (Amazon.CA) is really useful because it detaches and you can “scoop” the bath toys from the bath water. The adhesive is large, stays on well, and it’s easy to clean.
• I put all of the bath wash items onto the Munchkin bath caddy (Amazon.CA) and holds quite a lot. This bath caddy sits across the bathtub nicely. It comes with detachable divider so you can use it to keep everything neat and tidy.

This blog post was the complete guide to your baby’s bath and grooming in their first year. First baths can be a stressful time for everyone, so it’s best to be prepared.

I hope my tried and true bath favourites and step by step guide will make bath time your new favourite quality time with your bundle of joy.

My daughter loves her bath time and plays for a good 20 minutes in the bath. We have to add warm water to her bath water to keep her warm! It’s a great activity to include in their night time routine to wind down and relax.

Review the tips and tricks I’ve trickled into the post, and good luck! 🙂

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