Either you’re a new mom with a new baby, or you are going to be, and you are exploring the idea of bath time. Well, note that there are newborn bath essentials that you don’t actually need.
When it comes to bath time, you might think you need alllllllll the things for your newborn.
You wanna spoil them! They’re new and squishy and adorable! You want them to play with all the toys and splash in all the bubbles and appreciate the faucet covers and admire the cool gadgets on their bathtub…
Well, they won’t, and they don’t 🤣 They’re newborns, for crying out loud! They don’t care about that stuff 🤣
As it is true that many items are handy to have during newborn bath time, making it more enjoyable for mom and dad, the idea that there are bath “essentials” is completely untrue.
They’re more like bath “conveniences”.
My husband and I wanted and received some baby bath gifts during my baby shower that were newborn bath essentials. Or so I thought. I only used them a few times, and then I never thought of them again. So… essential? Nah 😂 (I list these items below).
Even though many companies (and even other moms) try to tell you that you neeeeeed certain bath items, just know you probably don’t. Don’t get sucked into all the trends and baby ads. Many of those items look appealing, but then they end up being impractical, mildew harboring, or just simply “extra”.
And really, it’s just people trying to sell products to make money in order to survive in this crazy, beautiful world 🤣 Can you blame them? Again, nah.
And it’s okay if you’re the type of person who has to try it for yourself and your baby to see if it’s “essential” for your situation. If that’s the case, buy all the products and try all the things!
But it’s also okay to take other people’s experiences and recommendations into account while you pray about whether or not to buy your newborn a space heater (in case you are wondering, the answer is most likely a no. Most likely…).
Side note: The things I am okay to go without during baby bath time might be another mom’s Holy Grail, so keep that in mind. It also might change as your baby grows. This post is specifically about the bath items that I think newborns don’t need.
Here’s a list of those items that I have tried that I feel are unnecessary for a newborn and what we did instead 🙂
This post is all about newborn bath essentials that you don’t actually need.
4 NEWBORN BATH ESSENTIALS THAT YOU DON’T ACTUALLY NEED
Bath Thermometer:
If you are super worried about the temperature of the water, then maybe this is something you should invest in. I have never needed it and I classify it as one of the non-essentials.
Instead, I simply dip my wrist or elbow into the water to check the temperature. These parts of the body are more sensitive than others. So if it’s too hot or too cold on your wrist or elbow, it will be too hot or too cold for your baby.
Baby Towels:
It is advertised that you need a baby towel with a hood because babies get cold after a bath.
Well, duh! We all get cold after we get out of a warm bath or shower 😂
So yes, a towel is necessary, however, there is no need for a baby sized towel with a hood. We have these baby towels, but we only used them a few times before I decided that I’d rather just use the towels we already had at home.
Aka the adult towels.
Because they are much bigger, they can provide more warmth and they soak up more water. And by the way you wrap up your baby, you can create a makeshift hood with the extra fabric!
Babies do have sensitive skin though, so if your adult towels are scratchy and rough, I would invest in a softer adult towel.
But honestly, forget the baby size towel with the hood and get a soft adult towel that you’ll use long term!
Baby Bathtub:
Do you need a baby bathtub?
We received this bathtub from our registry, and after I used it once, I said “No thanks”. It’s supposed to be for newborns, but I felt like my newborn baby was not supported at all.
I remember placing him on it for the first time. His neck looked all slumped over and he wouldn’t stay in the center of the tub. He kept leaning to the left side or to the right, no matter how many times I fixed his position.
I felt like I was so worried about keeping him in a comfortable and safe position in the tub, that I couldn’t focus on washing his little body.
I guess I assumed that a newborn bathtub would help create a space where I could use both my hands more freely for washing, instead of holding my baby with one hand and washing with the other.
Either I thought wrong, or I am using the tub wrong 😂 (so someone please help me if it’s the latter hahahaha)
Anyway, I’m sure there are bathtubs made specifically for newborns that are amazing, but I learned you don’t actually need one, and I had a much easier time without it.
There are many other options that we used instead that you can try too.
Honestly, anything that holds water can be used for your newborn’s bath, even a big bowl or bucket. You just want to make it a safe and secure bathing area.
*Option 1
First option (also most common at our house), was that either I or my husband would pop in the bath with our baby and hold them.
This is called co-bathing and it was the best.
Because newborns don’t need baths often, this was so fun and created a different way to spend some skin-to-skin time with them. Not only for Mom and baby, but for Dad and baby as well.
However, I have found that it is helpful to have someone else around when doing this, as it can be super slippery when you and your baby are both covered in bath water. Not to mention how small and delicate they are when they are first born- you want to be extremely careful in this wet environment.
If my husband was the one in the tub, I would take our baby from him so he could get out of the tub safely. And vice versa if I was the one in the tub. The last thing you want is to slip in the tub while you are holding your precious newborn.
I understand if you don’t have someone around to help you with this. I have experienced this many times.
If you don’t have help, you can create a space next to the tub where you can carefully lay your baby once you are done washing them.
If that space is too low to the ground, or even on the ground, it can still be slippery and it will be hard to reach. It’s doable, yes. I’ll admit that I have done it, but I didn’t like it at all, and it didn’t feel safe.
To fix this, I would bring in some kind of baby bouncer and set it close to the tub. I would lay the towel on top of it, so the bouncer wouldn’t get wet, creating a higher surface that was easier for me to reach safely.
*Option 2
The second option is to support your baby with one hand/arm and bathe them in the kitchen or bathroom sink. Placing a towel in the sink first provides extra softness and cushion.
This is a skill in itself, and can be a little awkward to learn in the beginning, but it gets easier after you do it a few times. There are tutorials online that you can watch to help you learn how.
*Option 3
Next up? A towel at the bottom of the tub method.
Before putting water in the tub, we laid a towel down on the bottom. We put in a little bit of warm water and then we laid our baby on their back on top of the towel.
The towel provides a softer, non-slip surface for your baby to lay on. And you don’t have to worry about dropping them because they are already laying down. You just need to make sure they don’t turn their little head into the water.
It’s important not to fill the tub with water that’s too high to prevent drowning. A good rule of thumb is to keep the water below your baby’s ears when they are laying on their back.
And you never leave them alone! Ever! This can be disastrous and you may never forgive yourself if something were to happen.
Now, because there isn’t enough water to cover them fully, their tummies are probably freezing, right? So cover their little tummy and legs with a washcloth that’s soaked with the warm bath water.
Not only does this trick help keep them warm, but it also covers any little weenies that pee all over hahaha! (Can you tell I have a baby boy? 😛)
*Option 4
Finally, you can opt for a sponge bath.
You don’t need to submerge your baby’s body into water to clean them. Instead, you can lay them on a towel and use a sponge or soft washcloth to gently wipe their skin. You can also hold them in your arms if that is more comfortable for you and baby.
Bath Toys:
You do not need bath toys for a newborn. They won’t touch them, they won’t play with them, they might not even look at them 👀. So you can skip this bath essential until they have hit a few milestones.
You really won’t need any toys until they get older, maybe around 3-4 months when they can start grabbing things. So, they aren’t essential now, but your baby will get a little bored without some kind of toy as they get older. You can think about toys for the future months to come.
Welp, there’s my two-cents about newborn bath essentials that actually aren’t essential in my household.
Let us know if there are any other items that you think are non-essential and why! Or if you disagree with one, we’d love to hear why it works for you. It’s helpful for new mamas to get multiple opinions! Just be kind 🙂
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