At first giving your newborn baby a bath might seem like a simple task, but there are actually a lot of things to consider in order to do it safely. As a mom of 3, including twins, I have quite a bit of experience with bathing newborns.
In this article I am sharing my personal baby bath essentials list, along with other optional baby bath gear. Finally, I will also discuss how to safely give a newborn a bath.
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Baby Bath Essentials List
Let’s jump right in to discussing what items are on the baby bath essentials list. Below you will find the products I found to be the most important when bathing my kids.
1 – Baby Bath Tub
I know some people will say you don’t need anything in particular to hold your baby for bath time. You could just wash your baby in the sink. However, I found it really helpful to have a special bath that provides support because once you get your baby lathered up with soap, he or she will be very slippery.
I recommend getting a tub that has both an infant insert and can still be used after the newborn stage (without the insert). So keep that in mind when selecting a bathtub for your baby registry or purchasing one. Personally, I loved the Fisher Price baby bath tub.
2 – Baby Soap / Shampoo
You will need a gentle soap to wash your baby and to shampoo your baby if he or she has hair. For babies, soap and shampoo are generally one in the same. I have tried quite a few baby soap brands including Johnson & Johnson, Babyganics, and Aveeno. I liked Aveeno the best!
Their soap cleans well, all while being very gentle on the skin. It takes a very long time to get through a bottle, so it’s worth the extra cost.
3 – Towels & Washcloths
You will need a washcloth to gently clean your baby during the bath. When the bath is over, you will need a bath towel to dry your baby off.
Now, do you absolutely need special baby bath towels and washcloths? No, you could use the regular towels and washcloths you already own. But the hooded baby bath towels are super soft on your baby’s skin, they are sized to fit a baby, and they make for some really cute photos.
4 – Rinse Cup
This is an item that will be important to have as your baby grows. During the newborn phase, this isn’t necessary. But once your baby is sitting up and especially once he or she has hair, you will want something you can use to rinse it.
If you don’t want to buy anything, you can use a large plastic cup. However, I did find it helpful to have a special bath rinse cup.
5 – Spout Cover
This is another item that is not needed during the newborn phase. But you will want this for safety once your baby is sitting up on his or her own (around 6 months). A spout cover protects your child from banging his or her head onto the bath tub faucet.
Optional Baby Bath Items List
There are plenty of other items you can get for bath time. Although these are not necessary to give your baby a bath, you might find some of them helpful. Here is my list of optional baby bath products:
- Baby bath toys – this one was my kids absolute favorite!
- Bath toy holder
- Kneeling pad
- Bath thermometer – I recommend using your hand to feel if the water temperature is appropriate instead
How To Give a Newborn a Bath
Now that you know what’s on the baby bath essentials list and the optional items, it will be helpful to know the steps needed to give a newborn a bath. I recommend checking out these step-by-step baby bath instructions and video from the American Academy of Dermatology for this information.
Related: Check out more baby bath time tips here!
Grooming Items – Things To Use After Bath Time
Once your baby’s bath is over, there are some more items you might want to use for grooming. They include the following:
- Baby lotion
- Baby nail scissors (my preference) or baby nail clippers
- Baby brush / comb
The baby bath essentials list is surprisingly pretty short, but there are plenty of optional items too.
That wraps up my list of must have and optional baby bath items. Bathing a newborn isn’t always the easiest, but with the right tools and learning how to do it, you will be a pro in no time.
Finally before you go, you might want to grab these FREE printable Pregnancy Checklists. They include a baby registry, hospital bag, and trimester checklist and you can get them by clicking the button below.
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