Create a bath routine for your newborn with these gentle products

Bath time with your baby is not just essential for good hygiene, it can be a wonderful time for bonding between you and your baby. Plus, the sensations of the water and bubbles can offer a joyful, multi-sensory experience for your little one. 

As your baby’s skin is sensitive and precious, given that it is up to 30% thinner than adult skin², it’s important to use products that are mild to provide gentle care. 

Skincare brand AVEENO® understands the importance of good quality skincare, utilising the power of oat to provide innovative new products for the whole family to enjoy. Including your baby. Their impressive range of baby products aim to offer gentle care for all skin types, including normal, dry, and irritable skin. That’s not all - the brand’s Dermexa range is also suitable for babies who may be prone to eczema, too. 

But don’t just take our word for it. AVEENO® Baby is the UK’s No. 1 recommended baby skincare brand by pharmacists³ and is also popular amongst our Mumsnet community too. “I use AVEENO and have always found it to be great,” LostinLaLaLand shared recently.

Using oat extract that’s free from sulphates, soaps and dyes, AVEENO® Baby Daily Care Hair & Body Wash helps to nourish your baby’s skin without leaving it dry. Suitable to use from newborn and up, apply to wet hair and skin and lather gently before rinsing thoroughly. It’s a great option for those last minute daytime baths when you suffer unexpected messes like food fights during mealtimes or that joyful nappy explosion…

A great option to use alongside the wash is AVEENO® Baby Daily Care Moisturising Lotion which helps to nourish and protect your baby’s sensitive skin from day one. It’s fast-absorbing, doesn’t feel greasy on the skin and will moisturise your baby’s skin for a full 24 hours, all while protecting it from dryness. It also contains prebiotic colloidal oatmeal. So, use it daily after a bath to leave your little one’s skin feeling soft, smooth and feeling healthy.

And finally, the new AVEENO® Baby Daily Care Nappy Cream is clinically proven to protect against the causes of nappy rash from the first use. The product, which contains oat extract, soothes delicate and sensitive skin. It also contains zinc oxide, which is known to create a breathable barrier to protect the skin. 

Ideal for bedtime baths, AVEENO® Baby Calming Comfort™ Bedtime Range® is suitable for delicate skin. But why are they so good? Well, this range is blended with soothing oat and calming lavender scent, gently cleanses and moisturises delicate baby skin and helps calm baby before bedtime.

The AVEENO® Baby Calming Comfort™ Bedtime Bath & Wash is perfect for bedtime baths. The soothing, natural oat extract is gentle on the skin, and the soft aroma of vanilla and lavender, known for its relaxing properties. You can use it by adding to the bath water or applying directly to the skin with your hand or a washcloth. 

Combined with the body wash, the AVEENO® Baby Calming Comfort™ Bedtime ® Lotion creates the bedtime dream team. Also boasting a soothing vanilla and lavender scent, this lotion is perfect for using during a post-bath massage. Massage is a great tool to include in the bedtime routine as it can release the feel-good hormones, dopamine and oxytocin and help your baby wind down and feel safe and settled for bedtime.

When should you start a bathtime routine?

Nightly bath and bedtime routines aren’t essential for hygiene but they may help to soothe and comfort your baby and create a strong sleep association - hopefully leading to longer bouts of sleep⁴. 

The warmth of the bath can be associated with the warmth of the womb and create a feeling of security for a newborn. AVEENO® Baby has a baby three-step routine of bath, massage and quiet time that was tested on babies seven months and older and was clinically proven to help your baby fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer⁴.

How often should you bathe your baby?

You don’t have to bathe your baby nightly as they don’t often sweat. If baths are stressful, you could bathe just three times a week in their first year. You may prefer to use a method called ‘top and tailing’ which refers to using bowls of warm water and cotton pads or washcloths to clean your baby, as opposed to placing them in the tub. 

If baths are an essential step in your child’s bedtime routine, it’s key you use gentle products, such as AVEENO® Baby washes and lotions to keep the skin cleansed and moisturised.

Read also: Baby sleep advice - how to get a newborn to sleep

What temperature should the water be?

A recommended guideline is to keep a baby or child’s bath between 37 degrees C to 38 degrees C. You can purchase a thermometer to check or a good tip is to use your elbow in the water and ensure it feels roughly the same as your body temperature. Always mix the water to avoid any hot patches.

How long should bathtime last?

This depends as everyone’s routine is different. Usually a few minutes is all you need to wash your baby’s skin and provide comfort. Bathtime is pivotal for baby bonding, so you may want to give them a bath for longer. If your child likes long baths, just ensure you take them out before the water starts to cool.

What if your child has skin sensitivities or allergies?

It’s advised to use lukewarm water, as hot water can irritate or dry the skin. Try to keep the bath as short as possible too, around five minutes is enough. Avoid any products that contain perfume or dyes. In fact, AVEENO® Baby Dermexa is formulated with Oat Complex and Ceramides, and is clinically proven to soothe dry and itchy skin and is also suitable for babies who may be prone to eczema.

About AVEENO® Baby

AVEENO® Baby is the UK’s No.1 Recommended Baby Skincare Brand by Pharmacists³ and is Paediatrician & Dermatologist tested.

AVEENO® Baby products nourish, soothe and protect sensitive¹ baby skin from first use and are specially formulated with high quality oats to preserve their protective, moisturising and soothing properties. We unlock the power of oats with our science and transform it to provide daily to soothing care, helping keep your baby's skin feeling healthy.

_{1 AVEENO® Baby Calming Comfort range is suitable for delicate skin.}

_{2 Baby upper skin layer is 30% thinner than adult upper skin layer.} 

_{3 Online survey of 200 UK retail pharmacists, conducted by IQVIA for Kenvue, May 2023. Participants were self-selected with geographic quotas to ensure national spread.}

_{4 Routine consists of bath, massage and quiet time and tested on babies seven months and above for one week of use.}

About the author 

Kat Romero is a writer and journalist with over a decade’s experience in the industry. Hailing from London, she has become experienced in scouring the market to find the best holidays that are suitable for families. As a working mum of a toddler, she knows all too well the struggle to balance everything and the emotional and financial strain parenthood can have on families. That’s why her guides are always written with every budget in mind.

Away from her desk, Kat can be found consuming far too much coffee and spending her weekends with her toddler and partner - soaking up the sights of London and sampling anything new and exciting that has opened up within walking distance. Her favourite activity to do with her son is to visit London’s incredible museums and immerse themselves in new exhibits or installations.