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With the happiness of holding your little bundle of joy in your hands comes the responsibility of giving him a pleasant and relaxing bath. Bathing helps in soothing the baby – however, a hot water bath can scald your baby’s soft and sensitive skin and also cause dryness. The right temperature to give your baby a soothing bath is around 37 – 38 degree Celsius.
What is the Ideal Bath Temperature for Infants?
Bath time is fun for your baby. He can move around freely in the water without his clothes and explore a whole new world. While you look forward to this time and enjoy it, it is necessary to set the ideal bath water temperature in Celsius for your child. Bath temperatures for newborns and infants range from anything between 37 degrees to 38 degree Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit). It is advisable to use the recommended bath temperature for baby. This is because a very high temperature can dry out your child’s skin or cause burns, whereas a lesser temperature would cause chilling.
How to Keep the Water Temperature Safe for Your Child’s Bath
A baby’s skin is very delicate, and he can get scalded in just seconds. It is therefore very important to check the water temperature before you bathe your baby.
- The first right thing to do is to adjust the water temperature through its settings. If you can check the hot water coming out of the faucet (the source itself), it can help in preventing scalding and also maintaining the right temperature of water for bathing.
- First, fill the bucket with cold water and then mix it with hot water. Mix the water properly to avoid any hot or cold spots.
- Keep checking the water temperature at regular intervals to know whether it is becoming too hot or too cold for your baby.
- Use your elbow to detect whether the water is too hot or too cold for your baby.
- Try keeping some bath toys or floating thermometers handy to indicate the temperature of the bath water.
What is the Right Depth of Bath Water for Babies?
The right depth of water is critical when you are bathing a baby or a toddler. A baby bathtub filled up to 8 cm to 10 cm is ideal or newborns and babies aged 6 months. For older babies, fill the bathtub with water that reaches to their hip level in sitting position.
Precautionary Tips
While your baby enjoys his bath time, we offer you valuable tips for preventing scalding while bathing.
- Don’t ever leave your baby unattended during his bath. He can drown himself accidentally in seconds. He can even turn on the hot water tap and burn himself. Arrange everything that you would need while bathing him so that you don’t have to step out of the bathroom and leave him unattended.
- Never bathe your baby with the water still running. The temperature changes in water can happen in just a few seconds and have the potential to cause scalding.
- Some bathrooms have separate outlets for hot and cold water. Consult a plumber and see if you can replace them with thermostatic valves that mix both hot and cold water.
- Use inflatable covers for your taps which may get hot when hot water flows out of the faucet. Your baby can burn himself if he accidentally touches the tap. Teaching your baby not to touch the taps can be a good idea. Although he probably cannot turn the taps on during infancy, if he tries opening the taps later on, he might scald himself.
- Dry your baby quickly after giving him a warm water bath. Keep the room where you would change his clothes warm. Once you have lifted him out of the baby tub, dry his body using a towel before you proceed to put on his nappy and clothes.
Once you master running the perfect bath, it becomes a fantastic way to bond with your baby. Babies love to play in the water, and as your little one grows, he will love splashing around in the tub for hours. As a mother, you should be prepared to spend a lot of time sitting on the floor beside his bathtub while your baby enjoys his bath time.
Also Read: How to Give Sponge Bath to Your Infant
