5 reasons to delay your baby’s first bath

The World Health Organization and UNICEF have advocated delaying a baby’s first bath for years; baby-friendly hospitals will encourage parents to wait from six to twelve hours before bathing their baby. This article will give you five strong reasons why you should choose to delay your baby’s first bath.

1. A calmer transition into the world

   Babies whose first bath is delayed are found to have lower cortisol levels (aka stress hormone.) Instead of your baby’s first moments being spent with a nurse, getting tested and bathed, a baby can be placed on a birth' parent’s chest. This is much more soothing for baby.

2. Bonding with parent

   Immediate (or soon) skin-to-skin increases bonding for both the parent and baby. Read more about the benefits of skin-to-skin here.

3. More successful body feeding

   Leaving the vernix (the white, greasy coating) on a baby also has many benefits. Did you know the vernix can initiate the “crawl” a baby instinctively makes toward a birth parent’s chest?

4. Prevent infections

   The vernix is also antimicrobial and helps prevent a baby from getting an infection. You can rub the vernix into a baby’s skin to soak up the benefits (and moisturize their skin.)

5. Regulate blood sugar and temperature

   Babies whose first bath is delayed have a more regulated temperature and have more stable blood sugar levels. This will help baby use less energy in those first few hours, which is especially important in preemies or baby’s born with a low birth weight.

And those are all the reasons to wait to bathe your baby. If you’re interested in delaying the first bath, speak with your doctor or midwife about your options. If you want more information about all of your immediate newborn care options, book a prenatal meeting with me today, so we can prepare your birth preferences.

Hi! I'm Gigi; I'm a postpartum doula, mother to three toddlers, including twins, and a wife to my high school sweetheart. I’m a #swiftie who loves cheesy novels.

As a former teacher, I bring realistic, evidence-based, and actionable advice (and LOTS of handouts.) I help families get the tools they need to prepare, so once baby arrives, they can focus on resting and bonding instead of researching or stressing. I’m here to streamline the newborn learning curve and help birth parents, partners, and other family members. There isn’t ONE way to have and raise a little human. I’m here to guide parents to find THEIR way so that they can thrive in the fourth trimester and beyond.

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