Leah's First Bath

As I'm sure any new parent will agree, bathing an infant is a bit daunting. But they should be bathed every couple of days, and Leah's last bath was just before leaving the hospital Saturday morning - so Monday was time for her first bath at home.

All went swimmingly. We set her up in the sling in the Fisher Price Rainforest Bathtub (thanks Eilisa). We had cotton balls, washcloths, J&J head and body wash, and a towel at the ready. We set up on the kitchen counter to be near the sink but at a comfortable height.

I wiped her eyes with the moist cotton balls. And then I held her in the tub wrapped in a towel while Shafi handled the lathering and rinsing. Then I did the drying. We did exactly as we learned in our infant care class - washing one section at a time while covering the rest of her with the towel to keep her warm.

I wouldn't say that she enjoyed the bath, but she didn't seem to mind it as much as I thought she would. As per the suggestion of the nurses in the hospital I kept a finger in her mouth for her to suck on. This trick seems to work any time she's crying - diaper changes, getting her to sleep, etc.

She smelled nice enough before we bathed her, but now she smells extra nice. And we're feeling good about having accomplished the first bath successfully.