Baby bathing and skincare routine
Take extra special care of your baby’s extra special skin with this easy-to-follow baby bathing and skincare routine – and the Dermaveen® Baby Calmexa® range.
Bringing home a new baby brings so many feelings – and there’s something extra special about the touch and smell of your baby’s sweet, soft skin. Just like our skin, baby skin helps to protect their body – but baby skin is still developing and needs extra special care during those first couple of years as it matures. Thankfully, caring for your little one’s skin isn’t as daunting as it sounds! Starting a good baby bathing and skincare routine can help to protect their developing skin barrier and prevent dehydration and irritation.
Read on for some key tips on baby bathing and baby skincare – and how the Dermaveen Baby Calmexa range can help set you up with a simple yet effective 3-step baby bathing and skincare routine to help nourish and protect your baby’s precious skin.
Baby bathing
Tips for bathing your baby
When it comes to bathing your baby, there are a few key things to remember to help ensure bath time is a safe and enjoyable experience for baby and you.
 | Newborns and infants can’t keep themselves warm when naked, so can quickly lose body heat during bath time. For this reason, tub baths are recommended over sponge baths – with the bonus that a warm baby is more likely to be calm and content during bath time! Try to bathe your baby in a warm, non-drafty room; ideal air temperature is somewhere between 22°C and 28°C. Water temperature should be similar to body temperature (around 37–38°C), although slightly cooler, lukewarm water similar to skin temperature (34–36°C) may be more suitable for babies with sensitive or eczema-prone skin. |
 | Whether you use a baby bath or a regular bathtub, always remember to keep your hands and eyes on baby at all times. It helps to set up the bath with everything you’ll need close by before you bring baby in for tub time. The water level should be just enough to reach the belly button of a sitting infant – around 5 cm deep. You can use a wet washcloth to cover your baby’s belly to make sure their body stays warm during bath time. |
 | Baths should be kept short – around 5 to 10 minutes. Longer bath times can dry out baby skin, particularly babies with sensitive or eczema-prone skin. Face and eyes should be cleaned gently with warm water only – remember to wipe from the inside corner to the outside corner of the eye, using a clean cotton ball or different corner of the washcloth for each eye. For baby’s body, you can use a mild, soap-free baby cleanser (see below for important advice about choosing baby bath products!) but avoid scrubbing or rubbing vigorously, as this could damage their delicate skin. |
How often to bathe a baby
Generally speaking, it’s not necessary to bathe your baby every single day and bathing two to three times per week until baby starts to crawl is okay. Why? Because daily baths may dry out the skin and daily washing with liquid baby cleansers and moisturising oils may affect skin barrier development. That said, it really comes down to what each individual baby needs and what works best for each family. If needed between bath days, you can always use a warm, wet washcloth to clean those areas that get a bit dirtier than others – think baby’s face, hands, nappy area, and those adorable squishy skin folds.
What about baby hair – does it need regular washing too? It’s not always necessary to shampoo baby hair, but you can gently massage your baby’s scalp with a gentle, non-irritating baby shampoo or baby wash once or twice per week if needed (like after a particularly explosive poop or fun with squishing food into their hair).
Making the most of bath time with your baby
From that first time bathing a newborn to those giggly splashy adventures in the big kid tub, bath time with your baby is about more than just getting clean.
Bath time can be a fun way for your baby to explore new sensations – the feel of water on their skin or splashing their hands, gentle touches from fingers or washcloths. Bath time can also provide special bonding time between baby and parent – think peek-a-boo games with the washcloth, silly bath time songs that bring smiles and giggles, and of course those snuggly warm after-bath towel cuddles.
For some babies, bath time in the evening can become a soothing part of their bedtime routine – a pleasant experience that may help your little one feel calm and settled and improve their sleep (the holy grail of parenting!).
What products to use for baby bathing
Because baby skin is more delicate than adult skin, it’s important to always use bath and skincare products that are specially formulated to gently clean and protect their developing skin barrier. Look for products that contain ingredients such as colloidal oatmeal that are known to soothe and protect delicate skin. Avoid products that contain fragrances, harsh soaps, antibacterial agents, or other ingredients that can irritate baby skin or eyes.
Protecting your baby’s skin from the endless supply of poop, pee, drool, and food that inevitably gets crusted on various parts of their body is obviously one of the key goals of bathing. Using a mild soap-free liquid baby cleanser such as Dermaveen Baby Calmexa Soap-Free Wash & Shampoo is more effective than water alone when it comes to removing these irritating substances – and they are gentler on the skin barrier than soap. Dermaveen Baby Calmexa Soap-Free Wash & Shampoo is also tear-free and sting-free – making it a convenient and gentle bath product for cleaning your little one’s hair and scalp as well as their squishy body!
Baby skincare
Moisturising baby skin
As well as being sensitive, baby skin also loses water easily – which can lead to dry, dull, or flaky skin. So, it’s important to keep your baby’s skin hydrated and protected with regular moisturisation. And adding a moisturising step to your baby bathing routine is easy! Once you get your little one all snuggled up in their towel after a bath, pat them dry (remember not to rub – this could irritate or damage skin), and then gently massage from head to toe with a fragrance-free baby moisturiser such as Dermaveen Baby Calmexa Moisturising Lotion. This lightweight, nongreasy baby lotion can be used every day and is another great way to have some fun and special bonding time with your baby while knowing you’re helping their skin: Dermaveen Baby Calmexa Moisturising Lotion is clinically proven to improve skin hydration after just 15 minutes* and provide moisturisation for 24 hours.*
Protecting baby skin
When it comes to moisturising dry, sensitive, or eczema-prone, baby skin, thicker creams are more effective than lotions at maintaining skin hydration and protecting the delicate skin barrier. You can use a moisturising baby cream as part of your baby’s daily skincare routine, but you may need to apply it more frequently if your baby’s skin shows signs of dryness. Remember to choose a baby cream that is free from fragrances and other ingredients that can irritate baby skin and look for baby creams that contain emollients such as ceramides to help nourish and protect the skin. Dermaveen Baby Calmexa Extra Rich Moisturising Cream ticks all those boxes to help you care for your little one’s skin and is clinically proven to protect the skin barrier from moisture loss while providing 24-hour moisturisation.*
A 3-step baby bathing and skincare routine
Taking care of your baby’s special skin isn’t rocket science – and with the Dermaveen Baby Calmexa range, your whole routine is covered with products specifically formulated and clinically tested for baby skin. Even better, these products contain highly naturally derived ingredients and are soap-free, fragrance-free, hypoallergenic, and Australian made.
Follow these three steps for a simple routine to help soothe, protect, and restore your baby’s precious skin:
- Soak: add Dermaveen Sensitive Relief Calmexa Bath Soak to bath time to help soothe itch and irritation and lock in moisture
- Clean: use Dermaveen Baby Calmexa Soap-Free Wash & Shampoo to gently cleanse baby without drying out skin
- Hydrate & protect: use light, nongreasy Dermaveen Baby Calmexa Moisturising Lotion every day to keep your baby’s skin hydrated or reach for deeply nourishing Dermaveen Baby Calmexa Extra Rich Moisturising Cream to help hydrate and protect extra dry and eczema-prone baby skin
These bathing and skincare routines don’t just apply to your tiny baby though – healthy skincare habits of gentle cleansing and daily moisturisation with Dermaveen Baby Calmexa can be continued as your baby becomes a toddler and young child.
*Dermaveen clinical hydration study 2021-1083; 2022.
Baby bathing and skincare routine FAQs
To wash your baby’s face, use a soft washcloth or cotton balls with warm water to gently clean their face. Remember to always wipe from the inside corner to the outside corner of their eyes using a clean washcloth corner or cotton ball for each eye!
Yes – the Dermaveen Baby Calmexa skincare products are specifically formulated and clinically tested to gently cleanse and hydrate delicate baby skin. Your baby may not need a bath every day at first, but daily moisturising can help protect their skin while giving you some hands-on bonding time!
Daily moisturisation with a baby lotion or baby cream is recommended to help keep baby skin hydrated. More frequent use of a thicker baby cream may be needed to help nourish and protect dry, sensitive, or eczema-prone baby skin.
The Dermaveen Calmexa Baby range is suitable for babies of all ages, even newborns.