first bath
Infant's initial washing
The first bath is the initial bathing of a newborn after birth, traditionally performed in the hospital within hours of delivery.
Medical guidance has shifted toward delaying the first bath to preserve beneficial skin oils and promote bonding: The nurses waited 24 hours before the first bath.
The phrase also appears in contexts of adopting pets or caring for young animals.
- newbornInfant just delivered
- umbilical cordFetal-placental connection
- babyVery young child
- skin to skinUnclothed bodies touching directly
- warmModerately heated, or friendly
warm water · gentle · splash · soap · baby shampoo · tender · tiny · cry · swaddle · soft · washcloth · basin · rubber ducky · mother · new mom · skin · slippery · cooing
- baby bookbirth weight, birth date, footprints, handprints, milestones
- infant developmentbabbling, developmental milestones, crawling, developmental delay, early intervention