Charlotte and Lydia go to the spa

I don't know much about taking care of babies - at least I didn't until I had two of my own. I still would be pretty lost though if it weren't for the amazing staff at LDS Hospital's Special Care Nursery. They have taught me everything! From changing a diaper to burping a preemie to putting bows in hair with Elmer's glue. On Wednesday they taught me how to give our girls a bath that they loved. Just look at the content face on Charlotte. Both she and Lydia were perfectly calm during their swaddle baths. I know that quite a few newborns cry during baths so I'm going to share all the details of how to do a swaddle bath. That way those of you with little babies, or babies on the way, can learn how to do it. I'm also going into detail because this was probably the most fun activity we've done at the hospital, and I want to remember how to do it when we get home.

Before I start I have to give credit where credit is due. This is a picture of Charlotte, me, and Stacy. Stacy is an Early Intervention Specialist. Which has to do with language therapy. Of course our girls aren't learning how to talk, but she is an expert on other things related to language development. For instance she gave the girls their hearing tests - which they both passed. She also taught me basically everything I know about nursing. And to top it all off she is the nicest person. She taught me about swaddle baths and every thing I write here I learned from her.

Okay here is the list of supplies.

• Square or triangle of fleece for swaddling
• Infant tub with angled surface or sling (We used a storage bin with an angled baby sling.)
• Baby wash
• Cotton Wipes/Washcloths
• Small container for water
• Warm towels and blankets
• New diaper and clean outfit

Preparation:

• Gather needed supplies
• Decrease lights and noise
• Prepare water with a depth of about 2 inches and a temperature of 99 to 101 degrees Fahrenheit
• Slowly undress baby.
• Remove diaper.
• Turn baby so she is on her side.

Steps:

1. Place triangle of fleece on you chest with the longest side on top.
2. Pick up the baby while the baby is on her side. Babies prefer to be transported on their sides because it keeps their arms and legs together instead of flailing around. It makes them feel more collected.
3. Place the baby on the fleece so that her neck is touching the top of the fleece. Wrap the baby up in the fleece.
4. Place the baby on the seat in the water. Place her high because she'll have a tendency to scoot lower.
5. Get the fleece wet by scooping up water with your hands. You want the fleece soaking wet. The wet fleece will create heavy pressure which reminds babies of being in the womb. Since the water is warm it will help keep the babies warm which they love as well. You can see in this picture that Lydia loves the way the warm fleece feels.
6. Start washing body parts one at a time. Beginning with the legs.
7. Only unwrap one part at a time and keep the others wrapped up. This is why you want to use a triangle piece of fabric (or a square folded in a triangle) All the edges make it easy to keep your baby wrapped up.
8. Don't forget to rinse as you go.
9. Wash the baby's neck by putting soap on one of the cotton washcloths. Carefully wipe around her neck in the folds under her head.
10. Wash her eyes by wiping them with a wrung out wash cloth. Don't use soap. Wipe from the inside out.
11. To wash the hair you first have to fold up a wash cloth and place it across the baby's hairline. This will keep soap and water out of her eyes. Then wet her hair by wiping it with a wet cloth. Rub the soap in the wet hair. (A little goes a long way). Rinse hair by gently pouring water from the clean container onto your baby's head. You will want to hold the folded washcloth down so it doesn't slip.
12. Once your baby is clean get two warm towels and place them across your chest. You will want one just a little bit higher than the other.
13. Unwrap the baby from the fleece. (She will cry when she feels cold and you will know what a regular bath could have been like) Pick her up and place her in the towels on your chest. The higher towel should cover her head and the lower one should be around her neck.
14. Dry your baby off starting with the hair. Make sure you dry off all the creases on her body.
15. Once she is dry you can put her diaper back on, dress her, and wrap her up in blankets.

I asked Stacy how long babies enjoy this type of bath. She said until about 4 months or when they start playing with the water.

Brandon and I both loved bathing our girls this way. It was so relaxing. I helped with Charlotte's bath and Brandon did Lydia's. This is the type of situation where I love having twins. We both get a turn to try something new with our girls.

Anyway, I hope you learned something.