We're all NERVOUS about it!

Sure, it can seem scarier than labour, but with these simple tips to bathing your newborn, you’ll soon be a pro.

- MARGOT BERTELSMANN

Hello, new parent! Line up for yourfirst test: bathing your baby! If you’reanxious, don’t be – because what could possibly go wrong when you combine water (a drowning hazard), heat (a burn hazard) and soap suds (a slip hazard)!?

Jokes aside, we know it’s not easy bathing a brand-new squirm-monster, but if you follow a few sensible pieces of advice, we also know that you’re going to wax this.

PREPARATION IS EVERYTHING

The thing with newborns is, once you’re at the bath, you’re committed.

You can’t let go of your baby even for a second to quickly go and grab whatever you’ve left behind. So collect all the bath paraphernalia you’ll need. Depending on your personal preferences, this might include:

• Baby bath. You don’t even need a special plastic baby bath. You can bath Baby in the bathroom or kitchen sink if it’s convenient, cosy, warm, clean and safe. Either option saves water and feels safer to baby than floating around in an adultsize bath. You can also lay your baby on the compactum and use a bowl of warm water placed next to her to wash her. At the top end of the scale there are fancy bath dividers and other gadgets on the market that you might contemplate for your baby.

• Facecloth or two

• Aqueous cream

• Cotton wool balls

• Baby body lotion