Dads, you may find that you’re often put in charge of your baby’s bath time at the end of the day. If so, enjoy the moment. This is one of the most fun parts of the day and a great chance to get to spend some quality ‘daddy time’ with your baby or toddler.

So, what products should you use? Nothing at first. It’s recommended that you don’t use any type of product or soap on your baby’s skin when washing them for the first couple of months. Once you’re past that stage, you’ll find there are many different bath time product options for your baby. These fall into two broad categories:

• Baby baths that you put straight into the bath to soften the water and create some bubbles. These will also cleanse your baby’s skin, so you may not want a body wash as well.
• Baby body washes that you can either mix into the bath or squirt onto a flannel to wash your baby. Many of these are two-in-one products and can be used on skin and hair.

Baby bath and body washes are designed to be mild so they can be used every day and not cause skin dryness. By nature they’re gentle on the eyes in case of water being splashed, and are easy to rinse off. Some products are perfume and colour free, whilst others use aromatherapy oils and plant extracts to create soothing and relaxing fragrances.

Dry skin and eczema can be an issue for some babies, so moisture retention is important. Many products have added moisturisers for smooth and supple skin, while some washes are marketed as being safe for eczema.

There are some common terms you may see on packaging:

• pH balanced – pH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a substance. ‘pH balanced’ products have a pH between the skin (5 to 6) and pure water (7) and are therefore less likely to cause drying and irritation.
• Soap free - the product uses foaming and cleansing agents other than soap.  Soap products are typically alkaline, with a pH of 9 to 10, and can cause dryness.  Ingredients such as sodium laureth sulfate, cocamidopropyl betaine and PEG-80 sorbitan laurate are commonly used in mild soap-free products that still cleanse effectively and produce a good lather. Read the label to see what ingredients have been used.
• Hypoallergenic – simply means less likely to cause allergy or irritation. It’s not possible for any manufacturer to guarantee a product will be totally non-allergenic. In rare cases adverse reactions can occur with any product, however the vast majority of customers use hypoallergenic products without any ill effects.
• Dermatologist tested - the product has been tested in laboratories supervised by dermatologists (skin specialists) for indications of irritation. Many baby products are specifically tested and approved for sensitive skin.
• Dermatologically tested - any product that has been observed after being applied to the skin.
• Vitamin E – in bath products this ingredient is used as a moisturiser and it’s useful in calming the skin.

Whether bath time is a big splash-fest with tidal waves of fun or a soothing soak, rest assured the bonus is your baby will come out clean, tired and smelling delicious.

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