Do you know how to bath your newborn baby? Your newborn only needs to be bathed once or twice a week. And until your baby’s umbilical stump falls off (usually after two weeks), you’ll be sponge-bathing her. To do this, get a washcloth, a couple of towels, and a bowl of warm water. Turn up the thermostat and close any drafty doors and windows.

Undress baby and lay her on a towel or absorbent cloth. Keeping a hand on baby at all times, dampen the washcloth and run it over her body, wiping under her chin and in the folds of her skin that trap moisture. Dry her off gently but thoroughly. A word of warning: Sponge baths can cause your baby to squirm and fuss, weakening her already tenuous grasp on the solids, liquids, and gases in her body. You would do well to have an extra towel or two handy, if not a full suit of raingear.
 
A side effect of feeding your baby is that he is going to swallow a lot of air, mak- ing him uncomfortable. And he’s going to need your help getting that air out as he burps (which you may already know a little something about).

I find the best way to burp a newborn is to sit him up in your lap, facing the side. Support his chest with the palm of your hand, and hold up his chin between your thumb and forefinger. With your other hand, pat him gently but persistently on the back (no wallops) until the burps come out.

Sometimes they will be cute little urps; sometimes they will be window-rattling blaaarrrps that startle passersby. It is also very likely that baby will spit up, so have a burp cloth handy. Either way, his burps will make you feel inordinately proud. Changing diapers is a chore, but making your baby burp — that’s an accomplishment.