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5 picks · Slippery baby. Small tub. Fewer products than you think.
In shops, this shelf bears the least relation to what you need. A baby needs a safe place to be washed, something soft to dry with, one fragrance-free wash, and one thick moisturiser. That’s the whole list. Fragrance is the usual trigger for infant eczema, which is common, so the plainest products win. The one place worth spending is the tub: a wet newborn is slippery and has no neck control, and a moulded support that frees both your hands is the difference between a bath and an emergency.
★ Top pickA tub or mesh support that holds a newborn at an angle.
A wet newborn is slippery and has no neck control. The moulded supports free up both your hands, which is the difference between a bath and an emergency.
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Big, soft, with a hood.
Buy adult-sized ones, not the tiny novelty ones. They stay useful until the kid is four. Skip anything with a stiff appliqué animal face.
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One wash-and-shampoo bottle.
One bottle, not a shelf. Fragrance-free, because eczema is common and fragrance is the usual trigger.
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An ointment for dry patches and cheeks.
Doubles as the diaper-rash preventative and the windburn fix. The most versatile tube in the house.
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A floating toy that reads the temperature.
Your elbow is fine for this. Useful for the first few weeks if it stops you second-guessing.
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Two or three times a week is plenty; more dries the skin out. Daily baths only become useful later, when they’re part of a bedtime routine. Between baths, wipe the face, neck folds and the diaper area.
Sponge baths only until the umbilical stump falls off and heals, usually one to three weeks. After that, a small tub or a bath support is fine.
You need three products: a fragrance-free wash that doubles as shampoo, a thick ointment for dry patches and windburn, and a zinc barrier cream for the diaper area. Skip powders entirely and anything scented.