When Can I Give My Newborn Their First Bath?

It’s a good idea to wait at least 24 hours after they’re born to give your baby their first bath. Until those 24 hours have passed, you can use soft towels to gently wipe your little one’s skin if needed. When you do go to bathe them for the first time, make it a sponge bath. Your newborn won’t be ready for a regular bath until their umbilical stump falls off in a week or two. Sponge baths — or just wiping with a towel — gives your baby time to learn how to regulate their body temperature outside the womb.

What Supplies Do I Need To Bathe My Newborn?

Bathing your newborn doesn’t take a lot of extra gear, so don’t feel like you have to run out and buy everything you can get your hands on. To keep your baby safe, you will need a small baby bath tub or sink insert that your little one can lie on comfortably within the larger body of water (e.g., the bathtub in the bathroom or the sink in the kitchen). After that, you’ll need a body wash, shampoo, or an all-in-one cleanser, like our Gentle Cleansing Gel, to wash with. To round out your list of supplies, have a soft towel, washcloth, plastic cup (for pouring water over baby’s body), and a clean diaper and pair of clothes nearby and ready for use.

How Often Should I Bathe My Baby?

Babies don’t really get sweaty or dirty — other than the occasional spit-up, drool, or diaper blowout — so we typically recommend giving your little one a bath two or three times a week. Between those baths, you can clean up messes with baby wipes or our Organic Micellar Water with Olive Oil and Aloe . Bathing your baby only two or three times a week helps prevent their delicate skin from drying out and becoming irritated, cracked, and uncomfortable.

How Do I Use Mustela’s Gentle Cleansing Gel?

Using our Gentle Cleansing Gel is super easy. • Dispense a pump or two of Gentle Cleansing Gel into your hand. • Rub your hands together to work the gel into a lather. • Gently wash your baby’s body and scalp. • Rinse skin and hair with fresh water. • Pat baby dry with a soft towel taking particular care of the diaper area and skin folds (thighs, armpits, neck, etc.). For even more moisturizing and protection, apply lotion before dressing and make sure their clothing doesn’t irritate their skin.

What Is Avocado Perseose?

Avocado contains a long list of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that are good for your skin, including folate, magnesium, monounsaturated fatty acids, niacin, and vitamins A, B-6, C, E, and K. At Mustela, we give you the best of those vitamins, minerals, and nutrients by including Avocado Perseose® in many of our most popular products. This unique ingredient derived from sustainably sourced avocados strengthens skin cells, reinforces the skin barrier, and locks in hydration to help keep skin healthy. So, with our Gentle Cleansing Gel, not only are you cleansing your baby’s delicate skin, you’re also actively working to keep it soft, supple, and silky smooth.

Gentle Cleansing Gel For Baby's Hair & Body

It’s a good idea to wait at least 24 hours after they’re born to give your baby their first bath. Until those 24 hours have passed, you can use soft towels to gently wipe your little one’s skin if needed.
When you do go to bathe them for the first time, make it a sponge bath. Your newborn won’t be ready for a regular bath until their umbilical stump falls off in a week or two.
Sponge baths — or just wiping with a towel — gives your baby time to learn how to regulate their body temperature outside the womb.
Bathing your newborn doesn’t take a lot of extra gear, so don’t feel like you have to run out and buy everything you can get your hands on.
To keep your baby safe, you will need a small baby bath tub or sink insert that your little one can lie on comfortably within the larger body of water (e.g., the bathtub in the bathroom or the sink in the kitchen).
After that, you’ll need a body wash, shampoo, or an all-in-one cleanser, like our Gentle Cleansing Gel, to wash with.
To round out your list of supplies, have a soft towel, washcloth, plastic cup (for pouring water over baby’s body), and a clean diaper and pair of clothes nearby and ready for use.
Babies don’t really get sweaty or dirty — other than the occasional spit-up, drool, or diaper blowout — so we typically recommend giving your little one a bath two or three times a week.
Between those baths, you can clean up messes with baby wipes or our Organic Micellar Water with Olive Oil and Aloe.
Bathing your baby only two or three times a week helps prevent their delicate skin from drying out and becoming irritated, cracked, and uncomfortable.
Using our Gentle Cleansing Gel is super easy.
• Dispense a pump or two of Gentle Cleansing Gel into your hand.
• Rub your hands together to work the gel into a lather.
• Gently wash your baby’s body and scalp.
• Rinse skin and hair with fresh water.
• Pat baby dry with a soft towel taking particular care of the diaper area and skin folds (thighs, armpits, neck, etc.).
For even more moisturizing and protection, apply lotion before dressing and make sure their clothing doesn’t irritate their skin.
Avocado contains a long list of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that are good for your skin, including folate, magnesium, monounsaturated fatty acids, niacin, and vitamins A, B-6, C, E, and K.
At Mustela, we give you the best of those vitamins, minerals, and nutrients by including Avocado Perseose® in many of our most popular products.
This unique ingredient derived from sustainably sourced avocados strengthens skin cells, reinforces the skin barrier, and locks in hydration to help keep skin healthy.
So, with our Gentle Cleansing Gel, not only are you cleansing your baby’s delicate skin, you’re also actively working to keep it soft, supple, and silky smooth.

Overall rating: 4.701818 / 5 from 275 reviews.

AI Generated Review Summary

This gentle cleansing gel is a newborn-friendly, tear-free option for safely cleaning and soothing baby's skin and hair. It is crafted with 93% natural ingredients, including Avocado Perseose® and Vitamin B5, and is effective in cleaning and nourishing without stripping the skin's natural oils. Customers appreciate its gentle and effective cleansing experience, pleasant fragrance, and how it leaves the skin feeling soft and moisturized.

Summary topics

Fragrance (6%): Customers expressed satisfaction with the fragrance in this gel, describing it as wonderful, light, and pleasant.
Cleansing Effectiveness (6%): Customers expressed appreciation for the gentle and effective cleansing experience provided by the product for their skin and hair.
Skin Feeling (7%): Customers loved how the product left their skin feeling soft, moisturized, fresh, and refreshed.
Skin Sensitivity (18%): Based on many customers, the general consensus is that this product is gentle and effective for sensitive skin.
Ingredients (6%): Customers keep praising the clean and effective ingredients used in this body wash, perfect for cleaning baby and also doubles as an amazing bubble bath.

Review topics: ["smell","feeling","fragrance","issues","skin","eyes","soap","baby","bath","cleanser","wash","kids","mustela"].

Review highlights

"Its mild formula is tear-free and soap-free, ensuring a gentle and safe cleansing experience for your little one." — Willowi1
"When it comes to bath time, we love the simple formula, soft scent, and easy pump dispenser." — Erin I.
"It smells incredible all the while keeping my sensitive baby's skin and scalp feeling good!" — Tee M.

Reviews

Gentle and effective

"I love how gentle this cleansing gel is while still leaving the skin feeling clean and fresh. It has a pleasant scent and works great for everyday use."

— Tatiana B. (5/5)

Miss the previous scent but still love this brand

"My first bottles were purchased in 2024 and they smelled way lighter and fresher than bottles purchased in 2026. The new scent is quite overwhelming but I try to dilute it in the bath."

— Lauren S. (4/5)

Seift delivery

"Package came in well sealed. Well packaged. For real one of the best kiddies products in the market"

— Ditto L. (5/5)

Very gentle and makes my skin so soft

"A gentle cleansing gel is a lightweight, non-stripping daily face wash designed to melt away dirt, oil, and light makeup. It leaves skin feeling fresh, soft, and balanced without the tight or dry discomfort."

— Kim (5/5)

Son is Mustela user since birth

"I've been using Mustela on my baby since he was born. He is now 3 years old. I've been happy with their products and I like the scent of the head and body wash. It's my first time ordering the shampoo and it smells good but I wish it was "no tears" its not. My son let me know that right away."

— Silay K. (4/5)

the best for delicate skin

"smells good and good for babys skin"

— catherine g. (5/5)

Different scent

"The new scent is much stronger than the old one not really a fan of it and wont get a replacement for it."

— Exekiel j. (1/5)

Great product, but shipping damaged the pump

"The pump of the bottle arrived broken into pieces. The pump is now completely unusable."

— Vy H. (3/5)

Love this!

"I live this body wash for my kids, smells great and leaves their skin super soft! Worked great with their excema prone skin too."

— Eva K. (5/5)

New fragrance is totally disgusting!

"Why to change so gentle and cool scent of your Baby Gentle cleansing gel. It stays on you for hours and it's impossible to get rid of it!!! Kids don't like as well as parents. Be advised. . . ."

— Adam (1/5)

Gentle cleansing gel