Newborn Baby Journal: What to expect the first days: Day 3 (Read about other newborn days HERE)

This is part of a new series- Newborn Baby Journal: What to expect the first days. In it I'll take you through my experience with my third baby day by day for the early days... looking at things I experienced, tips and products that helped me and can help you too.

Day three meant the first at home sponge bath for my baby - Callum. It's scary to give your first baby bath, no matter how many you have. Once those clothes come off and the washcloth touches their skin the screaming and crying begins, as does the wiggling. Make sure you have an extra pair of hands there with you when you give the bath. Also, have all your supplies laid out within hands reach so you can go as fast as possible and get your little one back to his preferred bundled state right away. Read about how to bathe a newborn and how often HERE.

I find it easiest for any bath to have three towels on hand - one of those apron style towels that you wear, a towel to transfer baby into to keep him warm after the initial drying off while you redress him and the third one as a protector base to prevent pee from getting thru. I like Spatime Baby's cape and bath mat for my first and third towels. They have waterproof panels that keep you dry during and after bath time. Very cool feature. I also like using their baby bath cap (see photo above) to keep baby's head warm during and after the bath until I can get a hat back on my baby. You loose most your body heat thru the head and babies loose body heat more quickly than adults - so this is a great item to have on hand.

For my baby's first baths I've been using the new Johnson and Johnson Head to Toe foaming soap. It is light and airy and smells fresh and clean. Plus it is made with parents of newborns in mind... the container is made for one hand use, which means you can keep a hand on baby at all times. Great feature! I found a $1 off coupon for it HERE.

Newborns sleep so much.. and they sleep better and longer when swaddled nice and tight. For good swaddling I'm loving the Aden and Anais Muslin Wrap and the Snug and Tug Swaddle wrap. The muslin wrap is so great for summer time swaddling. It is nice and light yet makes for a cozy snuggle. The Snug and Tug makes swaddling fast and easy with its velcro tabs. My son is sleeping soundly next to me in that one right now.

For catching spit ups and other baby goo around feeding time, I'm finding that the Handy Burp 'Ems personalized burp cloths and Burp Armor are the most useful this time around. Both have a unique shape that makes them easier to use and stay in place during burping sessions.