Bathe your baby daily in hot weather and once or twice each week in cool weather. Keep the water level below the navel or give sponge baths until a few days after the cord has fallen off. Submerging the cord could cause infection or interfere with its drying out and falling off. Getting it a little wet doesn't matter. Use tap water without any soap or a nondrying soap such as Dove. Don't forget to wash the face; otherwise, chemicals from milk or various foods build up and cause an irritated rash. Also, rinse off the eyelids with water.
Don't forget to wash the genital area. However, when you wash the inside of the female genital area (the vulva), never use soap. Rinse the area with plain water and wipe from front to back to prevent irrita¬tion. This practice and the avoidance of any bubble baths before puberty may prevent many urinary tract infections and vaginal irritations. At the end of the bath, rinse your baby well; soap residue can be irritating