TLDR: I gave my newborn son a bath all by myself for the first time, and it boosted my self confidence and increased my bond with my son.

He needed a bath. His last bath was on Sunday!

We had gone on a roadtrip over the holiday weekend, so that's why it's been a while since he had a bath. It's been a change in his routine.

Anyways, my wife and I are both on leave, but she's been out of the house all day today since she's had doctor appointments and other errands to get to. No sweat for me. I am a pro at handling our son all by myself!

However, he's now over a month old and starting to get into the "fussy" stage. It's not just eat/poop/sleep for him anymore. Moreover, his digestive system is brand new, so he spits up a lot. A lot. And so when he's fussy, and I know he's already had 3 oz of milk by the bottle, but he's still crying, then I'll try to offer him one more ounce just in case... Nope! Punishment. He vomits allllllllll over me.

So yea, it was time for him to have a bath.

What's the big deal about giving him a bath?

Well he's a newborn baby, so he still can't support the weight of his head with his neck. You have to hold his head up. Additionally, while we do have the infant baby bath tub, there's still things to consider. You don't want the water level too high or water will go in his ears. You've got to have the temperature just right. And luckily I've done the bath a few times with my wife, so I've already learned the things I forget are needed for his bath, like an extra towel that sits inside the bathtub for him to use like a warm blanket so his chest doesn't get cold if it's above he water.

For all the fear I had, it was a surreal experience. My phone was of course put away, and all of my attention was focused on him. It was a very loving, caring moment. Making sure the water runs through his hair without going in his ears, cleaning all the folds of his newborn skin, and of course being grateful I had just changed his dirty diaper as he made little toot toots in the water!

As I wrapped him to be all clean and warm in the towel, his laser eyes just stared straight into mine longingly. In California they don't call it paternity leave because that would imply a child has a father, so instead they call it "child bonding leave." Well anyways, my self confidence is through the roof right now. And after that warm bath he was no longer fussy and fell peacefully asleep rocking in my arms. For all the things to accomplish with my time off from work, I'm definitely feeling the child bonding. And of course, the need to take a selfie :P

Now to publish this post to SN and clean up the bath!