ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Neonatology
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2025.1700944
This article is part of the Research TopicInnovative strategies in maternal and infant health: Focus on non-pharmacological interventionsView all articles
Swaddle Bath vs. Tub Bath for Physiological Outcomes and Skin Microbiota in Late Preterm Infants : A Randomized Controlled Trial
Provisionally accepted
- Affiliated Foshan Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, Guangdong Medical University, Foshan, Guangdong, China
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Objective: To explore the effects of two bathing methods, swaddle bath and tub bath, on physiological parameters and skin microbiota in late preterm infants. Design: Prospective, no-blinded, randomised controlled trial. Setting: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Foshan. Methods: 56 late preterm infants were randomly divided into two groups: Intervention Group (swaddle bath, n = 28), control group (tub bath, n = 28). Physiological parameters, hemodynamics, stress responses and skin colony counts were evaluated pre(T0), immediate(T1), 30 minutes after bathing(T2). Results: The mean changes of rectal temperature, heart rate, respiration, and perfusion index (PI) in the intervention group were significantly higher than that of the control group immediately after bathing. The swaddle bath group showed less stress during the bathing process compared to the tub bath group(Crying: 1 vs 8, p = 0.03, Clenched hands: 4 vs 11, p = 0.04). No difference was found between the two groups, in terms of different peripheral oxygen saturation(SpO2), pulse variability index (PVI), or the number of skin colonies. Conclusion: Swaddle bath is a more recommended bathing for late preterm infants, as it ensures stable vital signs and blood perfusion while reducing stress manifestations during the bathing process. Trial Registration:Chinese Clinical Trial Register identifier, ChiCTR2400087426. Registered on 26 July 2024.
Keywords: Swaddle bath, tub bath, physiological outcomes, Skin microbiota, Late preterm infants, randomized controlled trial
Received: 08 Sep 2025; Accepted: 15 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Jia, Wu, Huang, Fan, Chen, Huang and Feng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Zhaomei Huang, meizimm2008@126.com
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