When you are bathing a new baby there really isn't a need to use soaps or anything that will dry out his skin. However, as the months go on and weaning makes poo a slightly more messy affair (!) baby bathtime might begin to involve some bubbles or soaps of some kind. However, it's important to be kind to your child's new skin…

Baby's skin and bathtime
As the old saying goes, "Skin is a wonderful thing - it keeps the outside out and the inside in." Your precious baby's skin is thinner than yours, and loses water more easily. Although bathtime and bedtime are often the most enjoyable part of the day with your baby, you do need to take special care of their skin.
For the first few weeks of life, stick to water only - whether changing nappies or bathing.

Once your baby is a few months old, you may find they start getting very dry skin or eczema. Use an unscented bath emollient at bathtime, and a soap substitute such as aqueous cream to avoid drying their skin out.
After the bath, slather on lots of unscented emollient (moisturiser) before you put their pyjamas on. Lots of parents don't like the look of really greasy emollients on their baby's skin. However, they do tend to stay on longer, and usually work better, than creamy versions. Use a greasy emollient at night when you're not showing your little darling off to the relatives!
An unscented barrier cream on the skin under the nappy will prevent irritation of this vulnerable area. That's especially important at night, since babies go for longer than they do in the day without having their nappy changed.
If you want, you might prefer to keep your baby's after-bath skin supple with something more natural like a good, unflavoured virgin olive oil, or one of the many lovely organic baby pampering ranges available now, such as little me organics.