RN Exam Practice
Health Promotion and MaintenanceQuestion 2083 of 2368

Why do many hospitals delay a newborn's first bath for at least 24 hours?

  1. It reduces the risk of hypothermia and increases exclusive breastfeeding rates.
  2. It speeds up the falling off of the umbilical stump and prevents infection.
  3. It lowers the newborn's bilirubin level and so prevents physiologic jaundice.
  4. It allows all of the required newborn screening tests to be completed first.
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Correct answer: It reduces the risk of hypothermia and increases exclusive breastfeeding rates.

Delaying the bath helps prevent heat loss and supports exclusive breastfeeding.

Source: Nursing Health Promotion (Open RN, Chippewa Valley Technical College, 2025), Healthy Newborn Care: Implementation (Take Action). Licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Practice the topic "Health Promotion and Maintenance"

Questions last reviewed: 18 October 2026