Did you know?
Newborn babies were once rubbed with salt
Trumbull records that “in the East and elsewhere” a newborn was washed and salted, and that someone lacking sense might be told “he wasn't salted when he was born.” The Bible's Book of Ezekiel mentions the custom (16:4).
More salt facts
Cite this page
For school projects and reports. Teachers often prefer the original sources too: see the list below.
The Salt Almanac. (2026, November 8). Newborn babies were once rubbed with salt. https://saltalmanac.com/did-you-know/salted-newborns
“Newborn babies were once rubbed with salt.” The Salt Almanac, 8 Nov. 2026, saltalmanac.com/did-you-know/salted-newborns. Accessed [today's date].
“Newborn babies were once rubbed with salt.” The Salt Almanac. Last modified November 8, 2026. https://saltalmanac.com/did-you-know/salted-newborns.
Original sources
- Trumbull, H.C. The Covenant of Salt, ch. 6. 1899. https://archive.org/details/covenantofsaltas00trum