Umbilical cord care
Cord healing is usually done between the 12th to 15th day. “Today, many doctors recommend minimum care and recommend to ensure that it is ventilated so that it falls faster,” says Aude Becquart, childcare consultant.
When closing the diaper, place it so that it does not rub on the cord area. After the latter falls, the small wound heals. However, it can ooze for a few days. This slight oozing does not prevent the bath. If it persists, a consultation is necessary to eliminate any risk of infection.
The change
The newborn has between 1 and 3 bowel movements every day and urinates more than 20 times per XNUMX hours.
In order to avoid the appearance of infections and irritation of the skin, the baby is changed regularly (6 to 8 times a day). In fact, the ideal is to change it whenever the diaper gets wet or soiled.
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Bath time
The water should be at 37 ° C and the room temperature at 20-22 ° C. We hold baby with a sure hand, wedging his head and neck on our forearm, then we immerse him gently in the bath, starting by immersing his feet and then gradually the whole body. We wash it with the other hand. Another method: it is wet and soaped with a suitable washing gel when it is installed on the changing table and then it is immersed in water to rinse it.
Finally, the drying must be meticulous to avoid any maceration which could create an irritation, in particular in all the small folds. Without rubbing, gently dab with a dry terry towel.
If baby has dry skin, pediatricians recommend giving a bath every other day. You hydrate your body with a scene or a special moisturizing oil for babies after the bath.
It is best to bathe in the morning or in the evening before going to bed when the child is neither hungry nor sleepy. As for the duration, this bath is limited to two or three minutes for newborns, in order to prevent any risk of skin dryness and cooling.
Some precautions :
- Never leave the child alone,
- As long as the child is very small, we do not let go during the whole bath, and we keep a hand on him when he is on the changing table,
- We install a non-slip mat at the bottom of the bathtub
- We check the water temperature with a thermometer or with your elbow
- We close the taps completely: even a drop of hot water can burn the baby and we always end up with the cold water tap.
Facial cleansing
It is usually done after the bath, once the baby is installed on the changing table and dressed in his body so that he does not cool down. We use a cotton ball or a compress, with spring water if the tap water is very hard and without soap. We pass the compress over the face, from the forehead to the temples. Then we wash our eyes. We always proceed from the cleanest to the dirtiest, therefore from the inside to the outside in general, but from the outside to the inside if the corner of the eye has small secretions.
To clean the pinna of the ear, we do not go deep into the ear canal of course! We just pass a small compress or the piece of cotton on the pavilion, insisting in the folds. Without forgetting the back of the ear where a little milk or soap may have settled and macerated. So, we gently fold the pavilion to clean the fold of the base of the ear and its globe.
To clean his nose, we form a fly by rolling a small piece of cotton between our fingers. Then it is introduced at the entrance to the nostril to catch the phlegm. We change cotton for the other nostril.
The area around the mouth may show traces of milk and saliva, especially during teething, which may irritate the skin. With a wet compress, we make the circumference of the mouth from top to bottom, insisting on the hollow of the chin. And we end with the small folds of the neck. Indeed, to prevent the skin from becoming irritated due to the maceration of perspiration, traces of milk or saliva in the neck, the precaution must be taken to gently remove the fold, pass the wet compress and pat dry gently.