A complete guide to newborn hygiene for young mums.
Bathing a newborn baby is very exciting for new parents. This is not just a hygienic procedure, it is a process that incredibly brings mums and dads closer to their tiny baby. But in order for bathing to be truly enjoyable for both parents and the baby, you need to take care of the safety of the child. After all, you cannot put it under the shower, you cannot rub it with a washcloth, as we usually do ourselves. These fragile creatures are like crystal vases. And you need to wash them in about the same way, observing a bunch of important rules. We have collected 16 of the most important ones.
1. Do not wash, but wipe
Until the baby’s umbilical cord heals, dries up and falls off by itself, it is not necessary to immerse it entirely in water. It is better to do it with a sponge for now. It is important that at the same time there is a comfortable temperature in the room so that the baby does not freeze. With proper care, the umbilical cord falls off on the fourth, maximum seventh day after birth. The navel still needs to continue to be processed, but it is already possible to bathe the baby almost like a big one, immersing it in a bath.
2. Watch your hands
Hand washing is something we were taught to do from the first glimpses of consciousness. Until then, you yourself need to keep your baby’s handles clean. This may seem strange, because newborn babies do not touch anything dirty. But they are touched by other people – you, for example. After all, you like to give the baby a finger so that he grabbed it with his tiny fingers? Then the child will certainly pull the pen into his mouth. You sterilize bottles and nipples, right?
There is one more thing – you need to carefully examine your fingers after a bath. Not so long ago, a terrible story was discussed on the network, how the baby almost lost his toes – his mother’s hair was wrapped around two fingers and squeezed them strongly.
Doctors do not recommend swimming with your baby. It is not very hygienic and unsafe: it is difficult to get out of the bath with a baby in your arms.
3. Think about convenience
Everything you need should be at hand: a bath or a slide for a bath for a baby, washcloths and foam, towels and toys. And also a comfortable chair for mom, otherwise bathing will quickly cease to please her: her aching back will not allow her to enjoy the process. Many people prefer to keep everything they need in a separate drawer or container that stands in the bathroom. It’s a good idea, just make sure everything in it dries properly. Otherwise, the mold will ruin everything. Place a rubber mat on the bathroom floor to eliminate the slightest chance of slipping. And leave the door open so that the baby’s ears do not hurt due to a sharp drop in temperature and humidity in the bathroom and outside.
4. Bath time
What is the best time to bathe your baby? Good question. Because every family has a different answer, it all depends on your schedule. It is more convenient for someone to wash a child in the morning, someone in the afternoon. Older children should be bathed in the evening, because during the day they will get dirty anyway, and it’s better to put to bed a neat little angel. But babies do not need to be bathed every day. This will only dry out their thin, delicate skin.
5. Clean the bath
Even if the baby has its own bathtub, which you put inside a large one, the large one should be perfectly clean. Moreover, it is better to clean it with hypoallergenic products that are safe for children. No bleach, of course. By the way, regular baking soda works great.
6. Correct temperature
Bathing water temperature should be within 34 – 36 degrees. With age, the temperature can be gradually lowered to 30 or even 28 degrees. Old-school nurses teach the classic way to know if a child will be comfortable: lower your elbow in the bath. If the water doesn’t seem to be warmer or colder than skin temperature, then you’re fine. But it’s better to buy a thermometer, because it’s safer. If the baby still does not like the water, he will definitely let you know. When the child is comfortable, he lies quietly and even yawns.
7. Water quality
You do not need to boil water. Yes, even from the tap. A pipe filter is ideal if you don’t trust your tap water. But even unfiltered water will not harm, if, of course, the communications in the house are in order, there are no accidents and impurities in the water. There is no need to add herbal decoctions to the water, unless your doctor recommends doing this for skin problems. Previously, pediatricians advised adding a little potassium permanganate solution to the water. But now this old-fashioned way of bathing has been banned.
8. Bathing in a diaper
The question is: why? Proponents of this method usually say that they were bathed like this, their mothers were bathed like that, etc. There is also a more scientific justification: it is generally believed that immersing a newborn in water in a diaper gives him a feeling of additional comfort, the illusion of intrauterine life. Adaptive bathing is what they call it. But there is another explanation, purely rational. Previously, the baby was immersed in water in a diaper to avoid contact of the baby’s skin with the bath: often these were wooden troughs with splinters.
If your baby is crying in the bathtub, try changing the water temperature or bath time.
9. Never turn away
This is perhaps the most important point. Don’t turn your back on your baby in the bathroom for even a second, even if you’re 146 percent sure nothing can happen. Maybe it happens. If it turns out that you forgot to turn off the stove or you urgently need to open the door, answer the call, take your child with you. Better a wet floor and a wet mom than tragedy.
10. From top to bottom
Nurses sometimes give this advice, and it is very important. The baby needs to be washed in a specific direction. Namely from top to bottom. From head to toes. This is because it is better to start from the cleanest place. As with cleaning. The child’s head will always be cleaner than his butt.
11. No cotton swabs
No need to clean your ears! Leave them alone. The maximum that you can afford is to gently wipe the outside of the auricles with a soapy finger. It may seem to you that too much wax is accumulating in your ears, but more often than not, this is normal. If in doubt, consult your doctor. But there is no need to pick in the baby’s ears with a cotton swab: cotton wool often remains in the ear canal, and sometimes parents, in excessive zeal, even damage the eardrum.
12. The right soap
We are crazy about scented shower gels and shampoos. But not children. Not even every baby soap can suit them, so baby’s skin is so sensitive. Mothers sometimes even complain that they have to try several means to find the most comfortable for the baby – a way of trial and error. Try starting with as gentle, natural, hypoallergenic as possible.
13. Wrinkles and folds
Here you have to turn off false shame. Your task is to wash every fold, every nook and cranny on the baby’s body. If this is not done, skin irritation or rash cannot be avoided. And then, instead of a clean little angel, we will have a very unhappy child who cannot even explain what is wrong. Pay special attention to the crease in the neck – saliva can get there, which causes very painful irritation. In this case, washcloths are not needed, soapy hands are enough.
14. We wash my head
We can wash our hair every day. But baby hair doesn’t need it. Once every three to four days is enough. With my baby hypoallergenic shampoo, we foam it very gently – after all, fontanels have not yet grown on the baby’s head. Rinse off the shampoo very thoroughly and blot your head with a towel. When the hair is completely dry, the crumb can be combed – but again with a comb designed specifically for babies.
15. Science to wipe
The neat baby just out of the bath is the sweetest creature ever. You just want to wrap it up in a fluffy towel, squeeze it, kiss it. And all this can be done. What you can’t do is wipe it off with passion, as adults do – we can rub ourselves with a towel until red. And the baby needs to be lightly but thoroughly wet – you can even use a soft diaper so as not to scratch the delicate skin. And very quickly so that it does not freeze.
16. Cream or oil?
Leaving after bathing is a separate issue. After the bath, you need to moisturize the baby’s skin a little, because the water dries out. You will have to choose the right lotion or light cream for your crumb. But it is better not to abuse the oil. Infant skin does not need such “heavy artillery”. Although it is better to lubricate the folds of skin under the diaper with oil.
Note to mom
Dr. Komarovsky, a famous pediatrician, advises to bathe babies daily in cool water in order to accustom them to the cold effects and improve their health. Hardened children still get sick at times less. In addition, the doctor recommends bathing the baby in an adult bath – in his opinion, the muscles develop better, and the baby sleeps better afterwards, and the baby himself likes it better.
“We put the baby in the water, all in all, so that only the face is peeking out of the water. You can only hold the child by the head – the little finger under the neck, and the rest of the fingers – under the back of the head. The more the head is immersed, the better, and it’s okay if water gets into your eyes, as long as your nose and mouth are on the surface, ”explains Yevgeny Komarovsky.