Baby bathing care
Care of the hair
© DK
To prevent cradle cap from forming you should wash your newborn's head every day with a soft bristle brush and a little baby shampoo. To prevent any scales forming you should comb through the hair, even if she has very little. If cradle cap does appear, smear a little olive oil on her scalp and wash it off the following morning. This will dissolve the scales, making them soft, loose and easy to wash away. Don't be tempted to pick them off with your fingers.
After about 12-16 weeks wash your baby's head with water every day and once or twice a week with baby shampoo. You can either use a football carry (if your baby is quite light) or you can sit on the edge of the bath with your baby across your legs, facing you. (This method is especially useful if she's scared of the water.) Make sure that you use a non-sting variety of baby shampoo, but nevertheless take care to avoid getting it near her eyes. Don't worry about your newborn's fontanelles. They are covered with a very sturdy membrane and you can do no harm if you are gentle. You need not scrub the hair. Modern shampoos remove dirt and oil within seconds, so you just have to bring the shampoo to a lather, count to 20 and then rinse it off again. One wash is quite enough, and your baby's hair will be absolutely clean at the end of this operation. Rinse your baby's hair by simply dipping the flannel into the basin of warm water and wiping it over her head. Try to get as much lather off as possible, but if your child is complaining it really doesn't matter if you leave slight traces on the hair. Dry her head with the end of the towel, taking care not to cover your baby's face or she may become very distressed and panicky.
Hair washing
Pick up your baby in a football carry by tucking her legs under your armpit and supporting her back along your arm. Cradle her head in your hand. Wash the hair using mild shampoo and rinse gently with warm water.
Care of the skin
A newborn has no need of soap. It is dehydrating and your baby's skin is delicate. She needs to preserve all the natural oils so use only water until about six weeks. After then, any gentle soap can be used - you may want to try a special liquid soap that is simply added to the bath water and needs no rinsing off. Make sure that you wash any folds and creases properly by running a soapy finger along them then rinsing well. Dry the skin thoroughly - any moist creases will lead to irritations; never use talcum powder.
Care of the eyes
For a young baby, when you wash her eyes, squeeze a couple of cotton wool balls in cooled boiled water. Use a different piece of cotton wool to wash each eye, starting from the inner part of the eye and working to the outer part.
Care of the nose and ears
The nose and ears are self-cleaning organs so you should never try to put anything inside them or in them or interfere with them in any way. Pushing something the size of a cotton bud up a baby's nose or into a baby's ears, will only push whatever is there further in. It is much better to let whatever is in the nose come down naturally. Never put drops into the ears or nose unless your doctor advises it.
Never try to scrape wax out of a baby's ears even if you can see it. Wax is the natural secretion of the skin lining the canal of the outer ear. It is antiseptic and it prevents dust and grit getting to the ear drum. Some babies make more wax than others, but removing it will only result in the production of even more. Removing wax irritates the skin, so leave it alone and check with your health visitor or practice nurse if you are concerned. Wash your baby's ears and nose using moist cotton wool (see Giving your baby a bath).
Care of the nails
There is no need to cut a newborn baby's nails for about three or four weeks, unless your baby is scratching her skin. Nails are easiest to cut after a bath when they are soft so have a pair of small, blunt-ended scissors nearby when you take your baby out of the bath. If you do them right away you'll be able to cut the nails of both hands and toes in less than half a minute. But if you're worried about cutting your baby's nails try doing it when she is asleep.
Care of the navel
The umbilical cord will have been clamped and cut immediately after delivery, leaving a 5-8cm (2-3in) stump protruding from your baby's abdomen. This may be clamped by a plastic clip. Over the next few days the cord dries and shrivels, and will then drop off. Let the area stay open to the air as much as possible to help speed up the shrinking and healing process. If you notice any redness, discharge or other signs of infection, ask your health visitor or doctor for advice. You don't have to wait for the navel to heal before you give your baby a bath, as long as you dry it carefully and thoroughly afterwards.
Some babies develop umbilical hernias (see The umbilicus). They generally clear up within a year or two. If your baby has one and it enlarges or persists, seek medical advice.
Care of the genitals
You should never try to open the lips of your baby girl's vulva to clean inside; there is no need. Just wash the exterior nappy area and dry it well. However, you should take care to wipe from front to back - that is, towards the anus - whenever you are cleaning her nappy area. This minimizes the risk of bacteria spreading from the bowels to the bladder or vagina, causing infection.
An uncircumcised baby boy should not have his foreskin pulled back for cleaning. It's quite tight and could get stuck. Just wash the exterior of the nappy area as normal and dry carefully, particularly the skin creases; the foreskin will retract naturally at three or four years of age.
If your baby has been circumcised, it is important to keep a careful watch to make sure that his penis is not bleeding. A dressing may or may not be applied, but in either case you will be given advice about bathing your baby and special care of the penis. Following circumcision, the penis is nearly always swollen and slightly inflamed for a few days, and occasionally there may be a few drops of blood: this is normal and will gradually settle down. However, if bleeding persists or there is any sign of infection, seek medical advice.
New Babycare
Copyright © 2009 Dorling Kindersley
Text copyright © 2009 Miriam Stoppard
Posted 30.06.2010
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