Baby Diaries, A Guide for New Mothers: Part 9 - Bathing Your Child

Image source

A continuation of the Baby Diary Series

As we’ve said in an earlier article in this series, you don’t have to put baby in the bath basin until you feel totally confident in doing so. If you do not have a baby bath, use a large plastic basin instead. It’s a terrible risk to bathe baby in an adult size bath tub even when you’re an experienced mother.

One false move and a slippery, wriggly baby is likely to slip from your wet hands, so it’s safer to deal with smaller amounts of water. We washed our first baby in a small, plastic kitchen basin until we felt confident enough to use the baby bath.

Whether bathing or just cleaning baby, a few preparations have got to be made before you remove your infant’s clothing. Remember that it’s important to keep your child sufficiently warm, especially for the first few weeks after he/she has left the comfort and warmth of being inside your body.

The room in which you remove your infant’s clothing should be warm and draft free. If you’re comfortable in a tee-shirt, bare feet, and with your hair up, then the temperature is about right. Any water used to wash baby should feel comfortable to your elbow – not your hands, as they’re likely to have been hardened by years of getting accustomed to very hot water.

Starting to clean

In the first week when it’s important to keep the umbilical cord dry and clean, you may want to do a ‘top and tail’ instead of putting your baby in the bath. Get the things you need ready before removing any of baby’s clothing. You will need cotton wool, a bowl of warm water, baby bath lotion, towels, Vaseline, nappies, clean clothes etc. Once you’re ready to go, start by removing the upper clothing, leaving the nappy and lower half still intact, warm and dry.
~ Wet cotton wool in the solution of warm water and baby bath lotion and start by cleaning your infant’s eyes. Use one piece of cotton for each eye to avoid spreading infection, and talk to your child to put him/her at ease.
~ Clean the entire face including the nostrils and behind the ears where milk is likely to have dripped down and become lodged.
~ Pay keen attention to the folds in the neck. This is where the dribble that doesn’t end up on the bib goes. Use several pieces of cotton wool and clean each fold and each layer. I found it useful (discussed in part four of this series) to use a light layer of Vaseline in this area (after washing and drying) as it provides a barrier between the wetness and baby’s new, soft skin.
~ Once you’ve done the back and belly area, paying keen attention to the umbilical cord and the arm pits, wash baby’s hands and fingers very well. Babies tend to store muck and fluff between their clenched fingers. It’s important to clean these carefully because even young babies put their fingers in their mouths.
~ (Cut nails with baby scissors if necessary, but never with a nail clipper, as babies jerk and wriggle constantly). Do this with baby fully dressed.
~ With the top finished, dry each area completely and re-dress baby’s upper body with clean clothes.
~ Genitals and bottoms need proper cleaning because they are in constant contact with urine and faeces. Clean the folds in this area well, using cotton wool or baby wipes. I found it useful to dip the wipes into the warm water then squeeze them dry before using. This way, cleaning was not so uncomfortable for my children. I know that I wouldn’t want to be wiped with cold, wet cloths, especially in the armpits and warm places like my back and legs.
~ After cleaning nappy area, cover in a light layer of Vaseline. This provides a shield between wet and soiled nappies and your baby’s soft skin.
~ Wash the folds in baby’s legs and between the toes. Dry and put on fresh clothes.

Read More (the rest of this article)

or

See the complete 'Baby Diaries' series