Bathing you delicate baby needs some precautions on your part. Read on to find some helpful tips on how to bathe a newborn.
Bathing Your Baby
Bathing your soft and delicate baby can be a beautiful experience for both you and him/her. It will help you a great deal to have a bath routine in place by the time your baby is a few weeks old. A calm and warm bathing environment will make the baby comfortable with the idea of bathing and he/she will be able to readily accept the new activity. It needs to be remembered that some babies do not like having a bath till they are a few months old. In that case, sponge-bathing the baby may be your only option. Read the article to find some helpful bathing tips for your baby.
Bathing Tips for a Newborn
- Wrap your baby in a towel to stop him/her from waving their arms. Undress them only if you want to.
- Wipe his/her eyes with a little cotton wool that has been dipped in cooled boiled water. Begin with the inside of his eye and work outward. Wipe the other eye with another piece of cotton wool in the same way.
- Use wet cotton wool to wipe over and behind his ear. Use fresh piece of cotton wool for each ear.
- Wipe the baby’s face, neck and chin with damp flannel or cotton wool.
- Pat dry with a soft towel making sure that they are not damp in the creases.
- Wipe dry their hands.
- Change their nappy after cleaning nappy area and change into clean clothes. Using special bedtime clothes can help them get used to a bedtime routine.
Hair: You need not wash your baby's hair everyday. Just wiping it with a damp flannel cloth will remove any dirt that is there.
Nails: The easiest way to cut your baby's nails is to nibble them off. You can use a pair of scissors to cut them off, while they are asleep. The best time would be after a bath, when the nails are soft.
Ears and Nose: These organs clean themselves, so just wipe them gently with wet cotton wool.
Cradle cap: This is a yellowish crust on the baby's scalp, which looks a little like dandruff. This occurs when the baby is between a month and six months old and almost all babies have it. This does not harm the baby in any way and normally disappears as the baby grows up. If it is noticeable, you can do the following:
- Use a baby shampoo.
- Massage one tablespoon of olive oil or almond oil into his scalp. Leave it on for an hour then wash it clean by shampooing.
- Apply oil carefully to ensure that it does not enter the baby's eyes. The baby should not touch the oily scalp afterwards as it may get into his/her eyes.
- Dissolve a teaspoon of soda in 500 ml of warm water and apply on scalp with the help of cotton wool. Shampoo thoroughly. Use this regime once or twice a week.
- The flakes will become loose, if you gently comb the baby’s hair.
- Never pick or scratch to loosen the flakes.
- If serious or you see red patches on the baby's neck and behind his ears, consult a doctor immediately.
