Including bath time in your child’s routine is an activity that can be done shortly after the birth of the child. Some pediatricians usually advise that you delay the first bath of your child until they are several days old. The reason why they advise this is because when a baby is born, they’re typically covered in vernix; a waxy substance on a baby’s skin to protect them from environmental germs.
During hospital delivery, the nurses will clean off the blood and amniotic fluid after delivery of the baby. However, a mother still has the option to inform them not to remove excess vernix.
Once you bring the newborn home, you can opt to give them a sponge bath, then put on fresh diapers and baby sleepsuits. If you choose to give them a sponge bath, you want to clean the head, diaper area and general body. This is the safest method of bathing your baby until the umbilical cord falls off.
After the umbilical cord has fallen off, you can start bathing the baby by submerging them in a shallow bath.
Requirements When Bathing a Baby
- Paddings for a hard surface, like a towel or blanket
- A bowl of warm water (make sure it’s not hot)
- Baby towel
- Washcloth
- Mild baby soap
- Clean diaper
Steps Involved When Bathing a Baby
After you have assembled these requirements, follow the steps below.
a) Select a warm room (about 23.8⁰C or 75⁰F) to bathe your baby. Then remove its diaper and clothes and wrap it in a dry towel.
b) Lay the baby on a flat surface, like a changing table, the floor or a bed. When it’s off the ground, keep one hand on them or use a safety strap to ensure they don’t fall.
c) One part at a time, unwrap the towel and only expose the places where you intend to wash.
d) Begin by washing its face and the top of its head. Dip a clean washcloth in the warm water and wipe the eyes, chin, neck folds and outer ears. In this step, use warm water only without soap to avoid the soap getting into its mouth or eyes.
e) Put a drop of soap or two into the water. Dip the cloth in the soapy warm water and wring it.
f) Utilize the soapy water to clean its diaper area and the rest of its body. Here, you also want to clean around the genital area and under the arms. However, if it was circumcised, do not clean the penis to keep that wound dry, unless advised otherwise by the pediatrician.
g) Dry off the baby and make sure to dry in-between the skin folds. Then put on fresh diapers and baby sleepsuits. To keep them warm when they’re drying off, you can use a towel with an in-build hood.
If the newborn was circumcised, ensure that you adhere to the guidelines that your baby’s doctor recommended to keep the wound dry and clean until it heals. Typically, the wound takes around one week to heal.
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