Hygiene of a newborn baby requires special knowledge from parents. The first month you need to carefully monitor the condition of the umbilical cord, skin folds, and the hygiene of the mother’s breast. Special requirements apply to bathing the baby. So, doctors recommend the first bathing of a child after the hospital no earlier than 2 days after discharge. About what should be the hygiene of the baby of the first month of life - this article.
General postpartum care recommendations
After discharge from the hospital , the district doctor and a nurse observe the newborn. They are obliged to visit the baby the day after the mother and the baby return home. Health workers give mom recommendations on how to care for and feed the baby . Repeated visits should be made by health workers on the 14th and 21st day after birth.
Among the general recommendations, the doctor focuses the attention of parents on the fact that:
- In the first month of life, the crumbs should not be invited to the house of guests and visit public places with the baby, as well as go with him to visit. This is explained by the weak immunity of the little man, when he can get sick from literally every sneeze.
- In the children's room, a certain temperature and humidity regime should be maintained: air humidity - 60%, temperature - +23 ° C.
- If the baby eats an artificial mixture, then each feeding should be made from carefully sterilized bottles.
- In the case of breastfeeding, mother should wash her nipples after each feeding, and not in front of him. This is explained by the fact that between the feedings on the nipples bacteria that are useful for the newborn intestine are formed, which are easily washed off if you wash your breast before feeding. In this case, mom should wear a clean bra with disposable pads.
Umbilical cord care
When a baby is born, doctors place a special plastic bracket on the rest of the umbilical cord. By 4-6 days of life, the umbilical wound is covered with a crust, and after a month it completely heals. Modern doctors are sure that the umbilical cord does not require special care, as this can lead to infection of the wound and its trauma.
Other doctors recommend cleaning it with a drop of hydrogen peroxide (without rubbing it) and then cauterizing it with brilliant green (brilliant green).
There are a number of adverse symptoms that require contact with a doctor:
- the area near the navel turned red and swollen;
- an unpleasant odor comes from the wound or there is a purulent discharge;
- the umbilical cord heals more too slowly;
- a protrusion formed, increasing with the cry of the baby.
Doctors do not recommend washing in the baby's bath until a crust forms on the wound! The first bathing of the child after the hospital in the absence of a crust is unacceptable, in this case it is enough to wash the baby and carry out morning hygiene procedures.
Morning wash
Newborn babies have very vulnerable skin, therefore it should be looked after very carefully from the first days of life. The first month you can wash the crumbs only with boiled water. Before proceeding with this procedure, you should prepare:
- a container of boiled water, heated to a temperature of + 32 ° C;
- baby oil (mineral or vegetable);
- sterile cotton flagella and cotton pads;
- a gentle towel (preferably bamboo).
Before starting to wash the baby, the mother should wash her hands with soap in hot water so that they are warm and gentle. Bathing rules in the morning:
- Each eye is wiped with a cotton pad moistened with water and wrung out. Movements should be from the center to the periphery. After wiping with a wet disk, you need to pat the eyes with a towel.
- The nose and ears are cleaned with cotton buds dipped in oil. It is forbidden to use cotton buds!
- Wet disc should wipe the ear and the area behind it, nose and mouth, forehead and cheek crumbs.
- Towel-drying completes the procedure - just blot the baby's skin for this.
After each toilet, the baby should be washed with running warm water without the use of detergents (maximum once a week). It is not recommended to use industrial wet wipes, as they contain many chemicals that can cause unnecessary irritation and provoke an allergic reaction. Bathing babies should also be complemented by an intimate hygiene procedure for babies.
How to wash a girl
Before you go to the bath with your daughter, you should pick it up in a special way: the head should lie on your elbow, and the butt will be supported by the palm of your hand. The baby is placed on the inside of the hand with the tummy down. For the convenience of washing, baby baths for babies are usually used, which are placed in a large bath - this reduces the risk of dropping the child.
During the procedure, the girl should be washed from the bottom up - avoiding the ingress of dirty water into the vagina. Do not wipe the labia from the inside! After the procedure, wet your ass and genitals with a soft towel. In the presence of irritation, the skin should be treated with a special tool.
How to wash a boy
Before you go to the bath, the baby should be picked up in the same way as described above. At the time of washing, water should be directed from front to back. The scrotum and penis should be washed carefully, without pulling out delicate skin and not exposing the head of the penis.
After water procedures, dry and lubricate the skin in the presence of irritation.
What to do with crusts on the head
After birth, on the head very often yellowish crusts form on the head - the so-called gneiss. The reason for its formation is unknown. It is assumed that its appearance may be associated with the reaction of the baby's body to food.
To get rid of crusts on the scalp, you should prepare vegetable or mineral oil, a cotton pad and a small scallop. One hour before bathing in the bathroom you need to grease the crusts with oil, previously boiled in a water bath. Bathing infants should be supplemented by wiping the gneiss with a soaped cotton swab, followed by combing. When the hair is dry, remove the remaining flakes by combing it with a comb.
Baby bathing
If a crust has formed on the umbilical wound, there is no inflammation and no discharge from it, then you can start washing the crumbs. As a rule, the first bath of the child after the hospital occurs a couple of days after discharge.
The first month of a child's life, water procedures should be taken every day. Starting from the second month - every other day. By six months, it is enough to bathe the baby a couple of times a week. You do not need to do this too often, since the effect of water with bleach adversely affects the skin condition of the baby.
Bathing should be carried out at the same time every day, preferably before evening feeding. The duration of water procedures is up to 6 minutes. The first bath of the child after the hospital can scare him, so for a start it will be enough 1-2 minutes. If the baby begins to cry, you should stop the procedure. You need to swim on a full stomach so that the child does not act up. You should not take a bath after 21 hours, as this will have an exciting effect on the nervous system of the crumbs, and it will be more difficult to put to sleep. Water for bathing newborns should be about +23 o C.
If necessary, a series of bathing or chamomile can be added to the water, but it is not recommended to bathe the baby in manganese water. Potassium permanganate very dry skin and is very dangerous in terms of causing burns with crystals of the substance. In the first month of a child’s life, the water should be used and settled and boiled to get rid of excess chlorine and other harmful elements. For the procedure, you can use baby baths for newborns - they do not require a large amount of water.
While bathing the baby, hold the head and neck with the left river, and pour water on the body and wipe the skin with the right one. At the end of the procedure, the child should be doused with water, which has a temperature 2 degrees lower than that which was when bathing.
Diaper handling
This accessory significantly simplifies the life of parents, however its use is fraught with a number of requirements.
- Before going out, after emptying, half an hour after feeding, the diaper should be changed.
- After removing the diaper, you need to allow the skin to "breathe" for 40-60 minutes.
- If there is irritation on the skin, you should temporarily abandon the use of this item. As an alternative, you can use regular diapers, washed and ironed.
- If allergic rashes appear in the diaper area, immediately replace it with products from other manufacturers.
Fulfillment of these simple requirements will help to avoid unpleasant consequences in the form of sweating, allergies, diaper rash and other troubles.