@muslin.store After being discharged from the maternity hospital, the mother has a lot of questions, one of which is related to bathing the baby. Should you choose an adult bath or a separate children's bath? What temperature should the water be when swimming? And how do you even bathe a newborn girl or boy if you’ve never done it before?
Different views on the meaning of bathing for a child
Bathing a baby has nothing to do with hygiene, even though water plays a major role in these two processes. They wash the baby to make it cleaner. To do this, you need warm running water or special wet wipes, baby soap and just a few minutes.
But bathing is a process that requires more time and creativity. Parents bathe their child in order to:
- give him pleasure and return psychological comfort (after all, not so long ago the baby swam in the womb);
- provide him with minimal physical activity;
- promote the development of tactile, communication and emotional skills in a newborn;
- improve digestive processes and awaken appetite;
- contribute to hardening and disease prevention.
But whether it is necessary to boil water for bathing a newborn, each parent will have to decide for themselves.
Important Details
How to properly bathe a newborn for the first time? Initially, the mother needs to learn how to hold the baby. It is most convenient to do this with two hands, with the left hand supporting the head. The child should be lowered into the water up to his shoulders. His head should be on his mother’s forearm, and she should support his back with her fingers. This method is considered the most reliable and safe.
During the bath procedures, be sure to follow the following recommendations:
- During bathing, lather the baby's entire body. Thoroughly rinse the folds, especially the armpits, groin and under the knees. Parents should unclench the child's fists and treat the palm of the hand, as well as the spaces between the fingers.
- If boxes have formed on the child’s head, then before bathing they need to be lubricated with oil. Then rinse with shampoo, making movements from the forehead to the back of the head.
- The first bath lasts no more than 3 minutes, and all subsequent ones - 10. It is not recommended to bathe the baby for more than this time.
- The baby should be washed with soap no more than 2 times every 7 days. It can damage the surface layer of a child's skin.
- To prevent the child from freezing when bathing, he must be constantly watered with water.
- The baby should be washed after each bowel movement.
How to properly bathe a newborn baby - a girl? Bathing and washing babies of both sexes is somewhat different, which will be discussed later in the article.
What you need to prepare before swimming
When faced with bathing a child for the first time, parents wonder what needs to be prepared and what items to use. In the first weeks of life, you should definitely boil water for bathing your newborn baby. To begin, prepare:
- Baby bath. Currently, only plastic containers are used. It is easy to clean, durable and very light. It is used only for bathing a child and is under no circumstances used on the farm. It is better to avoid using galvanized iron baths. You can also bathe your baby in a large bathtub, but before doing so, wash it well with special products (soda, baby soap).
- Thermometer. It is not necessary to use an ultra-precise thermometer; it is enough to purchase an indicator that changes color if the water has cooled.
- A container of clean water, which is useful for washing the child’s face.
- A washcloth. It should be made from natural materials that are not afraid of high temperatures and boiling. Experts do not recommend using a sponge, as it may contain microbes, and it should not be boiled.
- Towels. You can use them in different sizes, the large one will be intended for the body, and the small one will be exclusively for wiping the face.
- Shampoo and soap. Only specialized detergents are used to wash the baby. Some of them are designed for both hair and body cleansing.
- Cotton swabs, sticks for cleaning the navel, ears, nose.
- Clothes for the child after bathing. It must be fully consistent with the season and room temperature. Avoid wrapping your newborn too tightly.
- Children's cosmetics. Special body cream, oils and powder.
- Children's cosmetic tools: scissors with rounded ends and a nail file.
All of the above items should be located near the bathing area or on the changing table.
Preparing for your first swim
Preparation for the first water procedures should be thorough. Parents need to have all items at hand:
- baby bath;
- water thermometer;
- mitten for bathing a newborn;
- a ladle for dousing the baby after bathing;
- sheet for wiping;
- special oil for treating the skin;
- pre-prepared potassium permanganate.
How to properly bathe a newborn boy? This will be discussed later in the article, but now we will talk about the necessary items that will be needed to carry out bath procedures.
Before bathing, you need to prepare a ladle with warm water, which should be used to rinse the newborn’s body after bathing.
It is important to understand that water calms the baby and removes excess energy from him, and does not simply cleanse the body of impurities.
Optimal water temperature for swimming
At the beginning of swimming, the water temperature should not exceed 33-34 degrees. However, the aquatic environment should not allow the child to relax. Cool liquid has a good effect on the skin, improves blood circulation in the vessels, stimulates the heart, increases resistance to infectious diseases and strengthens the immune system. Gradually it is necessary to reduce the temperature to 30 degrees.
Water temperatures above 35 degrees relax the child too much; he loses the desire to move and develop. This aquatic environment is very pleasant for the baby, but will not bring him any benefit. Bathing in such water will help the newborn to love the procedure, but you should not stay at this temperature for long.
Experts, answering the question of whether it is necessary to boil water for bathing a newborn, recommend paying attention to the general condition of the newly born child. If it was initially weak, then it is better to abandon tap water and carry out additional disinfection.
Preparation and temperature
For the first bath of a newborn, boil water to avoid allergic reactions or infection in the umbilical wound . There is no need to boil it for a long time, because the microbes die immediately, and it is not possible to heat it above 100 degrees (boiling point), then it evaporates. Therefore, it is enough to bring to a boil and turn off.
Water after boiling for bathing babies needs to be cooled. A comfortable temperature for a child will be 36–37 ºС. The degree, like body temperature, will not allow overheating or hypothermia; the baby’s skin does not have independent thermoregulation, so parents will have to monitor this for some time.
Baby bath water
Pediatricians do not prohibit the use of tap water for bathing. However, it should not contain large amounts of chlorine and have a sharp, unpleasant odor. For better cleaning, you can use sea salt.
If a mother is very concerned about the question of whether it is necessary to boil water for bathing a newborn, then experts answer that this is necessary if the water from the tap is dirty, rusty and has many impurities. You should monitor the temperature very carefully, as the water cools quickly and requires constant dilution.
How long is the bath?
On average, a newborn only needs to swim in water for 10 minutes. By 3 months you can increase the time to 15 minutes. And by six months, your little one will happily splash around in the water for half an hour.
Fact! If water gets into your child's nose or mouth while bathing, there is nothing wrong with that. Rather, on the contrary - by clearing his throat and coughing, the baby will clear the nasopharyngeal mucosa of dust and dirt.
How often should you wash your baby?
You should wash your baby directly with soap or foam no more than twice a week. This is quite enough for a baby. Only when he begins to crawl, such procedures can be done daily or, if desired, you can wash the baby every other day. At the same time, in order to soap the baby, it is not necessary to use a washcloth - mother’s gentle hands are enough. You may need a sponge if your baby has crusts on his head (gneiss). Pour a little foam or shampoo onto a washcloth and massage your head. After you have finished washing your baby, rinse him with clean water and wrap him in a diaper.
BABY BATHING PRODUCTS
Even experienced parents can easily get lost in the abundance of cosmetics for bathing babies
When choosing foam or shampoo for your baby, pay attention to the following points
pH value. Contrary to popular belief, its values should not be equal to 5.5 - this is the pH of adult skin. In a baby, it is moderately acidic and is 6.8, which means that the pH of bathing products for a newborn should have this value. In a few weeks it will be closer to adult levels, and you will be able to use products with a neutral pH.
Compound. Read the label carefully. It should not contain prohibited preservatives, active dietary supplements or bright dyes. The product itself should not have too bright a color (it is better if it is colorless) or strong
Supplements If your baby is prone to allergies, do not get carried away with products with herbal extracts - they can provoke its manifestations. In all other cases, extracts of string, chamomile, and lavender are considered acceptable additives in baby foams and shampoos.
Do I need to boil water for bathing a newborn?
Just a few years ago there was a strong opinion that you can only bathe a child in boiled water and a special bath. But today experts are sure that:
- Too much time will pass before the start of swimming, the water will have time to cool down, and this can have a detrimental effect on the child’s health;
- a large bathtub can give the child more opportunities for movement and maneuvers; in turn, active movement in the water helps strengthen muscles and the cardiovascular system.
It is necessary to boil water only if the umbilical wound has not yet healed. Pediatricians note that it is not covered with epithelium, so it needs constant treatment. When the wound has healed, the baby can be bathed in regular running water and in a large bathtub.
What is not recommended to do?
How to properly bathe a newborn? When carrying out water procedures, you must avoid the following:
- It is not recommended to use detergents: gels, soaps and shampoos in the first months of a child’s life.
- You should not rub the newborn's body with sponges so as not to injure his skin.
- There is no need to bathe your baby in a bad and capricious mood. It is best to do this in absolute health.
- It is not recommended to bathe a child in herbs until the umbilical wound has completely healed.
- It is forbidden to leave the baby alone on the stand or turn away from him.
Water procedures for newborns up to 6 months are carried out every day, and over six months every other day. Some pediatricians do not recommend daily bathing, so parents should discuss this issue with their child's doctor.
Preparation of liquid for water procedures
The parents decided to give the baby a bath, and the question arises of how to boil water for bathing a newborn. There are several steps to follow:
- The parent should watch the baby in the evening. If the baby is in a good mood, then you can safely put water on the stove. If the child is capricious, it is better to postpone water procedures.
- The container should be large so that mom or dad can fill the bath to the required volume.
- It should be remembered that the water cools very quickly. Therefore, as soon as the required temperature has been reached, the baby should already be near the bathtub.
- If desired, you can add a decoction of herbs to the liquid.
The questions of young parents do not end there. How long should you boil water for bathing a newborn? There is no definite answer here; some experts say that you can turn it off immediately after the boil begins, others recommend letting it boil for 5-10 minutes.
How to properly bathe a newborn boy
Washing for a boy is an equally important procedure. But the washing technology itself is, of course, different.
The boy must be washed every time he takes a bath. First you need to wash the outside of the foreskin, removing accumulated smegma. Then you need to wash the area under the foreskin, gently pulling it back until you feel resistance.
It is important to remember that at an early age, the foreskin in boys is connected from the inside to the head of the penis (phimosis). And in no case should you pull it back with force, as this can lead to microcracks, which leave small scars during healing and form inelastic connective tissue, which as a result aggravates phimosis.
When caring for a baby, parents want to learn everything at once. But in this matter it is better to absorb knowledge and acquire skills gradually. It's okay if something doesn't work out the first time.
The child does not expect perfect procedures from you. The main thing for him now is that they love him, devote a lot of time to him and give him warmth.
Exceptions to the rules
Do you need to boil water to bathe your newborn? There are cases when this is the only way to bathe a child:
Whether it is necessary to boil water for bathing a newborn is a matter of personal choice for each parent. However, you should first exclude the above factors in order to avoid problems with the baby’s health.
Ear, nail and nose care
How to properly bathe a newborn? After water procedures, parents should properly care not only for the child’s skin, but also for his ears, nails and nose.
The mother needs to monitor the baby’s nose so that crusts do not accumulate in it and allow him to breathe well. Therefore, they clean their nose daily. The crusts are pre-softened with vegetable oil. Cotton flagella are best suited for these purposes. They are carefully inserted into the nostril and the contents of the nose are cleaned with rotational movements. Children's aspirators should not be used too often, because they can damage the nasal mucosa and disrupt its microflora.
Newborns' nails are very soft, so it is best to cut them after the first month of life, when they become a little harder. To do this, use children's manicure scissors with rounded ends. It is best to carry out this procedure for children once every 7-10 days. They must first be treated with cologne or alcohol.
Contrary to popular belief, sulfur is not dirt, but a means of protecting the body. It has bactericidal properties and protects the passage from drying out, dust, wind and water. You should not carefully remove it from your ears. It is enough to remove the wax, which is visible and located in the auricle. For each ear, two separate flagella must be used.
During bathing, they are gently rinsed with water. If it gets into your ear, carefully blot it with a towel. Particular attention should be paid to the skin behind the ears. During bathing, it needs to be washed and then lubricated with baby oil when crusts form.
Herbal decoctions for bathing
A baby's skin is especially sensitive in the first days after birth, so you can add decoctions of some herbs to the bath: chamomile, string or sage. They not only have a beneficial effect on the skin, but also allow the child to relax and fall asleep after bathing. For this:
- add 4-5 large spoons of dry grass to a container with one liter of boiled liquid;
- then the broth needs to brew until the blades of grass settle to the bottom;
- the resulting infusion must be filtered through gauze or a strainer;
- then it is added to the bath.
It is not necessary to add the infusion to the bath, but it can give additional strength to the baby’s body. However, you should closely monitor your child to prevent allergic reactions.
Every parent can answer the question of whether to boil water for bathing a newborn only after watching their baby. After all, each child’s umbilical wound heals differently, and allergic reactions can occur even in the first days after birth.
How to properly bathe a newborn girl
Above we discussed the general norms of bathing, which apply to both boys and girls. But the technology of washing based on gender is different.
Using soap, a newborn girl should be bathed once a week, and it is recommended to wash it once a day - from front to back.
This is explained by the proximity of the anus to the vagina, and the possible but undesirable entry of infection into the vagina. The easiest way is to place the girl on your left hand, placing her head on your elbow and supporting her butt with your palm, and wash with your right hand.
How to wash a baby?
The room where swimming will take place should be at a temperature of 20-22 degrees. There should be no drafts in it. If you plan to bathe your child in the bathroom, you should remove in advance all tubes that could fall and frighten the newborn. The fewer distractions, the calmer your first swim will be.
Particular attention should be paid to lighting. During the dive the child will look up
A light bulb that is too bright can cause dissatisfaction and even irritation. It is better if the light is dim and diffused.
Step-by-step instruction
It is better to carry out the first bath according to the following algorithm:
- The bathtub for bathing the baby is filled with 15 cm of water. Getting to know water should not be stressful, so you should not break this rule and completely immerse the newborn. A ladle for rinsing is placed nearby.
- The child undresses and carefully lowers himself into a bath of water. It is necessary to immerse so that the baby's head is on the parent's elbow, and the hand itself supports the back. At the same time, the baby's chest, head and shoulders remain dry.
- Using a washcloth or soft cloth, wash the child's body.
- The newborn turns over on his stomach. You must still hold your head and chest with your hand.
- Next, the back is soaped. The child’s head is washed in the same position.
- Soap or shampoo is washed off with water from the ladle. The stream of water is directed from the forehead to the back of the head so that it does not flow into the child’s eyes. There is no need to try to immerse your baby in water with his head.
- This is enough for a newborn’s first acquaintance with water. The baby is removed from the bath and placed on a hard surface, for example, on a changing table.
The first bath should be without tears and stress. If the baby is too worried, you can wet only the hands and feet, and leave the dive for next time.
We invite you to watch a video on how to properly bathe your baby in the first weeks of life:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=4cFZg19Qf1M
Actions after washing
After bathing, the baby's skin should be gently dried with a towel. You shouldn’t make sudden rough movements, it’s better to just blot the moisture without rubbing
Particular attention is paid to the ears. During water procedures, water may get into them.
To remove it, special cotton swabs for newborns with limiters are used.
If your baby's skin is dry, you can apply a moisturizing balm or cream. The folds of skin under the knees and on the elbows are lubricated, as well as, if necessary, the neck and abdomen. Apply the cream with light massage movements in small quantities. The excess is soaked with a dry cloth.
Next you need to treat the navel. Using a pipette, a couple of drops of hydrogen peroxide are dripped onto the wound and the remains are soaked with a cotton swab. Instead of peroxide, you can take a strong solution of potassium permanganate or brilliant green.
We invite you to watch a video about what procedures should be carried out with your baby after bathing:
Tips for parents
How to train?
- You need to talk to the baby during the procedure; your voice should be quiet but confident.
- The first bath can be spent in a large bathtub with the mother, or you can combine the procedure with feeding.
- Distract the baby with a toy or a special bathing device.
- Try changing the water temperature if the baby is naughty.
- Use a bath slide so that the child feels support under his back.
Care
Before first use, a new bath should be thoroughly washed with a sponge and soap and scalded with boiling water. After each session, the container is washed with soap and wiped dry . Immediately before bathing, it is enough to rinse the surface with clean water.
If the bath is washed immediately before the procedure, it must be doused with boiling water to make the material more pliable, and then treated with soap. Among the safest detergents, baby soap, baking soda and special hypoallergenic compositions for children's hygiene will be safe.
Over time, bathing a newborn baby in a bathtub will become a habit, and all the mother’s movements will become confident and precise. As a result, not only the baby, but also his happy parents will enjoy the procedure.
