Ensuring your baby’s hygiene should be your top priority. While you do not have to bath your baby every day to ensure they are clean and healthy, you do have to ensure that you clean them well when you bath them. Although all parts are important and should be cleaned properly, some parts need to be given extra attention and care. These parts are either particularly fragile and should be handled with care or they require extra cleaning. Here are the parts of the body you should pay extra attention to whenever you bath your child. Numbers 1 and 10 are helpful tips.
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Wash Your Hands
Before you start your baby’s bath you should wash your hands properly. You are trying to ensure you keep top hygiene during the bathing routine. Do not let your baby’s water wash the dirt off your hands. Your hands should be thoroughly clean before you give your little angel a bath. You want to ensure that you do not bring any dirt or germ that could be harmful to the baby’s health. This is also because your baby is mostly going to be in the water during the bath. You should also do the same if you’re going to top and tail.
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The Umbilical Stump
The umbilical stump is super-sensitive. It is probably the most sensitive part of the new-born baby. The doctors do not cut off the entire umbilical cord. They leave a little stump still attached to the baby. The stump is supposed to dry and fall out after a few days. It is okay to bath your baby while the stump is still attached, but you have to be careful not to let anything get in the little hole of the stump. The stump is still an open wound and can easily catch an infection. You should pat-dry it after a bath.
The Neck
It is important to pay attention to your baby’s neck whenever you bath him/her. The neck muscles of a newborn are not fully developed and so are incapable of holding up the baby’s head. The head is too heavy to be supported properly by the neck. You should always have one hand behind your baby’s head to provide support the entire time that they will be in the tub. At no time should your baby’s head be left to support itself. Without support, the neck muscles become overstrained and this could cause serious developmental problems.
The Ears
You should pay special attention to the way you clean your baby’s ears. One rule you should always observe is never to put anything into the baby’s ear canals. So, how do you clean a baby’s ears? Use a ball of cotton wool to wipe the outside of the ears, and the back of the ears gently. Do not wipe the inside as pieces of the cotton wool might end up getting into your baby’s ears. Ensure you do not let the water go into the ears as well. Until your baby reaches a later stage in development you should always take extra caution when dealing with the ears.
Spine
The spine of a newborn, just like the neck muscles, is still going through an early developmental stage before it can fully support the baby’s back. The newborn baby should not be made to stand upright while in the bathtub. You must never do this for whatsoever reason. During a bath, your baby needs to be in a lying position. One of your hands should provide support for the baby’s head and neck. Ensure the spine is not receiving any form of pressure. The spine is very fragile and developing at this stage and too much strain could lead to serious problems.
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The Eyes
Though the eyes are not super sensitive they deserve due attention whenever you bath your baby. How do watch your baby’s eyes? You could use a ball of cotton wool to wipe the eyes. Starting from the side of the nose, wipe in the opposite direction of your baby’s mouth outwards. Though there’s no problem with letting water get into the baby’s eyes during a bath, you shouldn’t let lather get in the baby’s eyes. Wash the head gently, then rinse and clean quickly to prevent lather from getting into your little angel’s eyes. This could be very discomforting for the baby.
The Baby Folds
To ensure total hygiene, you must make sure to wash every part accessible to you. However, some of these parts can be tricky and easily missed. Babies are born with adorable skin folds in certain parts of their bodies. These folds stretch out and clear out as the child grows. When you bath your baby you must ensure to thoroughly wash between these folds as dirt tends to get easily stuck there, especially the neck folds. The problem with missing these parts is that you may not notice after bathing the child. So, you shouldn’t forget these parts.
The Thighs
Though this part is not very sensitive, it is prone to infection. When the baby poops in the diaper, it usually rubs off on these parts. You must ensure to thoroughly clean the baby’s thighs whenever you give your little bundle of joy a bath. You should give this part the same priority you give the private part and bottom. You should also wash them together. Failure to properly clean the thighs could lead to skin irritation. You may also begin to notice bumps developing in between your baby’s thighs. Your baby may also develop rashes due to skin irritation.
The Bottom And Genitals
The baby’s bottom is a very sensitive part and should be washed last. You should not start with the bottom when you bath your baby. The bottom needs to be washed thoroughly to get rid of germs and avoid irritations. You need to pay extra attention to the genitals as well. Do not pull back the foreskin for boys when washing them. Simply scrub over gently. Also, you should wash the bottom at least twice to make sure it is very clean. After you clean your baby’s bottom, then it is time to get them out of the water.
Do Not Shake Your Baby
Never shake your baby! Do not make the mistake of shaking your newborn no matter what the reason may be. If you want to get water off of them, use a towel to dry their hair. You should also use a towel to pat dry your newborn after bathing them. it is very dangerous to shake a newborn baby, shaking could lead to bleeding in the brain which is fatal. So, be careful about how you handle your child during a bath. Avoid any rough handling and sudden jolts. They could prove very detrimental to the fragile infant.
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