What should a newborn prepare before taking a bath?
The first thing to do is to get everything you need for a bath. For example, things that disinfect the umbilical cord (before the umbilical cord falls off), pre-changed baby bags, clothes, diapers, small towels, large bath towels, bathtubs, cold water, hot water, baby powder, etc. At the same time, you should also pay attention to the length of your nails. If it is too long, it is easy to hurt the baby. Wash your hands after the examination, and then prepare a comfortable environment for your baby.
Of course, the water temperature during bathing is also very important, generally around 37℃ ~ 42℃. Before letting the baby into the bath, mothers must try it with their wrists or elbows to make the water temperature just right. It is worth noting that when bathing your baby, you must avoid the front of the gust to prevent you from catching cold and getting sick. It is generally recommended to arrange the baby's bathing time after breastfeeding at 1 ~ 2 hours to prevent the baby from spitting milk.
How to wash the newborn's face and head when taking a bath?
In the first week after birth, when the baby's umbilical cord does not fall off, you can adopt the "phased bathing method": take off the baby's clothes and wrap them in the chest and abdomen to keep warm temporarily. Start cleaning the face, head and neck in turn, but be sure not to let water flow into the baby's ears. So how to clean these parts specifically?
Wash your face-soak it in water and gently wipe it with gauze or a small towel.
Eye washing-wipe from the inner corner of the eye to the outer corner of the eye.
Wash your forehead-gently wipe your forehead from the center of your eyebrows to both sides.
Wash your ears-gently wipe the auricle and behind your ears with a towel wrapped in your fingers.
Shampoo-pour the baby's special shampoo that doesn't irritate the eyes on your hands, and then gently rub it on your baby's head. Be careful not to touch the baby's scalp with your nails. If there is dirt on the baby's scalp, you can apply baby oil to the baby's head before taking a bath, which can soften the dirt and remove it easily.
How to wash the newborn when taking a bath?
For babies whose umbilical cord has fallen off and has not fallen off, they should be treated differently when taking a bath. Generally speaking, if the umbilical cord of the newborn has not fallen off, the upper and lower parts should be washed separately to avoid wetting the umbilical cord and causing inflammation. When washing the upper body, you can take the same posture as when washing your hair, and wash the newborn's neck, armpits, chest, back, arms and hands in turn. When washing the lower body, you can rest the newborn's head on the left elbow socket, then hold the newborn's left thigh with your left hand and wash the newborn's genitals, buttocks, thighs, calves and feet in turn.
Because the umbilical cord of the newborn is a wound, if it is not properly cared, bacteria can easily enter the human body through the umbilical cord, causing septicemia, thus threatening the health of the newborn. Therefore, the care of umbilical cord is very important, and the best way to do good care is to keep the umbilical cord clean and dry, and be careful not to touch the umbilical cord when bathing the baby. When taking a bath, the root and surrounding skin of umbilical cord can be disinfected with 75% alcohol cotton swab, and then covered with sterile gauze (gauze is not needed when umbilical cord is dry).
However, if the baby's umbilical cord has fallen off, after washing the face, head and neck, you can put the baby in the bathtub below the neck and then let the baby take the supine position. After washing from top to bottom, change the baby into a prone position, and then clean the back, buttocks and anus. After taking a shower, cover the baby with a big bath towel and then dry the whole body.
It is worth noting that during the whole bathing process, special attention should be paid to the cleaning and drying of the wrinkles and bending parts of the baby's body, and the movements should be gentle.
How to do nursing after the newborn takes a bath?
When the baby's body is dry, wrap the rest of the baby, leaving only the navel, and then clean the navel from the middle to the outside with an alcohol swab. Be sure to keep your navel dry and clean. If you find that your baby's navel is red, pus or has an unpleasant smell, you must go to a doctor for treatment. In the baby's skin folds, you can apply some talcum powder, which will make the baby feel dry and comfortable. Then apply skin care oil to the baby's buttocks to prevent urine from irritating the baby's skin.
After the baby puts on the diaper, he can relax his hands and feet and let him move freely, which is conducive to breathing and blood circulation and promotes the baby's growth and development. In addition, you can also apply a small amount of moisturizing oil to your baby's face to keep the skin moist and smooth. It is worth noting that these baby products can only be used in moderation when the baby's skin is free from diseases. Do not sprinkle these oils or powders directly on the newborn's skin. The experiment should be carried out in the mother's hands before being applied to the baby.
Matters needing attention in neonatal bathing
1, newborns don't have to be too diligent in bathing. In fact, the sweat secreted by newborns is limited, so there is no need to take a bath every day. You can wash it every other day when it is hot, and every other day when it is cold.
2. It is best to use pure cotton and soft towels for newborn bathing, and the movements should be gentle to avoid hurting the baby's skin. Also be careful not to let the newborn be choked by water, and pay attention to cleaning the baby's body folds.
3, the newborn's skin resistance to bacteria is still quite weak, so when bathing the newborn, you can scrub it with clean water with appropriate temperature, and you don't have to wipe it with shower gel or other cleaning products.
4. Newborns should not be exposed to water for more than five minutes every time they take a bath. And after washing, gently dry the newborn's body with a soft towel with good water absorption, then apply the baby's special moisturizing oil, and finally change the baby into clean clothes.
Bathing newborns is indeed a very important knowledge, so parents, especially novice parents, must study hard in order to promote the healthy and happy growth of their babies.