How to bathe a newborn and what should be taken into account during the first water procedure?

Young parents after the appearance of the firstborn face a lot of new difficulties, ignorance of the subtleties of caring for the baby, which looks so fragile and helpless. One of the first problems is related to how to bathe a newborn. The following information will help you to master the rules of this important procedure.

When can I bathe a newborn?

To maintain the health of the baby it is required from the first days after the appearance of it to adhere to hygiene standards, one of the items of which is the regular execution of water procedures. Bathing a baby with full immersion of the body in water, many pediatricians recommend not earlier than the healing of the umbilical wound (when the crusts come off) - about the second or third week of life.

Up to this point it is better to use a small bath and wash the baby, trying not to wet the area of ​​the unhealed navel (to prevent infection). Alternatively, you can use to cleanse the skin with soft moist tissues, soaked in water with a diaper or sponge or wash the child under warm running water after emptying. If the baby has any health problems, then, perhaps, the start of bathing will need to be postponed. In this regard, you should consult a pediatrician or neonatologist.

Preparation for bathing a newborn

The first bathing of the baby is one of the most vibrant and responsible events, on which further adjustment of crumbs to water procedures may depend and the parents' desire to carry out this important "ritual" as often as it is recommended. For the process to be comfortable and safe, everything should be thought through and planned in advance.

Depending on the living conditions, bathing can be done in a room or in the kitchen in a baby bath or in a bathroom in an adult bath filled with water. The latter option is much more acceptable than the first two, because the crumb will then have more space for active movements, and water will retain the temperature longer. It should be understood that bathing in a large bath is not just a wash, but a procedure that provides the following:

Since bathing is a kind of load on the body, it is desirable before doing a small warm-up, consisting in massage (stroking, kneading) and easy gymnastics (flexing-extension of the joints). Such training, which takes about 20 minutes, will strengthen the benefits of water procedures. Well, if one of the parents does this, while the second prepares everything needed in the bathroom.

What you need to bath a newborn baby - list

To swim a baby in a large bath, you should take care of the temperature regime of water and air in the bathroom, the cleanliness of the bath, the availability of various accessories to facilitate and improve the comfort of the procedure, children's detergents. It is necessary to wash your hands and remove from them all jewelry, so as not to scratch the baby. We list all the most necessary for the procedure:

What to wash the bath before bathing babies?

Every time before bathing a newborn, you should thoroughly clean the surface of the bath. Then the question arises: what to wash the bath before bathing babies? It is most safe to use ordinary baking soda and a sponge with a hard surface. Clearing the walls and the bottom, you should thoroughly rinse the bath with water from under the shower. In addition, you can use as a detergent natural laundry soap. If it is a question of how to bathe a newborn baby in a bath, then it is not necessary to wash it before each procedure, taking into account that it is not used for other purposes.

Should I boil water for bathing a newborn?

Many parents are interested in whether you need to boil water for bathing a newborn. It is believed that children, who have already healed wound on the navel, you can bathe in ordinary tap water. The need to use boiled water is present only until this period. If there is any doubt as to the quality of tap water, it is better to use a filter to clean and boil it.

Temperature in the bathing room of newborns

The opinion that the air in the room where the baby is bathing should be warmer than in other rooms, is mistaken. Fearing the cold, many parents do not think that newborns can develop not only hypothermia, but also unwanted overheating, which is due to the imperfection of thermoregulatory mechanisms. Thinking about the temperature at which a newborn should be bathed, it is worth considering the general norms of air parameters that the child breathes indoors.

The optimum air temperature for a young child should always be between 18-22 ° C. Considering this, it is not necessary to warm up the bathroom specially. In addition, after leaving the steam bath, there was no sudden change in air humidity, which is harmful to the body, the door should be left open during bathing.

The water temperature for bathing babies

A special issue that excites all caring parents, without exception, concerns the temperature at which a newborn child should be bathed. In this case, it is also worth remembering that the regulation of body temperature in infants is completely different than in an adult. In view of this, thinking about what kind of water to bathe a newborn should be guided not by its own sensations, but by the physiological characteristics of the crumbs. To the child was comfortable, and the procedure was beneficial, the water in the bath should correspond to a temperature limit of 33-34 ° C.

The first bath in a large bath should be carried out at a temperature of 34 ° C. After a week, you need a little - one degree - to lower the temperature, and then continue to decrease weekly to a limit of 29-30 ° C. In such conditions, the baby, bathing and actively moving in the water, is tempered: his heart rate increases, blood flow increases, metabolic processes in the body are accelerated. It is worth noting that in the future, by the age of six months, the child can already bathe in water 26-27 ° C, in which he will feel good.

With what to bathe a newborn baby?

Another important point for parents who want to know how to properly bathe a newborn baby is the use of bathing products. In infants, skin secretions are insignificant (in the absence of overheating), so in the first couple of weeks it is permissible to not use any detergent at all. Further no more than 2-3 times a week you can use baby soap (foam, gel and the like) and once every 1-2 weeks - a soft baby shampoo.

According to modern ideas, nothing should be mixed in the water. Especially worth noting is the permanganate, which our mothers and grandmothers liked to add when bathing children. In a weak concentration, this substance has almost no disinfectant effect, and a more saturated solution overdries the skin and can cause burns of mucous membranes.

It is allowed 1-2 times a week to apply herbs for bathing babies, making on their basis infusions. Suitable are such plants as the turn, chamomile, calendula, motherwort, hop cones, lavender. For a large bath you will need a glass of raw material, which should be filled with a liter of boiling water and, after infusing for at least 3 hours, drain. It should be noted that with herbs you need to be careful, because they can cause allergic reactions in the baby.

How to bathe a newborn baby for the first time?

The following recommendations will help "newly-made" parents understand how to bathe a newborn baby for the first time at home:

  1. The best time for bathing - the evening, before the last feeding and night sleep.
  2. The procedure should be started only after all necessary preparations have been prepared.
  3. The bath should be filled with water approximately 2/3.
  4. Before bathing a newborn in a bath, you need to clean the genitals with a napkin.
  5. Lower the baby in the water should be gradually: first the legs, then the hips, tummy, chest, shoulders, while the neck and head should stay above the water.
  6. To the little guy is not afraid, it is recommended to constantly talk with him in a gentle, calm voice, smile.

How to keep babies when swimming?

Considering how to bathe a newborn, one can not ignore the question of how to maintain it in water. It is convenient to hold the kid with his left hand - four fingers under the back of the head and a little finger under the neck, making sure that the mouth and nose are above the water, and the second hand adjusting the position of the trunk. Holding it like that, you should lead the crumb from one end of the bath to the other. To baby swam on the tummy, you must turn it and hold it so that the chin is between the divorced large and index fingers.

Is it possible to wet your ears while bathing a baby?

Bathing babies, which vigorously floundering in the bath, it is difficult to do without getting water in the ears. At the same time, there is nothing terrible in this, and one should not be afraid of regular contact of ears with water. The falling water will help to soften and remove permanently produced sulfur from the ear canals. It is worth noting that it is not harmful to get water in the eyes.

How much to bathe the newborn?

Not understandable for beginners is how long to bathe the newborn. To begin with, it is advisable to give the procedure 7-10 minutes, so that the baby gets acquainted with water, began to get used. The next day, the bathing time of the baby can be increased, gradually bringing it up to 20-30 minutes. The longer the baby swims, the better for him and for the parents: after such activity he will get hungry and get tired, so that, being full, he will be able to sleep soundly.

How often should I bathe a newborn baby?

Some parents doubt whether to bathe a newborn every day or to conduct water procedures less often - for example, every other day. Doctors recommend giving time for bathing every day which is very important for a child's body. This contributes to the development of the skeleton and muscles, stabilizes blood circulation, helps to quickly coordinate movement, straighten fingers and pens.

What should I do after bathing a newborn?

It is important not only to know how to properly bathe a newborn, but also how to complete the procedure, what to do next. The best option - rinse with clean water, having dampened with a towel and dressing it, to feed mother's breast or a mix and to put in bed. In most cases, babies quickly fall asleep. If the baby is crying after bathing , next time you should try to change something in the procedure: the time of the exercise (for example, one hour after feeding), the water temperature (slightly warmer), the baby's position in the water. Using the method of experiments, you can pick up what the baby will do.

When you can not bathe a child?

Bathing babies in the bath and in a large bathtub should be postponed in such cases: