The first bathing of a child after the hospital

It has long been believed that the first bathing of the baby after the maternity hospital entrusts his grandmother. This is good when the young mother has someone to rely on and who will share her invaluable experience in caring for the newborn.

But some women want to take care of their baby from the very first day and are jealous of any manifestation of help from the outside. And then, even having previously studied the mass of literature and having seen more than one training video, the newly mummy realizes that she does not know from which side to approach the baby, sometimes feeling a fear of bathing.

To prevent this from happening and the first bathing of the child after the hospital was over and did not cause unpleasant associations either between mother or baby, it is necessary to carefully prepare for this action and understand the basic rules of bathing.

What will be required for the first bath after the maternity home?

1. First of all, of course, the bath. It should have a wide enough bottom and be stable. And although many people want to bathe babies immediately in a large bath, do not do this and at first still bathe the baby in a small volume of water. This is even practical, because the water consumption is less, and the herbs in which little children bathe, color the surface of the bath so that it is then very difficult to wash. In addition, another obvious advantage of using a small bath is that you do not have to boil a lot of water every day.
2. Slide for swimming. This is a very useful accessory, even if there is an assistant. Putting the baby, my mother will be much easier, and the load on the lower back will not be. There are such slides plastic, repeating the contours of the baby's body and fabric, stretched on the frame. An alternative is a foam mat, which can be placed on the bottom of the tub to make the baby comfortable and soft, and before it was replaced with a regular diaper.
3. Broth of string or chamomile, carefully filtered.
4. Wadded disks or a soft cloth for washing wrinkles.
5. Baby soap or foam (optional).
6. A large soft terry towel.
7. Floating thermometer.
8. Boiled water. First time, water for bathing a newborn is better boiled, and starting from the second month you can safely use ordinary, unboiled water.

Temperature of water for bathing babies

That the child is not frozen in the water, its temperature should not be lower than 36.6 ° C, but too warm or even hot water, maybe even more harmful. It should be no higher than 37.3 ° C, that is, a range such as the body temperature of the baby at this age.

It is not necessary to pour hot water as the main cooling down, it is better to just shorten the time of bathing. After all, water layers are mixed unevenly, it can scare the baby, and then he refuses to swim.

The temperature of the air in the room where the child is bathing should be five degrees higher than in the other rooms. Unfortunately, many believe that you need to maximize the room. This is not right, the baby will be stiflingly uncomfortable in the heat, and in the bedroom, where it's much colder, the baby will quickly cool down and can catch a cold.

Baby bathing technique

The water in the bath should not be more than a third, it is enough to get to know the baby with the bathing procedure. At first the child is poorly wrapped in an easy diaper, this is necessary for the baby to feel comfortable, as in the mother's tummy and not be afraid of new sensations.

First, the legs are slowly dipped into the water, and then gradually the buttock, back and neck. You can not immediately immediately immerse the baby completely, because it can cause shock. Now you need to pick up water and squeeze gently on the diaper, gradually moistening it. Only the upper part of the chest and the head remain above the water surface.

To wash a child with soap or shampoo is not necessary at first, but if there are any dirt, you can use detergents, but not more than once a week. Wiping the body with a soft cloth or fleece (especially wrinkles), you can proceed to wash the head. It is gently poured water, wiping behind the ears, and a separate wadded disc eyes and face.

You can get the baby in the same position as you put in the bath, or under the armpits. It is quite inconvenient when a person, helping to bathe, puts a towel on the child. It is better to have a changing table or any other surface next to which to spread the towel and put the baby on it.

The final chord will be wetting the body with a soft towel, wiping the ears and smearing the wrinkles with baby cream. The best time for bathing a newborn after a maternity hospital is evening. The child relaxes and sleeps well all night.