Introduction to How to Care for a Newborn

Up until the birth of your baby, the focus of your pregnancy was probably on labor and delivery. Perhaps you painted the nursery and had a baby shower. But the truth is, all of this was just leading up to the big moment when your baby entered the world.

It's not uncommon to get home from the hospital with your baby and suddenly panic. After all, here is this tiny little helpless person, and he/she is relying on you for everything. That's a tall order! Fortunately, billions of parents have done this before and a wealth of information has accumulated which you can tap to answer your specific questions. In the following sectioins of this article, we'll cover the basics of caring for your newborn.

• Your Responsibilities and Bonding With Your Baby
  
  Caring for your baby starts from day one. What can you expect from your baby, and what will your baby expect from you? We descrcibe your primary responsibilities as a new parent, including supplying your baby with the basic requirements. We'll discuss discarding some advice while accepting other and employing a trial-and-error method to decide what's best for your family. In addition, the bonding process between mother or father and baby is introduced. You'll also find an explanation of the benefits of bonding through touching and through feeding.
  

• Handling and Diapering Your Baby
  
  These are two of the most basic -- and important -- tasks you'll perform as a new parent. In the handling portion of this section, we'll address the fears and anxieties a new parent might experience when picking up and holding a baby. There are some general guidelines on how to support your baby's head and even a tip on swaddling your baby's arms and legs to increase your comfort level. In the diapering and dressing portion, we supply simple guidelines on changing both disposable and cloth diapers. Finally, we touch briefly on how to dress your baby and what types of garments are easiest to put on, take off, and change.
  

• Helping Your Baby Sleep
  
  Sleep can be a complex issue when it comes to newborns. This section explains the sleeping patterns of infants, including how long they sleep, how often they sleep, how much sleep they need, and when they sleep. There are suggestions on inducing your baby to sleep by soothing him/her with baths and rhythmic sounds. We discuss swaddling your infant and give how-to instructions on creating a snug wrap. You'll also find information on a baby's sleeping position, as well as the pros and cons of pacifier use.
  

• Helping Your Baby Stop Crying
  
  Nothing can fray a parent's nerves more than a baby who won't stop crying. We list both common causes of crying, like hunger and tiredness, and less common causes, like pain and illness. You'll find out how to understand what a baby's cries mean based on pitch, rhythm, and volume. There is an explanation of joint crying cycles, in which you and your baby both seem unable to stop crying, and some suggested remedies. Also detailed in this section are ways to comfort your baby, like cuddling and rocking.
  

• Bathing Your Baby
  
  Bath time can be enjoyable for  both you and your infant. You'll read about caring for your infant's umbilicus before it falls off ten days to two weeks after birth. Because your baby cannot be immersed in water until the umbilicus is gone, he/she should be cleaned with a sponge bath. There are instructions on giving your infant a sponge bath and guidelines for bathing frequency. You'll also find a step-by-step guide to bathing your baby in a bathtub and some tips about using baby powders and oils.

• Cradle Cap and Diaper Rash
  
  These are two common skin conditions for infants. Seborrheic dermatitis, or cradle cap, has easily-recognizable symptoms that are described in detail. You'll learn about different treatment methods, including daily shampooing for mild cases and ointments for difficult cases. Next, we'll look at the different types of diaper rash: simple diaper rash, ammonia rash, and rashes caused by allergies, infections, and diseases. Finally, there are treatment and prevention suggestions.
  
  This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.
  

Your Responsibilities and Bonding With Your Baby

Perhaps the most difficult part of the responsibility of caring for a new baby is being on call constantly, 24 hours a day, 168 hours a week, with never a moment off. No other job requires such dedication as that of parenting.

Babies don't eat, sleep, or cry on schedule. Your infant calls upon you for food or comfort at any and every hour of the day or night, whether you are asleep, or ill, or occupied with a project of the utmost importance. In short, you must adjust your lifestyle to accommodate the total dependence of your baby. This shift in the focus of your life may be traumatic for you at first, especially if you have been particularly independent and unencumbered. In this section, we'll talk about your baby responsibilites and the importance of bonding with your baby.

Supplying the Basics

The primary responsibilities of parents are to provide their children with food, clothing, and shelter -- the basic requirements of human life. In principle, all but the most poverty-stricken of new parents can accept those responsibilities with few qualms because they are the requirements they already fulfill for themselves. It's the day-to-day details of supplying them that may make you feel insecure and far from confident in caring for your infant. You may feel, as some parents do, that while your childbirth education courses have prepared you very well for actually producing a baby, you've not had adequate preparation for caring for your child. The all-important questions of what, how, when, how often, and why have not been answered to your complete satisfaction.

In truth, they cannot be because every baby, and every set of parents, is unique. Every family is different from every other, and every individual in every family is different from all the others. You'll try out and perhaps discard some routines and procedures before you are comfortable in handling even the most ordinary of your responsibilities to your infant. You may wonder if the trial and error method of mastering a skill is a suitable approach for the serious work of rearing a human being.

In searching for knowledge about how to care for their babies, many parents are apt to be intimidated by so-called experts, who may include the baby's grandparents, aunts and uncles, and next-door neighbors as well as physicians and psychologists, and to accept as truth any scrap of advice they are given, whether it feels right to them or their experience substantiates it.

Of course, at times nothing substitutes for the knowledgeable instructions and advice of experts in the professional fields of medicine, nutrition, and child psychology. But it is important for you, as a new parent, to learn to trust yourself. Remember that there is no one right way to perform most tasks involved in child care. You can read, you can take classes, you can question your doctor closely, you can listen to your friends and relatives, but ultimately you must make your own decisions about what is best for your own child. And because you know this child better than anyone else in the world, you are far more likely than others to make the best decisions.

Remember, as you make those decisions, to enjoy your baby as you learn to care for her. Try to look at parenting not as a series of problems to overcome or even, in the positive language of public relations, as challenges to meet. For a little while, at least, let the rest of the world go by; appreciate the miracle of every day.

Bonding With Your Baby

The importance of touching. This statement bears repeating: Picking up and holding your baby will not spoil her. The importance of touch to an infant cannot be overstressed, a fact now recognized as part of the bonding process encouraged by doctors. Bonding with your baby seems greatly enhanced when parents have extended physical contact with the baby immediately after the birth. It is even said that mothers who are separated from their newborn infants during the first hour after birth are somewhat less confident about their intuitive mothering skills than those who go through the bonding process.

Your baby's skin is her most well-developed sensory organ immediately after birth and the largest organ of the body. Its stimulation can have a profound effect on the baby's behavior. Your gentle, confident, and firm touch will calm your baby, as well as assure her of your love.

Bonding through food. Feeding the baby, either by bottle or by breast, takes a great deal of time and energy. But whichever method you choose, you will find feeding time is a time of closeness. You are giving the baby life-giving nourishment and thus meeting the child's most basic physical need. At the same time, you are fulfilling a deep psychological need for love and attention. As you provide food, you are holding and cuddling the baby, and he is getting to know your touch and your voice. A bond that will never be severed is developing between you and your baby.

You know that you are responsible for providing your baby with food, clothing and shelter. You've read about the importance of bonding with your baby as he builds confidence that you will accommodate his needs.

On the next page, we'll talk about some of the more specific tasks that you will encounter, such as handling, diapering, and dressing your baby.

This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.

Handling and Diapering Your Baby

When you arrive home from the hospital with a newborn baby, the simplest of tasks can seem overwhelming. For many parents, just holding the baby is nerve-wracking: they're so tiny and fragile-looking! And you may know in principle how to change a diaper, but the reality is so...messy!  But with a few simple guidelines, you'll soon be holding and changing your baby like a pro.

Handling Your Baby

For a new parent who has had no experience with infants, simply picking up and holding a baby is a little scary, dressing one is frightening, and bathing one is downright terrifying. Luckily, infants aren't able to squirm about much, so you don't have to worry right away about yours twisting out of your arms or escaping from your grip on the changing table. And babies are tough; they don't break under the stress of normal handling. (Don't worry about emotional fragility, either. Your baby's psyche won't be damaged for life if you are cross, in a hurry, or preoccupied once in a while.)

It is necessary to support your baby's head with one hand for about three months when you pick him up and to hold the baby against your shoulder so his head won't fall backward when you carry him. It used to be common to swaddle babies loosely in receiving blankets, and some parents like to enclose their infants' arms and legs this way until they are used to holding and carrying them. You'll soon find yourself going smoothly through the tasks that involve moving and handling your baby and subconsciously avoiding the sudden movements and loud noises that frighten or startle babies.

Diapering and Dressing Your Baby

You'll probably feel a little awkward and clumsy the first few times you diaper and dress your baby, but with a little practice, you'll handle him with ease and confidence. Use a waist-high table of some kind, so you won't have backaches. An old dresser with a pad on top will do, but modern changing tables have built-in safety straps to hold your baby when he is old enough to squirm and resist you.

If you use disposables, diapering is almost automatic: Lay the baby on the diaper, fold the front half of the diaper up over the baby, and fasten it with the convenient, attached tapes. (Those tapes sometimes tear; instead of throwing a diaper away, mend it with masking tape.) To keep wetness from soaking into outer clothing, use disposables with elasticized legs and turn the plastic top of the diaper to the inside. A cloth diaper can be given a figure-eight twist at the crotch for double thickness and a tighter fit. Pin the back of the diaper over the front, slipping one or two fingers between the cloth and the baby's skin to keep the pin from sticking the baby. Use a pincushion or a bar of soap to hold diaper pins. Do not use ordinary safety pins. Keep pins out of baby's reach, and never hold pins in your mouth. Whichever kind of diaper you use, lay an extra one over your baby boy to avoid being squirted as you change him.

The kinds of clothing you choose for your baby reflect your own taste and inclinations. Some parents are willing to spend the extra time necessary to iron natural-fiber, woven-fabric outfits because they like the look of a dressed-up baby; others opt for simpler knit clothing that needs little care. Whichever kind of clothing you prefer, look for garments that are easy for you to put on and take off the baby: those with few, if any, buttons; necklines with openings large enough to slip easily over the baby's head; and sturdy crotch fastenings that make diaper-changing easier.

Now that we've covered the basics of newborn care, like bonding with your little one and changing his/her diaper, we're ready to move on to the big questions that parents face -- how do I get my baby to sleep better? How do I get him to stop crying? Whole books have been dedicated to these two questions, and advice on the subjects abounds.

On the next page, we'll dig into these topics by discussing your baby's sleeping patterns and position, swaddling, noise, and pacifiers. We'll also touch on the pros and cons of the family bed.

This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.

Helping Your Baby Sleep

You cannot force a child to sleep, and you cannot teach a child to sleep. But don't worry too much. Provided the baby gets enough to eat, is not in pain, and is not interrupted constantly, he/she will get as much sleep as necessary. On this page, we will discuss your baby's sleep cycle and your role in this process.

Your Baby's Sleep Needs

The need for sleep varies widely: one infant may require as many as 20 or 21 hours a day; another, only 11 hours. The actual amount of time is not important, except to a parent; a baby who sleeps very little can be as strong and healthy as one who sleeps a great deal. On average, a newborn has about eight sleep periods a day. Some periods may last as long as two to four hours; others are catnaps that last for only minutes.

Helping Your Baby Sleep

You can acknowledge all of these facts about sleeping, and you can realize your baby's sleep habits are not an indication of your parenting abilities or the baby's goodness. Still, you feel responsible for helping her get whatever amount of sleep is necessary in any way you can. You will probably find your baby doesn't fall asleep instantly when put into the crib; in fact, wakefulness, perhaps accompanied by crying, may last as long as 30 minutes. Put your baby down when he/she is full and has been thoroughly burped.

A warm bath and a massage with a light lotion, a period of cuddling, or a ride in the carriage in the fresh air may encourage sleep. And the room need not be darkened, unless your baby is confusing night and day and you are having trouble changing a sleep pattern started in the hospital, where the nursery is bright and bustling with activity all day and all night. A room temperature of about 70 degrees is most comfortable for the baby, who should be clothed in a loose sleep sack (a covering blanket is not necessary then), a comfortable gown, or a sleep suit.

Nighttime noises. Do not worry about eliminating all household noise; a baby becomes accustomed to the ordinary sounds very quickly. In fact, babies often find certain sounds soothing and go to sleep more quickly if those sounds are present. The intrauterine sounds the baby is used to are simulated in various crib toys and devices, including a rather expensive teddy bear with a tape cassette. You can reproduce very similar sounds at little cost by taping a running dishwasher or washing machine with your own tape recorder. Other sounds babies sometimes find soothing are the running of the vacuum cleaner, the white noise produced by a radio station that's off the air, a ticking clock, or soft music.

Rocking. A ride in the carriage is only one way to supply the motion that sometimes helps babies sleep. Windup or cradle swings serve the same purpose, and you can rock the baby or walk the floor or dance around the room with her in your arms. You can even lull the baby to sleep by gently jiggling the baby's bed.

Sleeping position. Your newborn's sleeping position is very important. The most recent recommendation is to place a term infant on her back -- not on his/her stomach or side, as was previously advised. (This advice may not apply to premature infants; consult your child's doctor.) Don't worry if the baby is comfortable in only one position at first and her head flattens a bit. It will regain its normal shape in a short time.

Swaddling. Babies often seem to like the feeling of being lightly swaddled. To do this, lay the baby diagonally on a small cotton receiving blanket. Turn up the bottom corner of the blanket, fold one side of the blanket loosely over the baby, then fold the other side over. (Alternatively, you can fold up one side of the blanket, then the bottom, then the other side.) Your baby is snugly enclosed in a kind of envelope that keeps her warm and secure. When you pick the baby up, you can let the top corner rest on her head, like a hood, if you wish.

Babies also like to be in small spaces. Try placing your baby in a corner of the crib, touching the bumper on one side and a rolled blanket on the other. Putting the baby down on the same small, soft blanket every time, perhaps one on which you've put a drop or two of your own perfume or cologne, may help induce sleep.

Parents eagerly anticipate their baby's sleeping through the night, but your baby probably will not achieve an eight-hour sleeping period until she is several months old. Someone will likely advise you to give the baby cereal at the last, late-night feeding as a way to induce a longer sleeping period. This is not recommended. Your baby's doctor will tell you when your baby is developed enough to handle solids.

Pacifier pros and cons. A pacifier may help put your baby to sleep. La Leche League discourages the use of pacifiers on the grounds they may diminish a baby's need to suck and, therefore, make her a less efficient nurser. Some parents disapprove of them, too, probably because they find distasteful the not-uncommon sight of a toddler whose sucking needs have long since been outgrown walking around with a pacifier stuck in her mouth like a plug.

In fact, some find the sucking that is one of a baby's instinctual needs somewhat difficult to understand at all. They may feel that extra-nutritional sucking indicates something is lacking in the emotional development of their child and, therefore, they are "bad" parents.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Newborns need to suck; it is their most satisfying form of gratification. The benefits of a pacifier are apparent when a baby's need to suck goes beyond her need to eat. Infants may awaken a short time after a feeding and indicate what seems to be hunger by trying to put their hands in their mouths or crying, when what they really need is simply to suck. Thumb-sucking would be a good substitute if infants could manage to find these natural, flesh-and-blood pacifiers when they want them. Since a tiny baby rarely can put thumb to mouth at will, a pacifier meets her need to suck and eliminates unnecessary feedings that inconvenience you and may upset the baby's digestion.

Another possible benefit of pacifiers has been discovered in their use with premature babies. Those who were induced to accept pacifiers in the hospital were found to develop sucking muscles sooner than those who did not take them, and thus were able to be taken off intravenous feedings and fed by mouth sooner.

If you give your baby a pacifier in bed, do take it away when she is asleep to avoid the baby's becoming dependent upon it to stay asleep. And never, never tie it on a string around the baby's neck. It could cause strangulation. After six months or so, the need for extra sucking disappears. If you dislike the pacifier, you can probably arrange for it to disappear about the same time.

The Family Bed: Pro and Con

Parents in many foreign countries sleep with their babies routinely, and not always because of a lack of space. In Asia and Central America, for example, parents' concepts of nurturing make it incomprehensible to them that anyone would expect a child to sleep alone in a bed, not to mention in a room alone. This practice has been frowned upon, to put it lightly, in this country since at least the beginning of the 20th century, but it seems to have become more common in recent years. One reason may be the ever-increasing interest in breast-feeding.

The simplest and most convenient way to nurse a baby is to lie comfortably in bed with him/her and to fall asleep together when the feeding is over. Today even medical people who have disapproved most adamantly of parents and babies sleeping together have begun to reevaluate their convictions, and some have swung around completely.

One of the main worries parents have had about sleeping with infants is they will roll over and smother or injure their babies. That's not at all likely. Besides, your baby will surely wake up and cry if you begin to hurt her.

Some of the worries of psychotherapists and physicians have been that a child may become too dependent on sleeping with the parents, may be frightened by seeing the parents in the act of sexual intercourse, or may be overstimulated by the intimate body contact with adults. Parents who advocate the family bed say children almost always want their own beds by the preschool years, if not before, and they themselves have been able to move the children out easily whenever they've wanted to give up the practice.

They ensure their sexual privacy by making love during the baby's deepest sleep periods or by simply moving to another place in the house. And they insist the bodily closeness and touching sleeping together offers brings a feeling of security and comfort to a child, not harm. In addition, they say both parents and infant sleep better in the same bed. The baby does not always fully awaken if she is not hungry and may go back to sleep easily. And the parents can stay comfortably in bed and at rest, if not asleep, while the baby is awake.

The family bed question is obviously a very personal one parents must settle for themselves. If they disagree about the wisdom of sleeping with their children, or if either is deprived of needed sleep because the child is present, they would be foolish to consider adopting the family bed.

Some parents who are only lukewarm about having an infant sleep with them work out compromises of some sort. They may take the baby into their bed for only the first few difficult weeks, or they may carry the baby back to the crib when he/she has fallen asleep. Later, they may limit access to their bed to the kids on weekend mornings or to a sick or frightened child in the middle of the night.

In the next section, we'll move from the family bed to another topic: helping your baby stop crying.

This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.

Helping Your Baby Stop Crying

Another of your major parenting responsibilities is to comfort your baby when he/she cries. Crying is especially distressing to new parents, who assume something must be dreadfully wrong. However, it is perfectly normal for babies to cry. It gives them a certain amount of exercise, and it is, after all, their only way of letting you know they need something. In this section, you can read about the causes of your baby's crying and some ways to provide comfort.

The Causes of a Baby's Crying

The difficulty is to figure out what those needs are. In a newborn, a cry signifies only a few needs if the baby is not ill or in pain: hunger, the need for a diaper change (within a few weeks, the baby becomes used to the feeling of wetness and a wet diaper will not bother him), and the need to be held and comforted. Infants have a characteristic fussy-sounding cry that often seems to reach a peak when they are about six weeks old and tapers off at about three months.

Different cries for different reasons. Babies are individuals. Each tells you in special ways what he/she needs from you. Many mothers can tell the reasons for their babies' crying, saying, for example, the hunger cry is rhythmic and repetitive, the pain cry is loud and shrill, and the ill cry is continuous, whiny, and nasal. As the baby grows, he will find more reasons to complain by means of crying: boredom, frustration, loneliness, fear, overstimulation, and, sometimes, the overtiredness that prevents sleep. As you get to know your own child better, you learn to interpret the reasons for crying.

Pain, illness, and gas. Occasionally, a baby cries because he is in pain. One traditional cause for pain is the prick of an open safety pin, a problem largely avoided now by the use of specially designed diaper pins and eliminated completely by the use of disposable diapers that need no pins. Another cause for pain is a raveled thread from the baby's clothes wrapped tightly enough around a finger or toe to cut off circulation.

A baby who cries because of sickness usually has other symptoms of illness, such as a fever, diarrhea, or a runny nose. The baby may indicate an earache by pulling on, or attempting to pull on, his ear. A baby may also cry because of gas, especially if he has not been burped sufficiently. Generally, a healthy baby has a strong, loud cry. If your baby's cry becomes abnormally weak, consult your doctor right away.

Crying cycles. Sometimes, especially if postpartum depression has you in its grip, you and your baby can get into a joint crying cycle. When the baby cries, you get anxious and nervous. The more the baby cries, the worse you feel, and nothing you do seems to help quiet the baby. The baby senses your feelings, your anxiety in turn makes the baby anxious and uncomfortable, and the child expresses these feelings by crying even more. You dissolve into tears yourself, and neither of you can seem to stop.

One way to help both of you calm down is to take a warm bath together. The skin contact and the warm, liquid environment are soothing and may be all you need. However, if you find yourself getting into these cycles with any regularity, talk with an experienced parent or your doctor.

Comforting a Crying Baby

You'll find that some of the steps you can take to help your baby stop crying are the same as those you use to help him go to sleep. Most of these are based on warmth, rhythmic sound, and gentle, repetitive motion. You can combine these three great comforts when you cuddle your baby closely as you sing softly to him and you rock together in a cozy, padded rocking chair.

This also soothes and rests you, and you will probably find it a more reasonable solution than letting your baby cry it out, as some will likely advise you to do to teach him who is in charge. Picking up your infant when he cries does not spoil the baby, whatever you may hear from others. Remember, too, to let your baby know that crying is not the only way to get you to show your concern and love. Pick up and cuddle your baby sometimes when he is awake and not crying.

When your baby starts crying, first ask yourself the obvious questions: does he/she need to be changed or fed? Is he/she tired? If none of these appears to be the cause of his crying, and he/she doesn't have any symptoms of illness, then there may not be a quick fix solution. Instead, try comforting your baby by rocking, cuddling, and singing to him/her. You may also try distracting him/her with something you know he/she enjoys, like a favorite toy or a bath. Keep reading for bathtime tips and procedures.

Next, we'll cover a task that is much more enjoyable than trying to get your baby to stop crying: bathing your baby.

This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.

Bathing Your Baby

In the beginning, it may be scary to place your helpless infant into a tub of water, but as you gain confidence in your bathing abilities, you will find that bath time can be fun for both the baby and parents. This section includes sponge-bath instructions and tub-bath procedures. First, though, we'll cover a key ingredient in the whole bathing mix: the umbilical cord.

The Umbilical Cord

Most infants come home from the hospital with a remnant of the umbilical cord still attached to the belly button, or umbilicus. Until this falls off, give your baby only sponge baths. Clean the navel area twice a day or so with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol. Do this gently but thoroughly, making sure to get to the base of the cord stump. Watch for yellow matter, a sort of weeping that may develop, and for redness. These are signs of possible infection -- notify your baby's doctor if they persist. Keep the top edge of the baby's diaper folded down below the navel to help keep the area dry. (Some diapers are now made with a piece cut out to accommodate the cord.)

When the cord falls off, usually within about ten days to two weeks after the baby's birth, it is not unusual for a few drops of blood to be left on the navel. No bandage, binding, or tape is required. If the umbilicus doesn't dry up within a few days after the cord comes off, an umbilical granuloma may be present. This is a little nubbin of tissue in the umbilicus at the junction of the old cord and the new skin. Your doctor can remedy the situation easily at the baby's first checkup. If there is much bleeding or a foul odor coming from the cord, consult your doctor earlier for instructions about any special care needed.

Sponge Baths

For a sponge bath, you need a warm, draft-free room, a basin of lukewarm water, and two big towels -- one to bathe the baby on, and one to wrap him in after the bath. If your baby cries when totally undressed, give the bath in stages, removing only part of the clothing at one time. Many babies love the feeling of being totally naked, though, and enjoy waving their arms and legs about freely. You don't really need soap for a newborn; some parents don't use soap for several months. If you can't bring yourself to skip soap altogether, use very little because soap dries your baby's delicate skin. Use a soap formulated for babies. Ordinary scented soap may trigger an allergic reaction. If you use liquid baby soap, you need to be careful the baby does not slide from your grasp.

Infants do not need to be bathed every day. Of course, you cleanse the diaper area frequently, and two or three full baths a week are sufficient. Many parents bathe babies daily, however, because bath time can be so much fun for both parents and baby, once the initial apprehension wears off. You'll want to set up and follow a regular routine for bathing, at least until you're well-accustomed to the procedure. Remember: Never leave your baby alone in the water for any reason! No matter how much or how little water is in the tub, or how quickly you will return, the bath is never a safe place for an unattended baby or small child. Do not even turn your back. Your child requires constant, second-to-second supervision!

For safety's sake, never leave your baby's side during a bath.

Baths in a Tub

Here is a bath procedure you might follow:


Powders and oils. Be sparing in the use of any powders or oils after the baby's bath. If you do use powder, shake it into your hand first, away from the baby's face, so he does not inhale it and draw it into the lungs. Also be aware powder can build up in skin creases and cause rashes.

Most babies love being immersed in warm bathwater, almost from their first baths. Later, it's common for them to be afraid of the water. Enjoy the bath while you can and try not to hurry it; it's really playtime, a time for your baby to relax his muscles and make little swimming motions with the arms and legs, enjoying the buoyancy the water provides.

Occasionally, a baby does not care for the bath at first and screams loudly to let you know he is too hungry to wait, the water is too warm or too cold, or his sense of security is threatened. A happy solution may be to bathe together. Run water in the big tub, a little cooler than you usually have it, and, holding the baby closely in your arms, ease down into it. Enjoy the skin-to-skin contact. Mothers can also nurse the baby in the bath.

Once you've mastered the art of baby baths, you may wish to include it in your nighttime schedule, as it usually has a calming effect on your baby. For instance, you could bathe and then feed baby each night before putting him in his crib. This routine will help cue him/her that it's time to go to sleep.

So far in this article, we've explored parents' responsibilities and discussed some of the important skills parents need to develop to care for their newborn. The final page lists the symptoms of cradle cap and diaper rash, along with guidelines for preventing and treating both conditions.

This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.

Cradle Cap and Diaper Rash

Two very common skin conditions called cradle cap and diaper rash will affect many babies during their first few months of life. As the name implies, cradle cap affects the head (or "cap" area) and is usually easy to treat with daily shampooing. Diaper rash, on the other hand, covers a number of different rashes or skin irritations which appear on the lower abdomen, genitals and buttocks. Keep reading to learn the telltale signs of cradle cap and diaper rash and also some suggested treatments.

Coping With Cradle Cap

Cradle cap (seborrheic dermatitis) is a skin condition in which yellowish, scaly, or crusty patches, made up largely of oil and dead skin cells, appear on the scalp. The condition is most common in infants, but it is seen occasionally in children through age five. Some temporary loss of hair may even occur. While the patches most often appear on the scalp, they may extend onto the forehead. They may also appear in the skin fold behind the baby's ears, on the ears themselves, and in the diaper area. The most typical location is over the soft spot (anterior fontanel) on top of the baby's head.

Cradle cap is quite common and not difficult to treat. Mild cases usually clear up with daily shampooing when you use regular baby soap on a wet, rough facecloth wrapped around your hand. Soften the crusts first by massaging a small amount of baby oil into the baby's scalp and letting it remain there overnight. Rub the baby's head vigorously during both the washing and the drying. Don't worry about the soft spots; you won't hurt them. Gently comb the baby's scalp even if your baby has no hair or scrub the scalp with a soft-bristle brush (such as a soft toothbrush).

If regular shampooing doesn't work, you can use a special shampoo that contains coal tar or salicylic acid. Your doctor or pharmacist can recommend one. Ointments containing sulfur, salicylic acid, or coal tar can be used for especially difficult cases. Be especially careful to keep medicated shampoos and ointments out of your baby's eyes, and stop using them if the scalp or skin becomes irritated or red. If the cradle cap doesn't respond to treatment, see your doctor, who can determine if a yeast infection or allergic skin reaction may be causing the problem.

Diaper Rash

When you are bathing or changing your baby, you are likely to see signs of diaper rash; almost all babies have it at one time or another. Diaper rashes may be caused by moisture, urine, or irritating chemicals in diapers, whether cloth or disposable. You can usually identify these rashes by their appearance, their location, and other typical symptoms of different types of rashes.

Simple diaper rash. Simple diaper rashes are red, slightly rough, and scaly. The rash may appear over the whole area touched by the diaper. The skin may be irritated by chemicals used in laundering cloth diapers -- detergent, bleach, whitener, water softener, or soap. Plastic or rubber pants worn over cloth diapers sometimes affect the skin. The skin may also react to the chemicals used in manufacturing disposable diapers.

Ammonia rash. Ammonia rash is a form of diaper rash caused by the urine itself. The skin is literally burned by the ammonia formed when urine is decomposed by normal bacteria on the skin. Not surprisingly, ammonia rash is worse after the child has been asleep for a long period of time without a diaper change. You can identify it by the ammonia smell noticeable when you change the diaper.

Other causes. Besides these two basic diaper rashes, a variety of other rashes may appear in the diaper area, including those caused by an allergy to a food or drug, a skin infection, or a contagious disease, such as chicken pox or measles.

If your baby develops a rash in the diaper area, look for the signs of these different types of rashes. The appearance and location of the rash, an ammonia odor, or a rash elsewhere on the body are all clues. Ask yourself a few pertinent questions to help you and your doctor find the cause of the rash. For example, have you recently switched from cloth to disposable diapers or changed brands of disposables? Have you made any changes in your laundry products? Has the baby been given any new food (a change in formula, perhaps, or the addition of cereal to a feeding) or medication?

Treating Simple Diaper Rash or Ammonia Rash

• Keep your baby as dry as possible, change diapers frequently, even if they are only slightly wet, and avoid any airtight coverings.

• If you favor cloth diapers, use double diapers during the daytime, triple diapers at night.

• Wash the diaper area with plain water each time you change your baby, and apply a protective cream or ointment such as zinc oxide or an ointment combining zinc oxide, cod liver oil, petrolatum, and lanolin. Use only one type of ointment at a time unless your doctor has instructed you to use more than one.

• Do not dust the baby's skin with cornstarch, a remedy that was once commonly recommended; it has been found to encourage the growth of fungi.

• Try a different brand of laundry soap on cloth diapers, and do not use fabric softener with every wash because your baby may be sensitive to buildup of it.

• Give cloth diapers a try if you use disposables, or switch brands. Try disposables if you use cloth diapers.

• Cut down on the use of powders and oils for your baby, and be sure any you use are mild and non-allergenic.

• If you use colored toilet tissue to clean your baby's genital area, switch to plain white.

• To further promote healing, put a pad under the baby and let him lie undiapered when possible to expose the baby's skin to air.

Allergic reaction. An allergic rash from foods or drugs is more likely to occur in an older baby who eats several different kinds of foods or perhaps takes some medication than in one who receives only breast milk or formula. The treatment is to stop giving any new foods, beverages, or medicines started within the past month; then give the child just one of these items each week. If one causes the rash to return, you've found the culprit and can eliminate it. Remember to consult your doctor before starting or stopping medication.

Infections and diseases. To treat a rash caused by an infection or contagious disease, wash the diaper area with water and frequently apply an antibiotic ointment, such as bacitracin or neomycin. If your baby has any other symptoms of illness, such as fever or loss of appetite, if the diaper rash spreads or is severe, or if it gets worse after two days of home treatment, see your doctor. He or she may identify the rash by its appearance or may culture the rash to identify bacteria or fungi. The doctor may prescribe a medicated ointment.

Both cradle cap and diaper rash are treatable skin conditions and generally are not cause for alarm, as many babies will experience one or both in their lives. By familiarizing yourself with the symptoms of each, you may prevent future anxiety.

As you've seen in this article, adjusting to life with a newborn isn't easy. But if you arm yourself with the right tools and information, you can stay a step ahead of the game.

Publications International, Ltd.

This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.

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