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!

When bathing your baby, keep one arm supporting him at all times,

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:

1. Be sure the room where you bathe your baby is warm and not drafty. Lay out everything you need, including the clean clothes in which you will dress the baby when the bath is finished. Consider unplugging the telephone; do not interrupt the bath to answer it if it rings.

2. Put a portable tub or basin on a table or counter-top at a comfortable height. You can also bathe the baby in a thoroughly cleansed kitchen sink; be care ful to run cold water last so the baby won't be burned if his skin touches the faucet.

3. Unless you use a specially contoured tub designed to keep the baby from slipping, line the tub or sink with a towel.

4. Put only a couple of inches of lukewarm water in the tub or sink until you get used to bathing the baby. Your baby will enjoy deeper water in which to move about when you are a bit more confident. Remember that water that seems comfortably warm to your hand is too hot for your baby. It should register about 90 to 100 degrees on a bath thermometer or feel pleasantly warm on the sensitive skin on the inside of your elbow.

5. Ease the baby gently into the tub. With a soft cloth, wash the baby's face with plain water. The baby's face will not be really dirty, and soap in the eyes only hurts the baby and makes the rest of the bath miserable for both the parent and infant. You might like to wear cotton gloves, which serve as a washcloth and reduce the chances of a slippery baby escaping your hands. Hold the baby with a football grip, with your hand and wrist supporting his/her head and neck. Sing and talk as you go along to entertain the baby and to reassure both of you.

6. Wash the baby's abdomen and back, arms and legs, and genitalia and rectal area carefully, using a little mild baby soap if you wish. Pay special attention to skin folds and creases. If your baby boy has not been circumcised, gently pull back the foreskin and wash the tip of the penis, then carefully pull the skin over it again.

7. Using soap, especially if the baby has cradle cap (a condition more thoroughly discussed in the next section), rub the baby's scalp gently but vigorously with the cloth or your gloved fingers. Still holding the baby like a football, tip his/her head backward slightly and rinse the soap off; be careful not to get any suds in the baby's eyes.

8. Take the baby from the tub and quickly pat him dry. You may find it convenient to pin a large, soft towel around your neck before you start the bath: You can wrap the baby warmly in it after the bath, and it serves to keep you dry during the bath.

9. Use cotton swabs to clean crevices in and behind the baby's outer ears, but never use them to clean the ear canal, nose, or any other body opening.

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.