how to bath your newborn baby

Bathing Your New Born Baby

 Bathing is the washing of body with fluid or water, is the cleaning of the body and removing dirt and germs from the body. Bathing is part of cleanliness as it pays a major role in maintaining a better health. It removes germs and other microbes that are dangerous to body.   Infants’ body is more delicate and has a low immune system than adult boy; it always has to be clean to free your baby from germs and bacteria’s and to give it a fresh circulation within the body.

            Bathing a newborn baby can be of two types the sponge bath and the bath tub.  A newborn baby should be given a sponge bath [aka dry cleaning] until:

§  The umbilical code heels and the navels heels and this can take about a month.

§  The circumcision wound heels

 Bathing a time can done twice a day or thrice  a day for a new born baby is ok, so as to keep the skin from drying out but this can be increased later after a year.

Before bathing your newborn baby get these items ready:

§    Baby soap, never use a medicated soap on your new born baby.

§   A towel or blanket.

§   A clean cloth

§   A clean diaper

§    A baby sponge or soft clean cloth.

 For sponge bath : use a warm water for bathing a newborn baby, select a safe place, ensure no much breeze  is blowing across,  fill your bowl with the warm water and not hot. Remove its cloth, wipe the whole body starting from eyes, nose, and ear to toes and genitals with the mild sponge, and use the clean cloth or cotton wool to wipe the two eyes, nose, change the cotton wool when it got stained. Apply little soap to the sponge and wipe the whole body again, after these. Take clean cloth, wet it and wipe out all the soap. Use the towel to wrap your baby. Ensure you clean areas like armpits; genitals; ear etc and they are dry and apply a diaper.

Tub bath:   a newborn baby should only be giving a tub bath when it is ready. Tub bath should only be given to a child when the umbilical cord heels as well as the circumcision wound also, a mother can switch back to the sponge bath when she notice some change in the baby. For a tub bath an infant tub should be added in addition to the aforementioned items in sponge bath.

  The mother should measure the temperature of the bath water; this can easily be done by inserting your hand into the warm water.

 Undress your baby and put it in the bath tub, ensure that the water did not cover the whole baby, at most 3-4 inches deep. Use one of your hands to support it head and the other to bath it. Use clean cloths, wash the face, and head. Be pouring water throughout the bath so that your baby does not get cold. After the bath wrap your baby in the towel and ensure that you cover the head.

 Throughout the bath don’t leave your baby alone inside the bath tub, if you must leave the bathroom carry him or her with you.