A real ritual of daily pleasure, the toilet is a privileged moment of exchanges and complicity between baby and his parents. Cleaning of the eyes, nose, ears, buttocks … Doctissimo helps you to adopt the right reflexes.
Summary
- Washing the baby’s body and hair
- Cleaning baby ears
- How to clean baby’s eyes?
- How to wash baby’s nose?
- Clean baby’s bottom before putting on his diaper
- How to cut baby’s nails ?
- Baby umbilical cord care
Washing the baby’s body and hair
As the length of maternity stays is getting shorter and shorter, young parents have just enough time to learn the basics of baby hygiene . And the bath remains one of the simplest treatments to adopt from birth to wash it completely .
So plan to do this in a small plastic bathtub or a mini-deckchair or bath seat (canvas or plastic) to keep it in your bathroom bathtub. After 6 months , once your child knows how to stay in a stable sitting position you can use the bathtub in the bathroom, fixing a non-slip mat at the bottom to prevent slipping.
The water which you took care to take the temperature with the thermometer must be located around 37 ° C , watch out for burns, they are frequent.
Also make sure that the bath does not exceed 5 minutes .
Regarding the toilet, either you soap baby directly in his bath , or using a soft glove outside the bath before immersing him in water . On the technical side, soap your child with a soap-free cleaning product , starting with the head, then wash the body and sex. Clean the buttocks last. Finally, rinse your baby with bath water .
For hair, shampoo two to three times a week (unless otherwise advised by the doctor). Gently rub his head with a very mild shampoo suitable for babies and rinse with a shower jet or by hand using a container .
Finally, at the exit of the bath, wrap baby in a large soft towel by carefully drying the folds to prevent moisture from irritating his fragile skin .
Attention, during the bath, it is essential to supervise your child, without taking his eyes off for a moment.
Cleaning baby ears
The best way to wash baby’s ears is to use soap and water when bathing . You just need to clean the pavilions (visible parts of the ears) and the grooves behind them .
If you wash your baby without bathing, use a wet glove and soap, but never use a cotton swab .
You can also use a small, dry cotton wick rolled on itself (changing the wick as many times as necessary). Do not try to enter the ear canal, only clean the entrance to the ear canal .
For ear care, be sure to hold baby’s head firmly to prevent it from moving.
How to clean baby’s eyes?
The baby’s eyes are very fragile at birth and eyelashes are often stuck in the morning. This is why daily eye wash is necessary.
To do this, use a sterile compress (one for each eye) soaked in physiological saline . Start with the cleanest edge so as not to spread the secretions all the way through the eye.
Note: white secretions , sometimes accompanied by a little blood , are not synonymous with infection. They are caused by the drop in the progesterone level brought by the mother during pregnancy. They must go away on their own. Otherwise, it is best to consult your pediatrician .
How to wash baby’s nose?
Clean baby’s nose daily either:
- with cotton wicks soaked in physiological saline(one for each nostril): take care to introduce them gently into the nostril, turn them slightly to detach all the phlegm.
- with physiological saline in pods to be introduced directly into the nostrils(one pod for each nostril). To do this, first install the baby lying on its back with its head placed on the side. Once the nose has been washed with physiological saline, wipe the base of the nose with a disposable tissue.
Washing the nose is generally not appreciated by infants … The objective is to never traumatize a child, explain to him what you are going to do, even if he is very small.
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Clean baby’s bottom before putting on his diaper
This operation is carried out 6 to 10 times a day during the first months! Changing your baby ‘s diaper frequently prevents diaper rash . Also better to master a few basics.
- First, lay baby on his changing tableover a clean towel.
- Remove the dirty layer
- Cleanbaby’s bottom (seat) with a glove or cotton wool moistened with lukewarm water, dampened with a little mild soap .
- Wash her genitals
- Rinsethe seat and sex thoroughly before drying them thoroughly with a towel.
- In case of redness and irritation, pass him an ointment or a change spray, to protect and soothe the gluteal epidermis.
- Finally, place the cleandiaper, center the layer so that the fasteners are at the height of the navel. If baby is a boy, place the penis down so that he does not get his stomach wet.
Warning: NEVER move away from the changing table and always keep one hand on your child , a fall has happened so quickly …
ZOOM ON BABY’S INTIMATE TOILET
The seat toilet goes hand in hand with the change since it has to be started again before each diaper change. This routine act is also a real protective care for baby’s skin, the stool and urine being acidic and carrying irritating bacteria.
So using a damp washcloth soaked in a little mild soap , clean the baby seat back and forth. Insist particularly on the folds of the groin and between the buttocks , in order to remove traces of stool and / or urine residues (very irritating).
For the genitals:
- For a little girl:use a compress or wet cotton without soap in all the folds (from the vulva passing delicately between the labia majora) and always from the vulva to the anus .
- For a little boy:wash the purses and the penis and avoid opening the foreskin if it sticks to the glans. Clean with a compress or wet cotton without soap .
How to cut baby’s nails ?
Check the condition of baby nails several times a week, without cutting them until the age of 1 month. Then, if they are long or broken, they must be cut.
- Use scissors specially adapted for babies(curved and with very round tips )
- Do not cut too short nails
- Avoid leaving spikes on the sides of the nails: they can get into the flesh and cause inflammation.
- Cut the toenails straight, from side to side, so that the corners stay relatively long. This prevents the formation of an ingrown toenail.
Baby umbilical cord care
In the past, it was advisable to disinfect the cord with alcohol or eosin at each change and to apply to the navel a sterile compress maintained by a plaster or a band.
Today, many doctors recommend minimum care for the umbilical cord :
- Clean the cord with lukewarm water and soap, with a clean washcloth or compresses, then rinse thoroughly .
- Dry the cord completely: do not hesitate to pass a dry cotton swab around the edge of the cord.
- You can then wrap it in a compress or leave it in the open air .
- Finally, place the diaper so that it does not rub on the cord area.
Note: after the fall of the cord, the small wound heals. If you notice any umbilical discharge , consult your pediatrician.
