Bathing And Cleaning Your Baby

By the time, the baby is a few weeks old; you will have a bath routine in place. Even so it will help to remember the following:

• Bathing environment should be calm and warm.
• The baby should not be hungry or tired.
• Everything you need should be ready and at hand.

Some babies do not like having a bath. So instead you can 'top and tail' or sponge the baby everyday for sometime:

1. Wrap your baby in a towel to stop them from waving their arms. Undress them only if you want to.
2. Wipe his eye with a little cotton wool that has been dipped in cooled boiled water. Begin with the inside of his eye and work outward. Wipe the other eye with another piece of cotton wool.
3. Use wet cotton wool to wipe over and behind his ear. Use fresh piece of cotton wool for each ear.
4. Wipe their face, neck and under their chin with damp flannel or cotton wool.
5. Pat dry with a soft towel making sure that they are not damp in the creases.
6. Wipe dry their hands.
7. Change their nappy after cleaning nappy area and change into clean clothes. Using special bedtime clothes can help them get used to a bedtime routine.

Hair: You need not wash your baby's hair everyday. Just wiping it with a damp flannel cloth will remove any dirt that is there.

Nails: The easiest way to cut your baby's nails is to nibble them off. You can use a pair of scissors to cut them off while they are asleep. The best time would be after a bath, when the nails are soft.

Ears and Nose: These organs clean themselves, so just wipe them gently with wet cotton wool.

Cradle cap: This is a yellowish crust on the baby's scalp, which looks a little like dandruff. This occurs when the baby is between a month and six months old and almost all babies have it. This does not harm the baby in any way and normally disappears as the baby grows up. If it is noticeable you can do the following:

• Use a baby shampoo.
• Massage one tablespoon of olive oil or almond oil into his scalp. Leave it on for an hour then wash it clean by shampooing.
• Apply oil carefully to ensure that it does not enter the baby's eyes. The baby should not touch the oil as it may get into his eyes after that.
• Bicarbonate of soda rinse: Dissolve a teaspoon of soda in 500 ml of warm water and apply on scalp with the help of cotton wool. Shampoo thoroughly. Use this regime once or twice a week.
• The flakes will become loose if you gently comb his hair gently.
• Never pick or scratch to loosen the flakes.
• If serious or you see red patches on the baby's neck and behind his ears then consult a doctor immediately.