Morning hygiene procedures for babies. Newborn care

With the advent of a baby in the family, the time of constant “combat readiness” comes for parents. An infant needs to be fed, changed, washed, and put to bed up to 10-15 times a day. But there are still mandatory hygiene procedures in the mornings and evenings. Gymnastics and massage. Walks. Often, parents simply give up because caring for a child takes an incredible amount of time and effort. And it's so easy to miss or overlook something!

It is because of such an oversight in the skin folds in newborns that diaper rash, diaper dermatitis, prickly heat usually appear.

These skin lesions for the baby are very painful and make the child cry and act up. The task of parents is to minimize the possibility of inflammatory processes through careful daily examination and care of the baby's folds. The fact is that even if the newborn is bathed every day, during the day in the folds appear natural secretions, plus the child repeatedly spits up milk, which tends to flow behind the ears and neck.

How to treat wrinkles in the baby

Examination and care suggests that in the morning and afternoon, the mother examines the natural skin folds of the newborn (places behind the ears, under the neck, armpits, folds under the knees and on the elbows, folds on the ankles and wrists). These places are wiped from bottom to top with a damp baby wipe or swab dipped in boiled water. After drying soft cloth or a dry cotton swab, the folds can be lubricated with baby oil.

Mistakes of parents, after which there are irritations on the skin of the folds:

the skin is rubbed by the fabric from which it is sewn casual wear baby;
the baby was not changed on time, and he was in wet diaper, diaper;
after bathing, the skin folds were poorly wiped, and moisture remained in them;
the baby sweated at home or on a walk, and the parents did not pay attention;
the child is too wrapped up, the access of air to the skin is blocked.

Prevention of skin irritations in the folds of the newborn:

dress baby should be in loose clothing sewn with the seams on the outside and made of soft natural fabric;
change disposable diaper needed every three hours, a diaper and reusable diaper are replaced with clean ones after each pee. At night, it is permissible not to change the diaper for longer. If the baby poops, he washes and changes clothes immediately!
processing the baby after the bath should take certain time, during which the whole body is examined and blotted;
pay attention to general state baby's skin needs several times a day. This inspection is easy to do while you hold the baby in your arms and hug him. We just run our hands over the head, grabbing the area under the neck and at the same time touching the legs. If the head-neck-legs are wet, wipe them with a dry diaper cloth, remove the sliders or socks and send them to dry.
the baby is dressed according to room temperature in one layer. In the cool season, when the heating is turned off, the child simply puts on clean shirts and pants made of thicker and warm fabric. IN hot weather the baby should be left naked more often, in one diaper or without it.

What is the best way to handle wrinkles in a newborn

If, nevertheless, the skin of the baby was overlooked, then before the visit of the pediatrician, you need to understand what we are dealing with and what is the best way to process the folds. The options may be:

Diaper dermatitis

Allergic skin reaction to diapers, diapers. Occurs in the region of the inguinal folds in the case of a long stay of the child in a wet or damp diaper, diaper. In the case of dermatitis, moisturizers, Bepanthen ointment, zinc diaper cream are used to treat wrinkles in newborns, are recommended air baths.

diaper rash

It's inflammation skin folds. It may look like a slight redness, and in the neglected form it will be bright red with erosions, weeping cracks and rashes. Diaper rash is found all over the body, usually behind the neck, ears, in the armpits, elbows and knees, on the wrists and ankles.

Similar inflammatory processes, in general, occur in almost every baby. Only a daily inspection of potential helps to identify them. problem areas and daily treatment of the folds of the newborn.

It is better to wipe the folds of a newborn in case of diaper rash with warm boiled water or herbal decoction. Dried with a soft cloth, the folds are smeared with baby oil or cream. If redness was found during examination of the baby, then after washing, the folds should be lubricated with Bepanten, Panthenol, Banyocin ointments, zinc paste or diaper cream with zinc.

Prickly heat

Skin rash in the form of small pimples-blisters. Occurs in the folds of the neck, behind the ears, spreads throughout the body. To eliminate prickly heat, it is recommended that the child be without clothes for a long time, bathing in herbal decoctions and treating rashes with anti-inflammatory ointments. It is believed that with prickly heat it is better to treat the skin of newborns with talc, because. it has a drying effect.

The need for daily examination and treatment of the child on the changing table remains until the moment of his first growing up (4-6 months). By this age, the number of folds decreases, the neck stretches, the baby is already quite active, he begins to “defend” his rights to free movement and does not allow himself to be overly wrapped up.

The long-awaited moment has come. You and your baby are finally being discharged home from the hospital. While you were in the hospital, the staff of the department helped you in caring for your child, and everything seemed clear and understandable. But when you stay at home, one on one with your baby, everything seems much more complicated. So that you do not get confused, let's talk again about the hygiene of the newborn.

How to care for an umbilical cord

Why and why? The umbilical cord usually falls off on the 3rd-5th day of the child's life. In its place remains the so-called "umbilical wound", which heals by 10-14 days of life. In order to speed up the healing process and prevent infection from entering the wound, it must be looked after daily. It is more convenient to treat the umbilical wound after bathing the child. It's not hard at all, you can do it!

So, you will need: sterile cotton swabs, 3% hydrogen peroxide solution, salicylic alcohol.

First you need to: remove rings, watches from your hands, wash your hands thoroughly.
Unwrap the baby, wash it if necessary, and lay it on the changing table.
With the thumb and forefinger of the left hand, spread the edges of the umbilical ring (with the index finger, pull the skin above the navel up towards the chest, and with the thumb - the skin under the navel down).
Now take a bottle of peroxide in your right hand and put 1-2 drops directly on the umbilical wound. Wait 20-30 seconds for the peroxide to sizzle and foam - it washes away dead crusts, cleansing the wound. Continuing to hold the skin in the navel area with your left hand, take a sterile cotton swab with your right hand and dry the umbilical wound with gentle blotting movements. No need to try to remove those crusts that have not separated on their own - their time has not yet come. Perhaps they will fall off tomorrow or in a day.
Take another cotton swab, dip it in salicylic alcohol, spread the edges of the umbilical ring again. Gently but thoroughly pat the umbilical wound with a stick, and then wipe the skin around the navel in a circular motion.
Let the alcohol dry for a few seconds
That's all. You can put a diaper on the baby and swaddle it.

How to wash a newborn baby

Why and why? The skin of babies is much more delicate than that of adults, irritation and diaper rash occur very easily, so you need to wash the child every time after he had a stool. In addition, keeping the skin clean helps your baby develop the first skills of neatness.

If you are away from home, you can use special baby wipes instead of washing, but you should not completely replace washing with such a simplified skin treatment.

Little trick. Babies tend to have a habit of having a bowel movement after or during each feed. From this follows the conclusion that washing before eating is a thankless task.

First of all, you need to roll up your sleeves, remove rings, watches from your hands, adjust the temperature and pressure of running water. Prepare a thin diaper to dry your skin after washing. Very convenient to just hang it on your shoulder will always be at hand.
Unwrap the baby, remove the diaper from him.
It is more convenient to hold the child with the left hand, and wash with the right.
The boy is held face down when washing. Take the child so that he lies across your forearm with your chest, while you hold his shoulder with the fingers of your left hand. Oddly enough, but hanging in this position, the baby does not experience the slightest inconvenience.
The girl needs to be washed only from front to back, so as not to contaminate the genitals. Place the child on his back on the forearm of your hand, so that the head is in the elbow bend, and with your fingers you will hold her left thigh. This position allows you to securely hold the baby, and leaves you complete “freedom of action”.
Wash your child by taking water into the palm of your hand, gently moving from top to bottom, carefully removing impurities from the skin. It is especially important to wash all skin folds where dirt can accumulate and cause irritation. Do not use soap unless absolutely necessary; washing with soap once a week is sufficient.
Washing the girl, you do not need to "rub" the genitals, as the mucous membrane is very delicate. In addition, washing too vigorously removes the protective lubricant that keeps germs out of the genitals.
Dry your baby's skin after washing. Put the diaper on first lower part body of the baby and transfer it to the changing table. Then carefully blot the genitals, inguinal, gluteal and popliteal folds.
If necessary (presence of irritation), treat the skin folds with a small amount of baby oil.
Your baby is happy with life again. Now it would be nice to “ventilate the ass” for 5-10 minutes before putting on a new diaper.

Why and why? Bathing a newborn (hygienic bath) is carried out for all healthy children after the umbilical residue has fallen off. Before the umbilical wound heals, it is recommended to bathe the baby in boiled water or in running water, but a solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate) must be added to it.

Until your baby is six months old, it is advisable to bathe him daily; in the second half of life, you can do this every other day. As a rule, children really like to swim, because before birth, the water was theirs. native element. In the water, the muscles relax, the child is comfortable and calm. The duration of bathing in the first year of life is 5-10 minutes. Washing with soap is carried out no more than once a week. It is advisable to bathe the child no earlier than an hour after feeding, best of all - 10-15 minutes before evening feeding.

It is more convenient to bathe a newborn child together, most often the father is called to help, and in many families bathing a baby is exclusively father's “honorary mission”. Large and reliable man's hands with amazing tenderness they hold the tiny body of the baby, which contributes to the birth and development of close contact between the child and the father, who at these moments feels very needed. But if you have to do without an assistant - do not worry, you will do fine on your own.

Important! If the baby is unwell, has a fever or signs of skin irritation, it is better to postpone bathing until consulting a pediatrician.

You will need: baby bath, jug warm water for rinsing the baby, a special water thermometer, baby soap, a terry “mitten”, a large terry towel, diaper, baby oil, a changing table with prepared clothes for the baby, cotton buds with restraints or cotton swabs.

If the umbilical wound has not yet healed, prepare two containers with cold and hot boiled water or a solution of potassium permanganate to add to running water. A solution of potassium permanganate should be added to the water "drop by drop" until the water turns a slightly pink color. Before using potassium permanganate, make sure that the crystals are completely dissolved, as contact with a potassium permanganate crystal on the skin can cause a burn.

The air temperature in the room while bathing the child should be 22-24 degrees. You can bathe your baby in the bathroom, if it is spacious enough, or in the kitchen.

First of all, you need to prepare a bath - wash with a brush with soap and rinse with boiling water. Place the bath in a stable comfortable position and fill it ½ full with water. First pour cold, and then hot water to avoid the formation of steam. Now you need to immerse the thermometer in water. The temperature of the water in the bath should be 37-37.5 degrees. You can measure the temperature of the water with your elbow only if you have sufficient experience; a thermometer is always more reliable.
On the changing table, lay out the clothes for the baby, lay a towel on top, put a diaper on it for wiping. However, the diaper can be placed near the bath to make it more convenient for you to take it.
Undress the child, if necessary - wash. Take the baby so that the head lies on the forearm of your left hand, and with your fingers hold the baby’s left shoulder joint ( thumb grabs the shoulder from above, place the other fingers in the armpit). Right hand support the baby's buttocks and legs.
Slowly immerse the child in the bath: first the buttocks, then the legs and torso. With your left hand, continue to support the baby's head, the right hand is free to wash. The water level should reach the baby to the armpits.
Swing the child on the water back and forth, left and right. Your movements should be smooth, unhurried. Smile at your baby and talk to him gently.
If it is supposed to wash the child with soap, then the “mitten” is put on the right hand. Lather your body with soft in a circular motion and immediately rinse the soapy areas. First, wash your head from the forehead to the back of the head, then the neck, arms, chest, alive, legs. Rinse skin folds thoroughly. Wash your buttocks and genitals last.
Remove the baby from the water with the back up. Rinse the body and wash the baby's face with water from a pitcher. Put the diaper on the baby, put him on the changing table, dry the skin with gentle blotting movements.
Dry your ears with cotton buds or cotton swabs.
Lubricate the skin folds with baby oil. Treat the umbilical wound if necessary.
Swaddle or dress your baby.

Now for your baby to feel complete happiness, it would be nice to eat and sleep.

Newborn morning toilet

Why and why? We all know that “cleanliness is the key to health”, so every day we wash our faces, brush our teeth, take a shower or bath. Without these usual hygiene procedures, a person feels uncomfortable. For a newborn baby daily care behind the skin has much greater value than for an adult, in addition, the first cleanliness skills begin to form unconsciously already at such an early age.

The baby's daily toilet consists of washing, treating the eyes, nose, and skin folds. Until the umbilical cancer heals, it must also be treated daily. It is necessary to wash the child after a night's sleep and during the day whenever the child had a stool. auricles treated as necessary in case of contamination and dried after each bath. Toddler nails are trimmed as they grow.

You will need: cotton pads (cosmetic pads), cotton wool for making flagella, baby or vaseline oil, a container with warm boiled vodka, a container for used materials, scissors with rounded ends, cotton swabs with limiters, a set for treating an umbilical wound.

First you need to remove rings, watches from your hands and wash your hands. Prepare everything you need: open the bottle of oil,
wash the water container with soap, scald with boiling water, fill with warm boiled water,
twist flagella for the nose from small pieces of cotton wool about 3 cm long and 2-3 mm in diameter,
prepare a kit for treating the umbilical wound.

Now that you have everything at your fingertips, let's get down to business!

Washing and eye care

Washing a newborn baby is carried out with warm boiled water using cotton pads. Children older than 3 months can be washed with running water.

Take cotton pad, moisten with water, wring out lightly (so as not to flow). Wipe baby's face next sequence: forehead, cheeks and, last but not least, the area around the mouth. Dispose of this disc.

Then treat the eyes with cotton pads moistened with warm boiled water, separate for each eye, from the outer corner of the eye to the inner.

Take a dry cotton pad and dry the child's face in the same sequence.

Nasal care

The nasal passages of a newborn child are cleaned if there are crusts in them with soft cotton flagella moistened with petroleum jelly or baby oil.

Do not use hard cotton swabs. The right and left nostrils are cleaned alternately with separate flagella. Flagella are introduced into the nose with careful rotational movements, no deeper than 1-1.5 cm.

Skin wrinkle care

For the treatment of skin folds, children's or Vaseline oil. Ready-made baby wipes impregnated with oil are quite convenient. Oil can be moistened with a cotton pad, or you can simply apply it on your palms.

Important! Do not use oil and powder at the same time, because the powder in this case will roll into lumps, which can cause skin irritation and diaper rash.

First, lubricate the folds of the upper half of the body (from top to bottom) - behind the ear, neck, axillary, elbow, wrist. Then, with another swab, the folds of the lower half of the body (from bottom to top) - ankle, popliteal, inguinal, buttocks.

Now, so that the baby does not look like an oil donut, excess oil from the skin must be removed with a dry cotton pad.

Ear care

The auricles and external auditory canals after bathing should be dried from water. It is very convenient to use ready-made "ear" cotton swabs with limiters. If they are not there, you can make small tampons out of cotton. Gently pat your baby's ears dry using separate swabs.

If secretions (earwax) have accumulated in the external auditory canal, then you need to clean them with cotton swabs with limiters or cotton flagella moistened with petroleum jelly or baby oil. Insert the flagellum into the external ear canal with gentle rotational movements to a depth of no more than 0.5 cm. Use a separate flagellum for each ear canal.

Trimming nails

The nails of a newborn child need to be trimmed as they grow on the arms and legs so that the baby does not scratch himself. Convenient and safe special children's scissors with rounded ends.

Little trick. Many mothers are frightened by the mere thought that they will have to cut their nails on such tiny fingers that are constantly in motion. Therefore, everyone will be calmer if you do this “fine work when the baby is sleeping.

Hold the child's hand so that only one finger remains free, on which you are going to cut the nail. Grab your thumb and index fingers of your left hand, holding it on both sides, and with the rest of the fingers of your left hand you can hold the other fingers of the child.

Nails on the hands are cut in the form of a semicircle, on the legs - in a straight line, in order to avoid such trouble as ingrown nails in the future. You need to trim your nails with continuous movements of scissors, and not “in pieces”. Please check if there are any protruding sharp parts on the nails.

Do not forget to carefully collect the trimmed nails so that they, lost in the folds of clothes and underwear, do not injure the baby's skin.

The first days of a baby's life are an amazing and very responsible period for inexperienced parents. The first question they have is how to handle the navel of a newborn? It's not at all as scary as it seems. It is only necessary to choose the right solution, follow a certain technique of manipulation and take into account the regularity of the procedures.

The first time in the hospital, a special clamp is applied to the remainder of the umbilical cord

Care of the navel of the baby in the maternity hospital

Immediately after the birth, the rules come into force hygiene care for a child, one of mandatory milestones which is the treatment of the navel. The length of the umbilical residue at this point does not exceed two centimeters. Treat the navel in maternity hospital may be different.

public method. A metal or plastic clip is applied to the umbilical residue, the bandage is not used in this case. Until the discharge of the newborn, the remainder is treated daily with hydrogen peroxide and a solution of potassium permanganate. After no more than five days, the excess skin falls off, leaving behind a small wound.
On the second day after birth, the remainder of the umbilical cord is cut off with surgical scissors or a scalpel, followed by the application of a sterile pressure bandage. After two hours, it is weakened and removed after a day. The resulting wound is treated daily with hydrogen peroxide and potassium permanganate. Over time, the wound heals with the formation of a crust, which quickly disappears.

Depending on the type of treatment that the navel has undergone in the hospital, follow-up care is carried out at home.

After the crusts soften under the action of peroxide, you can carefully remove them with a cotton swab.

What is the best way to treat the umbilical wound of a newborn?

Among the most popular means used to treat the navel of a newborn, experts distinguish traditional preparations and novelties. They must be used correctly and for their intended purpose, otherwise a burn or sores may appear.

The traditional ones include:

3 percent or alcohol solution hydrogen peroxide. The first is instilled into the umbilical fossa, the second is moistened with a cotton swab, which is used to treat the umbilical ring.
2-5% potassium permanganate solution. It is a drying and disinfecting drug. Before treating the navel with the resulting liquid Pink colour, it is necessary to pass it through several layers of gauze, which will retain undissolved crystals.

Of the novelties, one can distinguish 1% chlorophyllipt solution. This is a unique drug. natural origin on the basis of an extract from an eucalyptus. The drug actively fights against streptococcal infection acting gently and without causing pain.

Not so long ago, it was customary to treat the umbilical wound of a newborn with brilliant green. Today, experts recommend abandoning this option, because it causes the appearance of a thin film on the skin that prevents rapid healing navel.

Treatment of the umbilical wound can be carried out using various special tools.

How to properly handle the navel of a newborn at home?

Complete wound healing takes about three weeks. Within 1-1.5 weeks, parents should treat the navel after daily bathing of the newborn. The technique of manipulation will be explained by the nurses in the maternity hospital or the patronage nurse.

To properly treat the wound, it is necessary to prepare a 3% hydrogen peroxide, a solution of potassium permanganate or chlorophyllipt, cotton swabs and swabs, a pipette.

Before treating the navel of a newborn, the baby must be bathed. Sometimes herbal decoctions are added to the bath, which also accelerates the healing of the umbilical wound.
After bathing a newborn, a few drops of hydrogen peroxide are dripped onto his navel.
You need to wait a few minutes, then the crust will soften.
The skin area around the navel is carefully moved apart, softened pieces of the crust are removed with the help of cotton swabs or discs, the skin is dried.
The navel is smeared with chlorophyllipt or potassium permanganate.

At first, the first stage will be accompanied by peroxide foaming, after a while this will pass. Such a reaction will indicate that the navel has healed.

If the umbilical wound has already healed, it makes no sense to continue the procedures for its treatment.

How many times a day and for how long should the navel of a newborn be treated?

At normal course recovery process, a daily one-time care for umbilical wound. When droplets of blood appear, it is necessary to treat the skin more often - up to three times a day.

If after three weeks the wound has not healed, despite the fact that the care was carried out correctly and regularly, you should consult a doctor. With the appearance of swelling around the navel, purulent discharge with bad smell, redness of the skin and anxiety of the newborn, it is also necessary to urgently seek help from specialists.

Sometimes there is increased bleeding of the wound, most often it is associated with the discharge of a very large crust. In this case, you can use a special hemostatic sponge.

The main thing that inexperienced parents should remember is that they should not be shy about seeking help or advice from doctors. The first days of a baby's life are one of the most exciting periods, and it is necessary that only positive memories of this time remain.

Daily hygiene procedures from the very beginning early age help the child quickly adapt to new conditions of existence, protect him from infections and create a feeling of comfort.

Every day before the first or second feeding, spend the morning toilet of the child: washing, caring for the eyes, ears, nose, natural body folds. Although the schedule daily procedures you can make your own - the main thing is that the basic rules are followed, and you and your baby are comfortable.

Morning procedures are usually carried out on the changing table. All necessary items care should be nearby so as not to be distracted for a minute and not leave the baby alone.

For hygiene procedures you will need:

boiled water,
sterile cotton wool (should be stored in a special resealable jar),
baby cosmetic oil, 3% hydrogen peroxide solution,
1% alcohol solution of brilliant green ("brilliant green"),
a solution of potassium permanganate ("potassium permanganate"),
wet baby wipes
baby milk or baby cream(diaper cream, protective baby cream),
dry diaper or napkins.

The baby is placed on a changing table covered with a clean diaper. The child can be undressed if the room is warm enough (22-24 ° C), since air baths are an excellent hardening procedure, they prevent diaper rash and prickly heat. If the room is cool, you need to undress the child gradually, as necessary for the procedures.

Eyes. Washing begins with eye treatment. With a cotton swab dipped in warm boiled water or brewed tea at room temperature (without aromatic additives), wipe one eye in the direction from ear to nose. Change the cotton swab and treat the second eye in the same way. For the treatment of each eye, it is necessary to use separate cotton swabs. This prevents the possible transmission of infection. If a child has discharge from the eyes, it is better to wash with cotton swabs soaked in a solution of furacilin (dissolve 1 tablet in 250 ml of boiled water) or chamomile decoction (2-3 tablespoons of chamomile pour boiled water and leave for 20-30 minutes for water bath, strain). You should definitely consult with pediatrician eye discharge may need eye drops or other treatment.

Nose. The baby has very narrow nasal passages, small dust particles can settle in them, with profuse regurgitation- to get droplets of milk. The baby does not know how to blow his nose, at the same time, difficulty in nasal breathing leads to anxiety of the child. Nasal passages are treated with twisted cotton flagella dipped in baby cosmetic oil. The oil softens the crusts, and the rotational movements of the flagellum help to remove these crusts from the nasal passages. Dry cotton flagella can be used to remove crusts from the nose after “oily” ones. Cotton buds it is not recommended to use for processing the nose, as well as the ears of a newborn baby, since the skin and mucous membranes of the child are very thin, delicate and easily vulnerable.

Ears. To prevent water from entering the ear canal, the baby's ears are wiped with a damp, well-wrung napkin. Be sure to examine the skin behind the ears - this is a common place for diaper rash 1. Lubricate the skin behind the ears with baby oil. The external auditory canal, like the nasal passages, is treated with cotton flagella, not sticks. This should be done very carefully, there is no need to strive to process the ear canals as deep as possible, since in newborns they are wide and short, the eardrum is close enough, and the skin of the ear canals is thin and delicate, so it is easy to injure the ear with a careless movement.

1 Intertrigo is an inflammatory lesion of skin folds that develops as a result of an irritating and prolonged moisturizing effect of skin secretion products ( sebum, sweat), as well as friction of contacting skin surfaces.

Mouth. A healthy baby's mouth special care does not require, however, during morning procedures it needs to be examined. To do this, lightly press your finger on the baby's chin. The mucous membrane of the oral cavity healthy child clean, moist, pink. The most common pathology that affects the mucous membranes is thrush - fungal disease. It is manifested by the appearance of a white curdled plaque on the mucous membranes. Can be treated to treat thrush oral cavity with a cotton swab dipped in a 2% soda solution (1 teaspoon per glass of boiled water) every 2-3 hours before feeding, but in any case, consultation of the attending pediatrician is required.

Leather. Babies are very tender sensitive skin, sweat glands underdeveloped. Therefore, careful and thorough care is required. especially close attention require natural folds - places the most frequent occurrence diaper rash. These are inguinal folds, armpits, perineal area, baby's neck, area behind the ears, palms, elbow and popliteal folds, intergluteal fold, interdigital spaces. In cases strong irritation or inflammatory process on the skin, you should consult a pediatrician.

Prevention of diaper rash is the timely change of wet diapers or diapers (diapers are changed at least 8 times a day, as well as after a stool), as well as thorough cleansing of the skin from feces and urine, correct selection clothes, treatment of natural folds with baby oil.

Overheating for babies is just as undesirable as hypothermia. In young children due to increased sweating and high sensitivity of the skin, prickly heat easily develops - a small-spotted itchy rash. Natural wrinkles during sweating should be treated with baby powder (talcum powder). It must be borne in mind that talc is used only without oil and baby cream. First, talc is poured on the hand, and only then applied to the body of the child and distributed over the skin. The best remedy for prickly heat is air baths, but you can not leave the child under direct sunbeams and in a draft. And in order to avoid sweating in the future, you need to abandon excessive wrapping of the baby and dress him according to the weather.

Washing away

You need to wash your baby after each stool. After urination, it is sufficient to use wet baby wipes. It is recommended to wash with running water from front to back, to the anus, so as not to bring the infection into the urethra. For girls, it is important to wash all the folds, for boys - thoroughly wash the scrotum and penis. To wash the buttocks, you can use baby soap, baby gel or body foam, but not every time, because with the very frequent use of these products, the protective grease is washed off. Baby cream or oil will prevent irritation and dry skin. In newborn girls, mucous membranes or bloody issues from the genital tract. This is the so-called sexual crisis - a reaction to the mother's sex hormones. At this time, the girl must be washed several times a day, in addition to the obligatory washing after the stool.

Bathing

bathe the baby better evening, before the last feeding, but you can transfer bathing to another time that is convenient for mom and baby. Before the procedure, the baby bath must be washed and rinsed with boiling water. A diaper or a special rug is placed at the bottom, you can hang a special hammock in the bath to support the baby while bathing. In the first weeks, a solution of potassium permanganate can be added to the water (up to a slightly pink color of the water). Herbal decoctions, widely used earlier, are currently recommended to be used with caution, since cases of skin allergic reactions are not uncommon.

The water temperature is 36.5-37.5°C, it is controlled by a special water thermometer. In the room where bathing takes place, there should be no drafts, and the air temperature should not fall below 20-22 ° C. The water level should reach the breast of the baby placed in the bath. Required accessories: a special sponge for washing the baby, a jug or bucket of water for rinsing (it can be 1 ° C lower than the temperature of the water in the bath). A towel should be prepared to wrap the baby after bathing. Detergents can be used no more than once a week.

When lowering the baby into the water, his head lies on the elbow of the left hand, with which the adult holds the child by the shoulder. With the right hand, they lather the head and body of the crumbs, thoroughly washing all the folds: under the chin, neck, behind the ears, inguinal folds, elbow and popliteal folds, genitals, palms (small children usually clench their hands into fists), between the buttocks, between the toes and hands. After that, the child is taken out of the bath and, turning his back, is poured over with prepared water from a ladle. Dry the baby with a soft towel or diaper, making careful soaking movements. Then they lubricate the folds of the skin with baby oil and wrap the child in a flannelette diaper. Bathing completed. Now, after a little rest, you can start feeding. The whole bathing procedure lasts approximately 5-7 minutes.

Hair care

Despite the fact that some babies have very little hair, care for them is necessary. It is necessary to wash the baby's head with special gentle baby shampoos with a neutral pH that do not irritate and dry the baby's skin. Herbs have a positive effect on the scalp and hair of a child (chamomile, sage, calendula have an anti-inflammatory effect, nettle and burdock root strengthen hair roots), but they must be used carefully: some herbs can cause allergies in a baby. Long and Thick hair you need to comb with a rare comb from natural materials: wooden or bone. If the hair is split or long bangs climbs into the eyes, they should be cut.

In the first months of life, babies on the scalp may appear seborrheic dermatitis(milk crust, or gneiss). His possible cause counts allergic reaction most often for protein cow's milk. In this case, in addition to excluding allergenic products from the diet, it is recommended to lubricate the scalp a few hours before bathing. vegetable oil, and after washing, comb out the softened crusts with a fine comb, on which cotton wool is combed (after the procedure, it is removed from the comb along with the crusts).

Frequent partial baldness (usually on the back of the head) can have several causes:

unchanging position of the child in the crib - in such cases it is recommended to periodically turn the baby;
increased excitability associated with damage to the nervous system;
at the age of 3-4 months - rickets, fungal or bacterial (pustular) infection;
hormonal problems.

In all cases, the child must be shown to the pediatrician.

Nail cutting

The nails of a newborn reach the fingertips, are very sharp and grow quite quickly. So that the baby does not scratch himself or his mother, they need to be cut. It is easiest to perform this procedure when the child is sleeping. You can use miniature children's tweezers or safety children's scissors with rounded ends. In order not to hurt the delicate skin, you should squeeze the fingertips during the haircut. Toenails are cut once every 1-1.5 weeks. Places of the most frequent formation of burrs in the corners nail bed can be smeared with brilliant green to prevent infection.

It is important that caring for the baby does not turn into a mechanical performance of a series of actions. If the mother communicates with the baby, smiles at him, talks about what and why she is going to do, he will perform all the procedures very willingly, perceiving them as a game, as beautiful and an exciting activity: after all, mom is nearby, her voice and smile soothe, so everything will be fine!

Newborn care must be very thorough and regular. Compliance with rules such as creating normal temperature conditions indoors, regular air baths, timely and regular bathing will save you from many care problems.

After all, this is what contributes to the creation of natural lubrication on the baby's skin and the formation of its protective layer. To do this, from various preparations, it is enough to have an ordinary baby cream, powder and herbs in the house, infusions that are recommended to be used when bathing a baby. But if you didn’t see something, and diaper rash appeared, then a problem arises - how to process the folds of the newborn.

Remembering "grandmother's recipes" you can sprinkle children's folds with starch or talc. In this case, powder will also work. But still for kids the best remedy- boiled vegetable or vaseline oil (or any baby oil). The main condition is that they should not cause allergic rashes. Oils have a beneficial effect on delicate and fragile infant skin prone to infection.

All without exception, the folds of the child need care. Do not forget about bathing in boiled water every morning and every evening, and once a week this process should take place using baby soap. Then you should carefully dry all the natural folds on the body of the crumbs with gentle blotting with a soft cloth. After that, the processing itself begins.

Crease Processing Order

For this process, it is necessary to moisten a cotton pad with any oil and start processing in the following sequence: first, the folds behind the ears, then on the neck, armpits, on the elbows and on the wrists. Do not forget to wipe all the ankle folds, be sure - the folds in the groin and, of course, the buttocks.

Important point- if you use only baby powder, then you should not lubricate the folds with oil, otherwise a hard-to-wash off “shell” will form in them, which can irritate more delicate skin causing breakouts and breakouts.