Bathing

Bathing a baby in the early days after birth is scary for many parents but with practice parents become experts.

First of all decide on a warm draught free place and gather all the items for the bathing procedure together including the clothes for dressing the baby in afterwards.

You will need:

• A soft clean cloth or a soft coral sponge for washing your baby
• A bath with some water. The normal bath in your bathroom can be used or you can use a baby bath, there are several on the market to choose from.
• A baby changing mat, towel and soap, a simple non perfumed soap is the soap of choice.
• A bin or bag for waste
• Put the cold water in first and then add the hot water. Test the temperature with your elbow. It should feel comfortably warm
• Wash your hands
• Undress the baby down to the nappy and put the baby on his/her back. Wash your baby’s face, neck & ears with cotton wool. Babies have lots of creases and it is important to check all of them and clean them. Clean behind the ears because this is where dry skin collects and if not removed will cause a skin infection. Then wash under the armpits for the same reason. It will be necessary to stretch the arm, do this gently but enough to expose the armpit
• Have a look at the back of the knees and clean the creases there.
• All this should take just a minute or two. Then remove the nappy
• Gently wet the cloth and put soap on it and quickly wash your baby’s body
• Gently lower your baby into the water on his/her back supporting the head and shoulders on your hand and forearm if the baby is too young to sit.
• Use the cloth with the other hand to rub over your baby’s body to remove the soap
• Remove your baby from the bath and dry on the towel making sure you also dry the creases.
• If the area is red in the creases apply some Vaseline or Bepanthene Cream Washing your babies hair
• For babies will little hair wash with a little soap rinse the scalp with your hand during the bath by using your hand to pour some water over it
• Babies with hair might need a little shampoo on the wet hair and rinsed off in the same way by supporting the head and shoulders as you tilt the head back in the bath and using you other hand to pour the water carefully over the head
• Alternatively the hair can be washed by wrapping the baby in a towel and holding the baby over the bath using the other hand to shampoo the hair and rinse it with the water.
  Cradle Cap
• Cradle cap looks like crusty, greasy deposits stuck on the head. The best treatment for it is to moisturise the skin with Aqueous Cream, which is a water based cream, and gently use a fine tooth come to lift the crust off. It is necessary to be gentle otherwise the skin will become damaged. Start at the edges of the cradle cap and over a week or two gradually remove the dry, greasy, crusty deposits continuing to moisturise the scalp daily Nappy Changing & Prevention of Nappy Rash
• Change the nappy often because this will prevent nappy rash
• Change as soon as it is wet or soiled because this way urine and pooh are not in contact with the skin for long periods
• Washable nappies should also be changed frequently and nappy liners used
• Washable nappies should be soaked in detergent and washed at a high temperature
• Waste or fluid from disposable nappies should be disposed of in the toilet
• Baby’s bottom should be washed with a simple non perfumed soap and water. Baby wipes should not be used routinely but can be used on the occasions when babies are away from their home and it is not convenient to use soap and water.
• Dry the baby’s bottom properly by patting but make sure it is dry before putting on a new nappy
• Barrier creams help to protect the skin from moisture and the most effective creams are liquid paraffin type creams e.g. Vaseline or Bepanthene Cream but there may be others also worth trying
• Talcum powders are best avoided
• Always wash your hands before and after nappy changing
• Most nappy rash is mild and can be treated effectively by carefully following the above guidelines
• Thrush infections in the Nappy Area
• Thrush or Candida infection is a type of fungus. Small amounts of candida normally live on the skin without any harm. Under certain conditions sometimes they multiply and cause infection. Common sites are the mouth, skin and vagina.
• Follow the guidelines above fro nappy rash
• Your Doctor or Health Visitor will diagnose the thrush infection and prescribe an anti-fungal cream.
• The anti fungal cream should be applied to the area and rubbed well in followed by the application of the barrier cream. It is best to use Vaseline when using an anti fungal cream because it does not react with the cream which can happen with zinc & castor oil cream and reduce the effect of the prescribed anti fungal treatment. It should be applied to the area three times a day according to the manufactures guidelines. The treatment should be continued for a further fourteen days after the nappy rash has cleared.
• Sometimes a combination cream is prescribed which contains an anti fungal& a mild steroid to reduce the inflammation

Frances Byatt-Smith RN RHV BA Psychology

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