The first bathing of the baby causes a lot of anxiety among the parents: they are afraid of infection, the fright of the baby, their inexperience. There is no need to worry about bathing - babies love this procedure very much and always enjoy the water.
It is important to correctly organize the first bathing of the baby. It can be done immediately after discharge from the hospital or the next day, depending on when the child was vaccinated against tuberculosis. The doctor in the hospital should warn the young mother when it is best to start bathing. Many parents fear that they may damage or contaminate the umbilical wound while bathing. This will not happen if you are serious about bathing your baby and strictly follow all the instructions.
How to prepare everything you need
It is best to transfer your baby's bath time to the evening and spend it before feeding. In the following days, you will need to adhere to the chosen time for bathing and feeding, then the baby will develop a habit, and he will associate bathing with subsequent feeding and sleep, so it will become easier to calm down and fall asleep faster.
You should prepare in advance all the things that you will need during and after bathing, as well as invite a second person to help - the baby's grandmother or dad. At first, the child does not know how to hold the head, so in the bathroom one person will have to hold it with both hands, and the second one will have to wash or water it with water. First, prepare a bath and boil water. Until the baby's umbilical wound heals, this lasts from 14 to 22 days. It will only need to be washed in purified water, not tap water. Pour hot water into the bath and let it cool down to 37-38 degrees, at this time prepare a towel and clothes: diapers - warm and thin, undershirts - also warm and thin, a cap and a diaper. Along with this, you need to have on hand baby oil or powder for treating the baby's skin, a cotton swab, brilliant green and hydrogen peroxide to disinfect the wound.
How to bathe and dry a child
In the bathroom at this time, the water should already cool down to the desired temperature. Bring a jug of the same clean water there and add a few drops of potassium permanganate to the bath. Undress your child and put him in the water. There should be not so much water in the baby bath - about 15 cm will be enough. Gently hold the baby by the head, body, buttocks and legs, calmly immerse him in the water and let him get used to the temperature. The baby's head should not sink deep into the water, but it's okay if you wet the umbilical wound. Then gently lather the baby's head, hands, legs and body with baby soap, turn it over onto the tummy and lather the back. Then wash the back and belly of the baby with water from a jug. When there is no more soap on the body, take the baby out of the tub, wrap it in a towel and take it to the room. The first bathing should not last more than 2-3 minutes, and after that you can carry out procedures for 10-15 minutes, but make sure that the water does not cool down.
Dry the baby thoroughly on the changing table or sofa and let him dry a little more without clothes. Thoroughly and gently blot any wrinkles on your baby's body. It is very important that no moisture remains in them. Use a cotton swab or cotton swab to treat all wrinkles with oil or powder. Then disinfect the umbilical wound by dropping a little hydrogen peroxide and brilliant green into it. Wait for the products to dry and dress your baby. Put on a thin undershirt backwards, and a tight one as usual. Then the turn of the diaper and the cap. And then wrap the baby in a thin and thick diaper. Now is the time to feed the tired baby.
