The first bath of a child is a very exciting procedure. Some parents do not want to bathe their baby until the umbilical wound has healed or until the doctor permits. The latter, of course, needs to be obeyed, but on many issues the opinions of medical workers differ. The problem of the first bath is no exception.
Children love water, it relaxes, soothes, has a beneficial effect on health. It is best to bathe the child every day, even if the umbilical wound has not yet fully healed. Do this at the same time, preferably before feeding, then the child will associate the bath with a pleasant end to the day, he will calm down and fall asleep faster.
When to bathe your baby
There is no need to be afraid of the baby's first bath. If you follow some recommendations, the child can be washed on the very first day after discharge. To do this, you need to consult a doctor at the hospital and know when the vaccine against tuberculosis was given. If it is done just before discharge, you will be able to bathe the child only in a day, if earlier, after arriving home, you can immediately take a bath.
The parents should not have fear and uncertainty, otherwise they will be passed on to the child, then the first acquaintance with water may not be so successful for him: the baby will be pinched, and subsequently he may have a persistent fear of bathing. While water is a habitual environment for him, it is not in vain that they say that young children can swim perfectly, do not drown and do not start to swallow water convulsively, risking drowning.
How to properly bathe your baby
Some experienced parents and doctors advise mothers not to bathe, but to rub the baby's body until the umbilical wound heals. In principle, such advice is not entirely unfounded, especially if there is a risk of infection, when the healing is not going well. However, the wound will finally last only 10-18 days of life, and it is too difficult for a child to remain without a bath all this time. Imagine yourself in his position, especially if the weather is hot outside. Therefore, it will be okay if you still decide to make a bath.
To do this, prepare boiled water heated to 37-38 ° C, in such water you need to bathe the child all the time until the navel heals. Add a few drops of potassium permanganate to the bath so that the water turns a pale pink color. Now it is completely disinfected and will not harm the baby, even if it gets into the wound. In the first bathing of the child, you need to wash it with baby soap, and then you need to alternate with plain water - soap it several times a week, and the rest of the time just water the baby's body with water. Until the age of 20 days, strictly adhere to the rules for preparing a bath, later it will be possible not to boil the water, add herbs to it for relaxation and aroma. In winter, if the house is cool, alternate bathing with body rubbing with warm water.
