Some parts of the baby cannot be washed even if they are dirty. If they are washed incorrectly, they will harm the baby. Novice parents should keep in mind
Today’s parents are all looking for delicacy and cleanliness, and their children are often bathed after birth. However, this approach may not be good for a newborn baby, but may wash off his “protective barrier” and cause harm.
My husband made such a mistake before, the baby was born with a layer of fetal fat and looked dirty. So he rushed to the nurse in disgust and said: Do you want to wash off this white film on your body? Fortunately, the nurse did the science in time.
Prenatal fat is essentially a protective layer. Since the external temperature is lower than that of the uterus, it has the effect of maintaining the baby's body temperature. And the fat will usually disappear automatically, no special cleaning is required.
In addition to fetal fat, there is a lot of knowledge in baby care. Even if some parts are dirty, you should avoid them when you take a bath, otherwise, if you wash them wrongly, you will harm the baby. Novice parents must keep this in mind.
Which parts of the baby's body are dirty and can't be washed?
There are many places to pay attention to when taking a newborn bath. Before that, it is a responsible behavior to understand the relevant knowledge.
The "Baby Care Encyclopedia" wrote: When novice parents bathe their children for the first time, do not touch the navel, ears and fontanelle.
Even if you feel that these parts are very dirty, don't wash them specially, otherwise, the baby will get sick.
- Belly button
Before birth, the baby's navel is connected to the mother's body through the umbilical cord, which is the transmission channel that sustains his growth and development.
After birth, the child's umbilical cord is cut, leaving an open wound. The incision will heal over time and then fall off, keeping the navel dry during this time and for some time after it falls off.
Although the umbilical cord looks dirty when it scabs, don't do special treatment, as long as you pay more attention to disinfection.
In fact, sometimes parents just want to clean the skin next to their child's belly button, but accidentally get it wet. In this case, timely disinfection is particularly important to avoid infection.
In addition, if parents find that the baby's umbilical cord is secreting abnormal substances and accompanied by odor, they must go to the hospital for examination in time to determine the cause.
- ears
When your baby is born, it may look dirty all over, and there may be a lot of earwax in the ears.
Even so, ear cleaning cannot be done casually, especially with ear scoops. The ears and eardrums of newborns are very fragile and may become inflamed if irritated by a hard object.
In fact, the child's ear itself has a cleaning function. After the earwax accumulates to a certain level, it will fall off on its own. Parents clean it specially, but they do bad things with good intentions.
- fontanelle
Mothers who have given birth will find that there is often a lot of dirt on the newborn's head.
But don't clean them in the bath because of obsessive-compulsive disorder, because the fontanelle of the newborn is not closed yet, it is open, and rubbing it vigorously may lead to infection.
Generally, it is necessary to wait until the baby's fontanelle is closed before cleaning with tea oil.
Although I understand these three major premises, there are still many novice parents who make mistakes in the process of bathing their children, and it is still necessary to talk about it.
Dos and Don'ts of Bathing Your Baby
- The frequency cannot be too high
Some parents think that taking more baths can keep them clean and reduce the chance of infection, so they bathe their children once a day, but this view is not correct.
"The American Academy of Pediatrics Newborn Infant Care Book" wrote: The frequency of bathing the baby should not be too high, usually no more than three times a week, and if the body is not particularly dirty, the bathing process can also be simplified.
This is because the stratum corneum of the baby's skin is very thin, and frequent bathing will cause damage to the skin and may induce eczema.
- The time should not be too long
Babies love to play with water, but don't let him stay in the tub for too long. The bathing time of a newborn is generally no more than 10 minutes, and no longer than half an hour.
First, if the time is too long, the baby may catch a cold; second, the major systems of the baby's body are not fully developed, and if the bath is too stuffy, there may be a lack of oxygen.
- The timing of bathing is particular about
It is best to control the time of bathing the child between two feedings, because the child has just finished drinking milk or eating, the blood oxygen supply is reduced, and it is easy to get sleepy.
If you take a bath at this time, it is easy to stimulate the gastrointestinal tract, resulting in vomiting, crying and so on.
- Use special bath products for infants and young children
Babies' skin is weakly alkaline and has a thin stratum corneum, while adult shampoos and body washes are generally acidic, which can irritate your baby's skin.
Don't cause harm to your baby because you are lazy or don't want to buy baby toiletries.
In addition, when buying toiletries for your baby, you should know more about them, and tend to those that are mild and non-irritating.
Of course, before bathing your child, you must make adequate preparations in advance, spread out the clothes and towels you will wear after bathing, dry your body in time after bathing, and hold it in a warm place.
All in all, parenting is no small matter, and bathing is also worth noting. Don't be too obsessive-compulsive. Some parts of the baby cannot be cleaned. Only by understanding this kind of knowledge can the baby be adequately protected.