Neither phone nor doorbell nor barking dog should distract you when
bathing your baby.
Bathing
You do not have to bathe your baby every day (three times a week is
fine), and bath time does not have to come at the same time every day.
But whenever you do bathe your baby, remember safety. To avoid falls,
never leave the baby on a high place. And never leave the baby alone in
a tub of water. Place everything you need for the baby’s bath and
dressing within easy reach ahead of time so that you will not have to
turn your back to find anything.
Either an ordinary, small plastic tub or an inflatable plastic tub
placed on the kitchen table lets you bathe the baby while you are
standing. This position is more comfortable and safer than bending over
a full-sized tub.
Line the tub with a diaper or towel to keep the baby from sliding
around. There are also spongelike fitted devices available that fit into
the sink or tub to aid in bathing the young infant. Use only a small
amount of water until you get used to handling the baby. The water
should be about body temperature, or 98° F. (37° C), which will seem
neither hot nor cold when you test it on your wrist or inner elbow. With
one hand under the baby’s head, and the other under the buttocks or
grasping both legs, lower the baby into the tub. Let the baby sit in the
tub, leaning back a little. To support the
baby’s head, hold your arm behind the baby’s neck and grip the baby’s
arm under the armpit. First, wash the baby’s face without soap. Then,
with soap, wash the scalp and the rest of the body. When you are
finished, lay the baby on a towel and pat the baby dry. Do not rub the
baby’s tender skin with a rough towel. Take special care to keep baby
powder with talc away from the baby’s head so that the baby does not
inhale the powder. Inhalation of powder can lead to a serious breathing
problem.
At each bath, wash the scalp with a mild soap, then comb the scalp with
a fine-tooth comb. This helps prevent cradle cap (a crust that forms on
the baby’s scalp).
Whenever you bathe a baby girl, gently clean between the folds of the
labia where a cheesy substance accumulates. When bathing an
uncircumcised boy, never forcibly retract the foreskin. The foreskin
will have loosened enough to be retracted over the head of the penis by
the time the baby is two years old. At that time it is important to
cleanse under the foreskin at each bath.
