A guide for parents; Routine care of newborn- baby's hygiene, baby massage, baby's bathing, baby's clothes and baby's eye, ear, umbilical cord & diaper area

CARE OF NEWBORN

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It includes 

🔹 Hygiene 

🔹 Baby massage 

🔹 Bathing 

🔹 Dressing including swaddling 

🔹 How many times does a baby pass urine and stool? 

🔴 Hygiene during care of newborn

Newborns have weak immune systems and if they catch infection, it can become great cause of concern as they can get sick very fast. 

❇️ Separate room 

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🔹 Keep mother, baby and one attendee preferably grandmother in a separate well ventilated room 

🔹 No other person should be allowed inside the room till baby reach 4 kg of weight 

🔹 Even afterwards, no person should be allowed inside the room if he is having any form of infection 

sanitize your room twice a day

 In short...Hygiene is two thirds of a baby's health.

❇️ Personal hygiene of attendees 

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🔹 Daily bath

🔹 Cut the nail

🔹 Wash your hands regularly 

🔹 Wash hands with disinfectant before touching the baby

 In short...One who maintains cleanliness keeps away diseases 

❇️ Baby's personal hygiene 

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🔹 Daily bath

🔹 Trim your baby's fingernails 

▪️ The best time to trim your baby's nail is when she is asleep. 

▪️ Be vigilant to use appropriate clippers to cut nails properly without hurting him. 

🔹 Care of umbilical cord 

▪️ A newborn umbilical cord usually fall within two weeks after birth

▪️ Keep the umbilical cord area dry as it helps in fall

▪️ Expose the stump to air.

▪️ Let the stump fall off on its own 

️ Contact pediatricians if the umbilical area oozes pus or the surrounding area becomes red & swollen. 

 ▪️Also contact if it oozes blood or white watery discharge continuously 

 In short... Maximum sickness in baby can be prevented by hygiene 

🔹 Care of eyes

▪️ Cleaning should be carried out with a sterile wet gauze or cloth. 

️ Consult pediatrician if your baby's eye is having watery eyes or crusty eyelids or white spots inside the eye. 

🔹 Ear

▪️ Use clean cloth soak in warm not hot water

▪️ Gently wipe the ear from all sides 

▪️ Avoid inserting cotton swab or earbuds

▪️ No oil instillation in the ear

️ Consult pediatricians if the baby cries on touching the ear or any discharge from the ear.

🔴 Baby massage 

Routine baby massages have a variety of benefits. It is an old traditional practice in India which needs to be implemented all over the world. 

 In short...Touch is the first language we speak

❇️ Benefits of massage

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🔹 Help in emotional development. Trust & communication develop between you and your baby. 

🔹 Stimulates the circulatory and digestive system of a baby. Help in removing gasses & easing constipation.

🔹 Help in physical development like to strengthen muscle and even ease muscular pain.

🔹 Improve their sleep 

🔹 Help in weight gain 

 In short...Baby massage is about learning to communicate your love for your baby through touch

❇️ When to start massage 

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🔹 Start proper massage after 1 weeks

🔹 Initially place your baby on chest of the mother immediately after birth.

🔹 When you're holding and breastfeeding a baby, gradually start stroking their leg and back. 

🔹 Start proper massage after 1 weeks of age. 

❇️ How often to perform baby massage?

🔹 Daily as newborn massage is a great way to bond with a baby. 

🔹 Even you can perform twice a day 

 In short...Communicate your love through massage 

❇️ Best time for massage

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🔹 Just before bath

🔹 Just before sleep in night

 In short..A good time to massage your baby when she is awake but settled. 

❇️ What do I need for a massage?

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🔹 Well ventilated room

🔹 Coconut oil 

🔹 If your baby is having rash, consult your pediatrician for oil

🔹 Lay your baby on a towel and start massage 

🔹 Keep the dress of the baby ready for post massage 

 In short....Time spent with baby is worth every second 

❇️ How should I massage?

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🔹 Build massage into baby's daily schedule 

🔹 Start massage from toe to head

🔹 Makes stroke gentle, but firm 

🔹 If the baby cries, move to another body part or stop the massage. 

🔹 If she is enjoying, gently massage whole body from toe to head section by section 

 In short... Massage is quality time spent with baby

🔴 Bathing

Bathing a newborn not only cleans the baby, but it creates bond between mother and child. 

❇️ Sponge bath

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🔹 It is recommended till 2 weeks of life or intermittently during extreme cold weather 

🔹 Choose a flat hard surface 

🔹 Put a soft towel on the surface for your baby 

🔹 Collect warm not hot water in a bucket, a washcloth or towel, mild moisturizing soap, a diaper, clothes.

🔹 Undress your baby 

🔹 Lay your baby on his back in the prepared area

🔹 Wet the washcloth, wring out excess water and wipe your baby from face to toe giving special attention to crease under the arm, behind the ear and diaper area. 

🔹 You can use mild moisturizing soap 

❇️ Tub bath

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🔹 Once your baby is 15 day old, you can start tub bath. 

🔹 You can bath daily during summer season and alternate day during winter season. 

🔹 Best time to bathe depends upon the free time of parents, usually before baby sleep in the morning period. 

🔹 Take a warm not hot water in a tub

🔹 Collect all necessary items before you start bathing

🔹 Using one arm to gently support your baby's back, head and neck. 

🔹 Gently place the baby in the baby tub. 

🔹 Gently wash baby starting from head to toe by using mild moisturizing soap and shampoo for hair. 

🔹 Clean diaper area last. 

🔹 If older baby enjoy tub bath and not having dry skin problems, let her enjoy their for a few minutes. 

🔹 Lift her out of the tub and quickly wrap her in a towel. 

🔹 Dry your baby or pat her skin to dry if baby is having dry skin problems. 

🔳 Don't during bath

🔹 Avoid putting anything inside the ear or nose 

🔹 If baby is not enjoying, go for sponge bath 

🔹 Never leave the baby alone in the bath tube.

 *Remember...* The greatest gift to your baby is quality time spent with them.

🔴 Dressing of the baby

🔹 It depends upon season not on old concept of keeping hot.

🔹 Make sure baby is little warm, nor overheated or frozen cold. So keep on changing dressing according to the home environment.

🔹 What are you wearing?  If you are comfortable in T-shirt & shorts in summer and jacket in Winter, then, your baby will be comfortable in similar clothing. 

🔹 To achieve a little warm baby, it is advisable to dress the baby in layers. If you think the baby is getting too hot, you can remove layers or too cold, you can add layers. 

🔹 Choose clothes that are comfortable for baby and easy to put on & off

❇️ Hot weather 

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🔹 In extreme hot weather, a single layer cotton dress is good enough. 

🔹 You can add layers when things cool down particularly at night. 

🔹 Avoid socks, hat, blankets and Polyester, Nylon or synthetic dress as it might cause overheating 

🔹 If going outside, cover your head with single layer cotton.

🔹 What about wrapping 

▪️ It is advisable to wrap the baby below 2 months 

▪️ In hot days, strip them down to his nappy and wrap them in white cotton cloth leaving the head uncovered. 

🔹 Sign of overheating 

▪️ Baby is irritable

▪️ Skin that is unusually warm to touch 

▪️ Rapid breathing 

▪️ Contact your pediatrician immediately 

❇️ Winter season 

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🔹 Dress your baby in layers to keep them warm and comfortable 

🔹 For the first layer, it is advisable to use cotton fabric and in freezing environment, use woolen clothes 

🔹 If you think baby is not warm, add a light jacket or sweater 

🔹 Cover baby head and ear with warm woolen clothes. 

🔹 You can add woolen socks on their feet.

🔹 Sign of frozen cold 

▪️ Baby will be lethargic 

▪️ Baby will be unresponsive

▪️ Contact your pediatrician immediately 

 Remember..Babies grow out of clothes quickly so buy only a few dresses

🔴 *How to clean baby dresses* 

🔹 Check the brand level for washing instructions 

🔹 Pre-soak in warm water to kill a lot of germs and bacteria 

🔹 Wash baby clothes separately. The bacteria from other clothes does not transfer to the baby's clothes. 

🔹 Use mild detergent to clean the baby clothes 

🔹 After washing clothes, rinse again in tap water to remove excess detergent to prevent irritant dermatitis. 

🔹 Always dry in hot Sun.

🔴 Know about your baby urine and stool 

❇️ Urine

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🔹 Baby should pass first urine before 48 hours of birth. 

🔹 Baby passes 8 to 12 times urine in a day. As the baby grow older, she passes less urine. 

🔹 During winter, she may pass urine more than 12 times also

🔹 During Summer, she may pass urine less than 8 times.

🔹 Consult pediatrician 

▪️ Urine output less than yesterday 

▪️ Urine became dark yellow or reddish. 

▪️ If it is associated with excessive cry 

❇️ Stool

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🔹 Baby should pass stool before 24 hours of birth. 

🔹 It is normal for some babies to passes stool 8 to 20 times in a day depending upon diet of mother, still consult pediatrician for this

🔹 It is normal for some babies to pass stool once in 5 days which is soft in consistency. It depends upon the diet of mother still consult pediatrician for this. 

🔹 Consult pediatrician 

▪️ If baby's stool color is dark green or blackish

▪️If baby poops hard stool

▪️ If it is associated with excessive crying. 

❇️ Care of Diaper area

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🔹 Always use home made cotton diapers 

🔹 Use commercial diaper if you are going out of the home 

🔹 Change the diaper immediately when a skin is exposed to wetness.

🔹 Clean the diaper area with lukewarm water and use another cotton cloth for drying it by patting the diaper area. 

🔹 Keep the diaper area open for a few minutes before using another diaper. 

🔹 Wash the diaper clothes separately using same technique as washing the routine clothes. 

🔹 Consult pediatrician 

▪️ If diaper area become red 

▪️ If vaginal area become red or bleeding from vagina 

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 Remember.....Gaining knowledge is the first step to wisdom and sharing it is first stepping to humanity.

Dr Ashish Agrawal, Pediatrician and expert in child behavior, education and developmental problems.

Ph: 8888126037, 7057551985

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