Welcoming a new baby into your life is an amazing experience. You’ll find yourself bursting with love and indescribable joy as you get to know each other and work out your own personal routine together.
Those first weeks of bonding are incredibly special, and it can be overwhelming too. No matter how many baby and parenting books you may have read in preparation, there will always come a moment when you find yourself feeling insecure about how to handle a new situation.
One of the most important aspects of childcare is hygiene: good hygiene is a prerequisite for good health. There’s no need to go overboard with expensive products, unnecessary gadgets and the obsessive use of disinfectant wipes. It’s all about finding simple and efficient ways to guarantee your child’s health and hygiene.
Build these five steps into your daily routine and you can rest assured you’re doing your best to keep your baby squeaky clean and out of germs’ way.
Diaper Changes & Skin Care
Changing your baby’s first diaper is guaranteed to turn into a memorable moment – just not necessarily one for the family photo album. No matter how daunting it felt the first time, you’ll be handling those diapers like a pro in no time.
It’s not always easy to get a wiggly little bundle of joy in happy baby pose to stay still for long enough to get the job done right. While it’s not always necessary to go through the full post-cleansing powder and/or creaming ritual, there are a few things you should never skip.
Always make sure you thoroughly clean your baby’s bottom and genitals with perfume-free wipes. Cleanse from front to back, never the other way around, especially for girls. Gently clean between the folds of a girls’ genitals.
Ensure that the side folds of the diaper are on the outside and not tucked into the diaper. This can cause great discomfort and irritation to your baby’s skin and genitals. Change newborns after every nap, feed, when their diapers feel wet or heavy or are clearly emitting a smell.
Some diaper brands develop a blue stripe when they are full which can be a great help in gauging whether it’s time for another trip to the changing table. Timely diaper changes will keep your baby from suffering skin irritations, keeping it soft and healthy.
Clean Cribs & Toys
People will try to convince you of all sorts of crazy cleaning and sterilizing techniques when it comes to creating and maintaining a hygienic environment for your baby. In truth, there’s no need to polish the floors daily – it’s your baby’s main hangouts and toys you should focus on.
A baby will never fail to leave some sort of mess in its wake – be it bits of food, spit-up, drool. And you’ll never know what kind of adventures their toys have been on when you weren’t looking, so ensure your child’s toys can be easily disinfected and cleaned.
Wipe your babies’ high chair, crib or cot, playmat, pram etc. down with a gentle detergent and warm water on a regular basis. Some of these items come with removable covers you can wash by hand or in the washing machine, such as car-seat and pram covers.
Scrub off any debris or stains and let the respective item or its cover airdry properly. This will also contribute to a fresh and clean smell both you and your baby will appreciate.
Baby Bath-Time & Products
Unlike the first diaper change, your baby’s first bath is definitely a memory you’re going to want to capture for the photo-album. Some babies hate bath-time, others love it as much as momma loves her bubble-bath.
Don’t submerge your baby in water until the umbilical cord has fallen off as this could lead to bacterial infections. Until then, softly give your baby sponge baths with warm water and gentle soap, if any.
Once your baby is ready for real baths, build it into your nightly bedtime routines every two to three days and steer clear of products containing perfume or alcohol as this could cause a rash or dry out their skin.
Clean Dummies & Bottle Teats
With a new baby in the home, a lot of your time will be spent cleaning: the child, their clothes, toys, beds, diapers, bottles and teats and dummies. And the one thing you’ll be cleaning the most besides diapers, will be the dummy.
Especially in later months, cleaning your baby’s dummies will become second nature, you’ll find yourself doing it automatically – at least twenty times a day. During a baby’s first few months, a sterilizing machine is a great choice for keeping your baby’s dummies and bottle teats clean.
It allows for deep cleansing batches, ensuring optimal oral hygiene for your child. Once your baby has weaned off the bottle and you only have the dummies to worry about, you can switch to dishwasher cleansing. Just ensure they are dishwasher safe and avoid using harsh detergents.
Facial Care & Emergency Wipes
Establish a pre-bath routine in which you treat your baby to gentle facials. Softly clean their eyes with a cotton pad of water and saline solution and wipe the outside of their ears clean. Use a flannel to wash behind their ears, where there tends to be a dirt build-up.
You’ll be cleaning your baby’s face several times a day – after feedings, spit-ups or particularly snotty colds and you won’t always want to go for the full rinse program. Find a baby-friendly moisturizer and keep soft wipes on hand for a quick clean on the go.
Keeping your baby’s hands clean is super important, especially once they start getting their hands into everything – only to suck on them two minutes later. Wash them regularly and always keep a pack of emergency wet wipes in your purse or diaper bag.
They’ll come in handy for all types of situations and are a simple solution to keeping your baby’s hands clean.
Leave a Reply