Care of the baby’s face and hair

Bathing a newborn is an opportunity for both baby and mother to band and interact through touch. It is alright for the mother to feel a bit nervous, especially if the baby is fussy. Nevertheless, it takes the baby a few baths and once the practice is routine, then he will happily splash the water while getting cleaned. It is also important for the mother to ensure she is relaxed and uninterrupted when performing the task. Also, she should have every bathing item she needs within her reach. In this first part series of taking care of a newborn’s hygiene, here are tips for cleaning and care of the baby’s face and hair:

Washing baby’s hair

• After undressing the baby, wrap the rest of his body in a towel to keep him warm.
• Carefully check the temperature of the bath water with the inside of your wrist, to ensure it is comfortably warm and not hot.
• Hold the baby securely, with his head facing away from you’ and towards the basin. His face should be up.
• Rub a small amount of mild baby shampoo into his scalp and massage gently.
• Then rinse baby’s hair thoroughly to remove all traces of the shampoo and gently pat it dry with a soft towel.
• Be fast in drying the hair as leaving it wet could lead to rapid loss of heat to the rest of the body. Washing baby’s face .
• After the hair is clean, hold baby in a safety grip over the bath or basin with your arm supporting her back and head.
• Gently wash each eye with a piece of damp cotton wool wiping from the inside and near the nose, to the outside. Use a fresh cotton ball for each eye.
• Be sure to use a clean area of the cotton wool for each wipe of the eye.
• Use another piece of cotton wool to gently wipe baby’s face.
• Wipe the rest of the baby’s face with a flannel soaked in the bathing water, raking care to clean the outer ears. The insides of the ears are self cleaned by wax so do not touch. Wipe the outside, but do not try to probe with a cotton swab, as it may push the wax further inside the ear. This also applies to the nose. Do not try to clear mucus by inserting a cotton bud. Just wipe the nostrils and the areas around where mucus may be visible. If the baby has a stuffy nose, ask the paediatrician to recommend a nostril syringe.
• Remember to cleanse baby’s mouth, cheeks, chin and the folds of the neck after every feed. This removes any possible traces of food, milk or saliva, which may cause accumulation of germs and lead to irritation.

Care of the cradle cap 
Sometimes a mother may notice crusty, unsightly patches ,. on the baby’s scalp that seems like dandruff, but is actually known as cradle cap.

• This is a common condition with babies. It is caused by overactive sebum-producing glands, which produce a lot of oil, and is not as a result of poor hygiene.
• Gently rub baby oil onto baby’s scalp and leave overnight to help loosen any crusty patches.
• Carefully brush these out with a fine-toothed comb, a fingernail brush or a soft toothbrush. Prevent cradle cap from recurring by using a specially formulated baby shampoo that will not aggravate these glands, ensuring that you rinse baby’s hair thoroughly.

Care of baby acne

• It is not only in adolescents that acne appears; at times you may notice some rashes or spots on the baby’s forehead or allover his face, probably due to a skin irritation, reaction to ointment or skin allergies.
• Never try to pick or squeeze the pimples as it may result to a lot of pain.
• Gently pat the. areas affected with paper towels to ensure it is always dry.
• After a few days, the condition will disappear.

END: BL 26 / 6