Bathing a child: important points. Water procedures for a baby according to science. How many times a week can you bathe a newborn? What time should you bathe a newborn?

Your baby is growing rapidly! Time flies and the baby is already 2 months old. Now the baby begins to recognize his mother and smiles when she appears in his field of vision. He used to smile too, but it happened a little differently, unconsciously. Now you may notice that he smiles at your words or at your glance consciously, joyfully, specifically for you, and not just like that. This smile is the child’s first communication with mom and dad, now the closest people in the world to him and a clear sign of readiness for dialogue, for conscious perception and knowledge of the world around him.

What can a 2 month old baby do?

Visual concentration improves. Now the baby sees much further than before, at a distance of 50 centimeters or more. He studies his mother's face with interest, carefully watches the moving objects that come into his field of vision, his gaze is purposeful.
While on his stomach, he can hold his head only for a short period of time – 5–10 seconds. Turns his head towards the sound.
He reacts to the appearance of people close to him in his field of vision, running and running, starting to coo, actively moving his legs and arms. Pronounces various vowel sounds.
Examines objects located no further than 50 centimeters from him or toys hanging above the bed.
Likes to suck fists or fingers when he accidentally bends them.

At the age of 2 months the baby sleeps approximately 16–18 hours a day, of which he can sleep about 6 hours at a time at night without waking up. A total of 9 to 10 hours of sleep per night is required. It is important to remember that a baby’s skull at 2 months is still very soft! When putting your baby to bed, change his position in bed from time to time to avoid deformation and improper fusion of the skull bones. Children at the age of two months already distinguish between day and night, and therefore sleep longer at night than during the day.

At this stage of its development, the baby adapts to its environment. At this age, he had already mastered the first communication skill - smiling. It is different from the grimace that was before. The smile becomes truly radiant, attractive and simply mesmerizing. The baby gives it to any person who talks to him, and, of course, first of all to his parents - mom and dad.

Interestingly, at 2 months the infant already recognizes his mother by voice, smell or face, but, nevertheless, continues to study her, following her with his eyes as she moves around the room in which the baby is.

Mom, in turn, begins to understand her baby more and more, why he cries, what he wants. He partly understands the differences in behavior, what’s wrong with him: he’s hungry, or maybe he’s become hot, cold or wet. He learns to figure out what the child wants at the moment through his crying, which now changes intonation, indicating a call or request: to just be approached; fed him when he was hungry; held in arms; took time to play.

Watch your baby, and you will notice that he already knows how to show emotions: he is happy, realizing that the moment of feeding is coming, he may worry before bathing. Despite the fact that your child is still very young, he is already beginning to understand how loved ones react to his crying when he wants this or that.

Development at 2 months

At 2 months, the nervous system continues to actively form and become more complex. The reactivity of innate reflexes decreases. Your baby constantly strengthens movement skills, develops coordination, thereby acquiring conditioned reflexes. Increased physical activity requires increased attention from parents, since lack of supervision can lead to a fall and injury, even if the toddler does not crawl too quickly. Don't leave your child alone. The toddler's movements are more purposeful than before, and he really enjoys exploring his new abilities.

Due to the fact that the child was in a bent state for a significant part of his life in the mother’s womb, he will keep his legs and arms pressed to his body for a long time, and his fingers clenched into fists. From time to time he straightens his legs and arms, stretches, while unclenching his hands. By the end of the second month, the baby will learn to open the hand and keep it in a relaxed state. The neck muscles also develop. To speed up the process of their development, you should put the baby on his tummy more often.

Care at 2 months

The most important indicator that your baby is absolutely healthy is his stool is light yellow in color and has a slightly sour smell. At this age, stool occurs 2 to 4 times a day, and if the child is fed artificially, the stool will be a little dense.

Remember that at this age the skin is very delicate and sensitive, and first of all it is irritated by feces and urine. Monitor the condition of diapers, do not leave children in wet clothes for a long time. Another important point: when changing a diaper, do not forget to wipe the intimate places on the child’s body with special wipes for children or wash them under running warm water. The wipes should be damp and without any strong odors.

You ask, how often to bathe a 2 month old baby? At this stage of development, it is best to bathe children twice a week, adding a decoction of chamomile or St. John's wort to the bathtub. Frequent use of baby soap or shampoo while bathing a child will have an adverse effect on children's skin, because... she is easily irritated, very tender and sensitive. And decoctions of chamomile or St. John's wort have a beneficial disinfectant and anti-inflammatory effect on children's skin, eliminating allergic rashes and soothing the body.

Hygiene. Sometimes red rashes in the form of pimples can be found on the face of a two-month-old baby. This is not a cause for concern - this is how maternal hormones, which come with breast milk, are removed from the baby’s body. If the rash does not stop within 4-6 weeks, contact your pediatrician to rule out other causes. Also monitor the condition of your scalp. At 2 months it peels off and has a scaly covering - the so-called newborn gneiss. This is due to the fact that the baby’s excretory function of the sweat and sebaceous glands is still poorly developed. Believe me, this does not cause any discomfort in children, and the peeling itself will gradually disappear over time.

Watch your nails. Nowadays their growth is incredibly accelerating. It is better to cut nails during the day, when the baby is awake, and not before bedtime, since a child who is capricious after cutting his nails does not fall asleep for a long time. For this procedure, you need comfortable, well-cutting children's scissors that will not cause strong antipathy in children during subsequent procedures.

The baby has been growing and developing for 2 months, so his body has changed significantly compared to an earlier period. Continue to improve your health walks in the open air, spending a total of two to four hours a day, depending on the time of year.

With proper development and nutrition from the beginning of the second month, by the end of the month the child will grow by 3–5 cm and gain 560–1100 grams in weight.

Bathing a newborn will become a pleasant and favorite procedure for parents and baby if the process is properly organized. Bathing is designed not only to ensure cleanliness of the skin, but also contributes to the hardening and physical development of the baby. Very often, young parents who have brought their baby from the hospital wonder how often to bathe their newborn child.

How often should you bathe your baby in the first month?

Pediatricians have different opinions about when to start bathing a newborn and how often he should be bathed. Some experts are confident that healthy full-term babies can begin to be bathed immediately after discharge from the hospital, but do not wet the umbilical wound. While other pediatricians advise starting to bathe the baby only after the umbilical wound has completely healed, i.e. in 1-2 weeks. Parents who decide to wait until the navel is completely healed should carefully clean the baby's skin, especially the folds and diaper area, with a cotton swab dipped in warm water. After each bowel movement, the child should be washed with running water. In the first six months, babies should be bathed daily, not because they get dirty, but so that they develop and harden faster. In addition, bathing in the evening has a good effect on the child falling asleep: after being bathed and fed, he will quickly fall asleep. Some babies, on the contrary, become more cheerful after bathing, then it is better to transfer this procedure to the daytime.

How often should I bathe my newborn with detergents?

Today there is no shortage of choice of baby cosmetics, but young parents may be at a loss as to whether they should bathe their baby with detergents and how often it should be done. According to many pediatricians, the best way to bathe a newborn is clean water. For babies, especially those whose umbilical wound has not yet healed, you should use boiled water; for older children there is no need to boil water. Previously, it was believed that a little diluted potassium permanganate could be added to the water, but now this approach is irrelevant. Any product used to bathe a baby can cause allergies, from medicinal herbs to expensive foreign soaps. In addition, frequent use of cosmetic cleansers can dry out the skin. Bathing your baby with soap once or twice a week is enough. Baby shampoo can be used from 3-6 months, using it no more than once a week.

How often should you bathe your newborn in winter?

During the hot season, the child can be bathed several times a day in order to prevent overheating. If bathing gives your newborn baby pleasure, then bathe him as many times as you think necessary. During the cold season, many parents are sure that they should not bathe their newborn often so that the child does not become hypothermic. But here you should focus on individual living conditions. If the apartment is at least 21°C, then bathing cannot cause the child to catch a cold; moreover, it contributes to the natural hardening of the child. If you bathe your baby in the bathroom, then Do not close the door while swimming, this will avoid the difference in temperature and humidity when you go out. During the cold season, the child should be bathed as usual: daily with plain water and 1-2 times a week with detergent.

How long should you bathe a newborn?

Usually, children are bathed for about 10 minutes; in the first month, the procedure can be shortened if the child cries a lot, but you should not give up bathing completely. For children who like to swim, the “bath procedures” can be extended to 30 minutes, but there is no need to add hot water. The baby will gradually get used to the cooling water and feel comfortable in it.

When can you bathe a newborn, walk with him, play with him - these and other questions are very relevant. After all, when young parents bring their baby from the maternity hospital to their home, at first, as a rule, they are afraid to even touch the baby again. The baby seems so fragile and vulnerable that it’s as if you should be afraid to breathe on him. Of course, in a few days the mother will learn to feed, swaddle and hold the baby. But we must not forget about another important procedure for a child - bathing. When you can start bathing a newborn baby and how to do it correctly, you will learn from this article.

In the first months of a baby's life, you need to bathe more often. If he was born in the hot season, it is better to bathe him every day, or even twice a day. And this is immediately after discharge from the maternity hospital, despite the fact that the umbilical wound has not yet healed. That is, the question of whether it is possible to bathe a newborn should not even arise in your mind.

For water procedures, you will need a baby bath (it’s better if it’s larger so that the baby can sit and lie down), a thermometer to determine the water temperature, a small foam pad, a soft sponge, baby soap, maybe with a string or chamomile extract. , a large soft towel, cotton pads or just pieces of cotton wool, as well as baby cream or oil for lubricating the skin after water procedures.

Some pediatricians and experienced mothers recommend bathing a newborn in herbs as a good natural sedative. The most popular herb for these purposes is string. You can’t do without manganese if you don’t bathe your child in boiled water. The water should not contain any harmful bacteria until the baby’s navel has healed. The first bath of a newborn is an almost sterile procedure.

The water temperature for swimming is 37 degrees. After soaping and bathing the child, you can use water one or two degrees lower for dousing. If you are still afraid of making a mistake and check the water temperature yourself, then put your elbow in the water rather than your palms, since your palms are more accustomed to temperature changes and may not “catch” the difference. If you feel neither heat nor cold with your elbow immersed in water, then everything has been done correctly. Don’t be afraid that the water is cool; small children love just this kind of water at room temperature.

You put the baby in the bath... The pillow should be placed at the head of the bath so that the baby reclines: this will make it more convenient for you to bathe him. Of course, you need to first cut your fingernails shorter so as not to scratch the baby. To begin, pour a handful of water on your child, splash his arms and legs in the water, talk to him affectionately, and let him splash around a little. This is necessary so that the little man remembers that swimming is fun and pleasant. Then use a soapy sponge to wash his head and neck, gently clean his ears with a cotton swab, and then wash the whole baby. You need to bathe your child gently but thoroughly, especially in the folds of the skin where dirt and sweat often accumulate.

How often can you bathe a newborn in the hot season? Recommended 1-2 times a day. If you bathe your baby twice every day, once bathe him with soap, the other time with just water, to which you can add an infusion of herbs (chamomile or chamomile, previously poured with boiling water and cooled). And our grandmothers, by the way, bathed children in the first months of life like this: one day - with baby soap, the second - with a weak, pale pink solution of potassium permanganate, the third - adding a little salt to the water, about half a handful. After baby soap, the baby will be clean and fragrant, potassium permanganate disinfects, and salt promotes wound healing. That is, now, of course, ideally there should be no wounds on the baby’s body, except perhaps the umbilical one. But in the future, cuts or scratches on a “salted” child will heal faster and easier, so you won’t have to chase him every time with iodine or brilliant green to lubricate the wounds. This is such a well-known folk remedy.

After bathing, quickly pour cool water over your baby, wrap him in a towel and pat dry his entire body without rubbing. After drying, lubricate the skin with baby cream or oil (you can also boil vegetable oil in a saucepan with water), scooping a little of it onto a cotton pad. Apply a thin layer of cream or oil where the skin is smooth, and a little thicker where the baby has folds: on the arms and legs, on the neck, in the groin. If you notice diaper rash or redness somewhere in the fold, apply generous amounts of cream or powder with talcum powder. After lubrication, it will be useful to give the child a massage, bend and straighten the arms and legs several times, and do “exercises.” And after that you can dress the baby.

After bathing, the child will most likely eat with pleasure and fall asleep sweetly. And frequent bathing, as well as timely feeding and constant communication with your baby, will help you raise a strong, healthy and cheerful child.

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The birth of a baby, in addition to feelings of joy, evokes many different emotions and experiences. Especially if this is the firstborn. Many parents are simply lost and don’t know what to do in a given situation. Bathing a baby at 1 month is no exception.

We'll talk about what you need to purchase for water treatments, what the rules and techniques for bathing are, and we'll answer frequently asked questions that parents have when bathing their baby for the first time.

It is advisable to purchase all the necessary attributes for water procedures in advance. To do this you will need:

a baby bath can be found on the market today to suit every taste;
thermometer for measuring water, air;
a washcloth mitten made of terry cloth;
jug for pouring;
sheets or towels for drying the baby;
diaper for bathing;
sterile oil for use after bathing;
in the first ten days, a solution of potassium permanganate is needed; a few drops are enough to color the water a very faint pink color;
in the subsequent period, herbal decoctions are necessary;
clean replacement items ironed on both sides.

What temperature should the water and room be?

The room where your baby will take a bath should be warmed to a temperature of 20-22 °C. Water should not exceed 36-37 °C.

What time is allowed for swimming?

It is better to choose a specific time so that the baby gets used to the regime. It is recommended to set aside time for water treatments between 20:00 and 21:00. If you follow certain hours in the future, your baby will look forward to bathing.

Bathing should be in a calm state for the baby, if he is in the mood. Do not bathe immediately after feeding or when the baby is hungry.
It is better for both parents to participate in the process of bathing the baby, then this improves the connection between all family members, as many psychologists advise.

Many parents are initially very frightened by the process of bathing, but don’t worry. While one parent is preparing the bath, the other is communicating with the child.

It is necessary to immerse the baby gradually, washing first the legs, then the back, so that he can get used to the temperature of the water. All manipulations must be done smoothly without sudden movements and with a smile on your face.

Technique

Place the baby on your half-bent left arm, place the baby's head on the bend of your elbow, support it with your fingers under the knees, and very slowly immerse the baby in the water. Accompany the dive, for example, with the following words: “How good it is to swim,” “This is how we swim, let’s be clean,” “Who likes to swim here?”

Do not be silent while bathing your baby, communicate with him. This helps in the development of the child's visual and auditory reactions.

It is necessary to gradually pour over the body using a jug. Then wash your face, neck, all armpit folds, and groin area. All movements should not be sudden, so as not to scare the baby.

There is no need to start bathing your child with baby soap right away; your baby is not so dirty that it needs to be washed. In the first months, the skin is very delicate and can react to various external factors, including bathing cosmetics.

Immediately after bathing, the child must be wrapped in a clean, warm sheet or towel and placed on a changing table with previously prepared items.

How long should bathing last?

The duration of bathing is several minutes, then the time gradually increases. If during the water procedures the baby becomes capricious, you should stop the procedure.

Bathing may be accompanied by screaming if the rules of bathing have been violated: excessively hot or cool water, sudden immersion, swimming in a hungry state, nervous state of the mother.

After bathing the baby, you need to wipe and treat all folds with special products. In the first weeks, the navel is treated with diamond green.

Dress the child in clean linen, ironed on both sides. Then you need to feed and put to bed.

How often should I bathe?

Many parents ask the question: “How much should I bathe a 1 month old baby?” Daily bathing is recommended. The process itself has a very beneficial effect on the psychosomatic development of the baby, calms and relaxes him. The bond between child and parents is strengthened.

When should you not bathe your child?

Water treatments are contraindicated for children:

for diseases with elevated body temperature;
after vaccination on the same day.

Dear parents, don’t immediately grab soap or shampoo. In the first months of life, your baby does not need these cosmetic products. After discharge from the maternity hospital, when the navel has not fallen off or the umbilical wound has not yet healed sufficiently, you need to bathe your child in a very weak solution of potassium permanganate or, more simply, potassium permanganate.

The solution can be purchased ready-made in specialized departments of pharmacies for the manufacture of medicines. If this is not possible, then it can be done at home. First, a concentrated solution of dark purple color is made, and then a few drops are dropped with a pipette into a bath containing ordinary bathing water. The color should be pale pink.

It is advisable to start with one type of herb, then move on to collections so you can determine the child’s reaction to a particular plant. Check with your pediatrician first.

string, chamomile, oats, thyme;
string, oregano, nettle;
birch leaves, black currant leaves, string, grass - knotweed.

How are decoctions prepared?

It is necessary to boil water in a 2 liter saucepan, throw in 3-4 tbsp. Cover the spoons of the mixture with a lid and let stand for 15-20 minutes. After the bath is filled with plain water, the broth is filtered through a sieve or cheesecloth.

In a newborn, the skin is very delicate, the sebaceous and sweat glands are not yet sufficiently developed, therefore, if thermoregulation is disturbed or the folds are not properly treated, rashes on the skin, the so-called miliaria, may occur.

The first bath always evokes a lot of emotions for parents. You always want everything to happen flawlessly. Don't be nervous, your mood will be transferred to the baby. Your child should receive only positive emotions from water procedures.

A baby appears in your family and life is turned upside down. New chores, new responsibilities and new worries. The bathing procedure causes a huge layer of anxiety (yes, I know from my own experience. Scary, exciting, stressful.) My head is bursting with a lot of questions: how to bathe a newborn baby for the first time at home, how to hold the baby, what products to use, what herb to bathe in and much more .

However, in reality, everything is not so complicated. Now I’ll tell you the features and rules of bathing a newborn at home.

Time for water treatments

So, the first question is when should you bathe your baby. The newborn's first bath begins on the first day of returning home from the hospital.

The only exception would be if you are up to date on your vaccinations and the tuberculosis vaccine was given immediately before you were discharged. In this case, postpone swimming for a day.

You can choose the time of day for water treatments individually. It all depends on the behavior and well-being of the baby.

Most often, a newborn is bathed in the evening. However, if the child is cheerful after bathing and behaves quite actively, it is better to bathe him in the morning or try using special herbs for this procedure.

There are also no clear rules on how to combine bathing with feeding. It is recommended to buy the child first, and then give him something to eat. However, if a hungry baby is very nervous and screams, this order can be changed. When breastfeeding, there is no need to take a 40-minute break between eating and bathing.

Important! If you start bathing at a certain time, but see that it is not suitable for your baby, change it.

We prepare everything you need

Before bathing your newborn for the first time, you should prepare everything you need in advance. A bathtub, as a rule, is purchased before the baby is born. It must be washed with soda and rinsed with boiling water.

In the future, do such rinses constantly, otherwise plaque will form on the walls (especially after using herbal decoctions).

The bath must be installed on an elevated surface: a bathtub, a table or a special stand. Otherwise, you will have to bathe your baby in an inclined position, which may cause your back and arms to hurt.

When bathing a newborn baby for the first time, special attention should be paid to preparing the water. Until the baby’s umbilical wound heals, the water needs to be boiled, or, in extreme cases, disinfected with 2-4 drops of tea tree oil.

This should be done in advance so that it has time to cool to the desired temperature, which should be in the range from 37.5 to 39 °. To check the temperature, you can touch the water with your elbow or use a special thermometer.

Be sure to prepare hot water to add during bathing. You also need to fill a separate container with water for rinsing. A decoction of herbs for bathing is prepared in advance and added to the bath just before the procedure.

All bathing items should be located near the bath:

baby soap or shampoo;
diapers or foam base;
baby sponge or cotton pads.

Before bathing your baby for the first time, prepare a towel and clothes. Lay down an oilcloth and a diaper, on which you can then put the baby for dressing. It is necessary to place products nearby to care for the baby after water procedures:

Oil for lubricating folds on the body;
Herbal infusion (if there is inflammation on the skin);
Talc or powder (more about powder for newborns >>>);
Zelenka or solution of potassium permanganate;
Cotton swabs, cotton pads.

Separately, you should think about the room where the adaptation bathing will take place. The main thing is that there are no drafts in it.

It’s good if someone from your family is nearby while swimming. He will provide the necessary items and throw a towel over the baby.

Bathing rules

The most important question is how to properly carry out the procedure for the first bath of a newborn baby.

After everything necessary is ready, the baby should be undressed and left for a few minutes on the changing table to take air baths. You can give your child a massage or perform some gymnastics exercises with him.

At this time, you need to put a diaper roll under your head, a foam base or a special slide in the bath and pour in water or a diluted herbal decoction. Immediately before lowering the baby into the water, you need to check its temperature again.

Let's start swimming

The child must be immersed gradually. The baby's head should be supported with your left hand.
First, just wash your baby. To do this, you need to draw water with your right hand and water the child. Then wash it.

Now let's look at how to wash a newborn baby for the first time.

Lather your hand or a cotton pad and gently run it through the hair on the head, behind the ears and under the chin.
Then we move on to soaping the body. All folds should be thoroughly rinsed, especially the armpits, groin and under the knees. Don’t forget to unclench your baby’s fists and wash your palms and the spaces between your fingers.
After soaping, rinse off the foam.
When bathing a baby in a decoction of herbs, soap products are not used.

As necessary, add hot water, directing it in a thin stream along the far wall of the bath (from the side of the legs). After adding water to the bath, mix well.

Finally, you should rinse your baby. To do this, you need to remove it and hold it over the bath. It is most convenient to place the baby with his tummy on his left hand. Rinse with prepared clean water.
Holding the baby in the same position, you need to throw a towel over him and wrap him well.

After finishing the first bath of the newborn after the maternity hospital, you need to wipe the baby dry and put him in a diaper. Then treat the navel area, lubricate the folds with oil or sprinkle with talcum powder. Now you can dress the baby - bathing is completed.

Watch a useful video tutorial on bathing a newborn:

Special Moments

We should also talk about some of the intricacies of the procedure for the first bath of a newborn after the maternity hospital.

Use of potassium permanganate

In the first month, the baby can be periodically bathed in water with the addition of a solution of potassium permanganate. This will disinfect the umbilical wound and prevent it from becoming inflamed. Potassium permanganate should be diluted in a separate container, and added to water only after filtering the resulting solution through cheesecloth. The liquid should turn light pink.

Bathing products

To bathe a child, you can use special baby products:

soap;
shampoo;
foam.

You can also wash your baby in decoctions of medicinal herbs:

sequences;
calendula;
St. John's wort;
motherwort;
hops;
nettles

Bathing with herbal decoctions can be done 1 - 2 times a week, and using foaming products - only once a week.

Traditional methods

They wrapped the child in a thin diaper and lowered him into the water. Then they unwrapped the right leg, washed it and covered it again with a diaper. This was done in turn with all parts of the baby’s body. When swimming in a diaper, the baby will not freeze while in the water.

Time for procedure

A child up to 1.5 months is bathed for the longest time: from 15 minutes to 30 minutes. When telling mothers how to bathe a newborn, I always explain that bathing is a powerful rehabilitative procedure.

The longest bath time comes after 6 months, when the child learns to sit up and can play in the bathtub with a stream of water or toys.

Folk signs

Many folk signs are associated with the first bath of a newborn.

If you put silver coins at the bottom of the bath, then in the future the child will be rich;
In order for the baby to be loved by everyone, you need to add a decoction of lovage herb to the water;
So that the mother can breastfeed her baby for a long time, it is advised to whiten the water in the bath with breast milk;
If a girl is dressed in white clothes for her first bath, then her skin will always be snow-white;
Only the parents should bathe the child for the first time without the help of grandmothers;
After the procedure, water should be immediately poured down the drain.

Every day you bathe your baby, you will feel more confident. Little by little, bathing will become a favorite ritual for both you and your child, giving both of you real pleasure.