Bathing Infant and Toddler

This post is for Lynn since she is asking me about bathing of infant/toddler and their fear of bathing. Really sorry for unable to chat with her over msn on this as I was busy that day so I must else blog on this here.

I think that if no proper procedures of bathing is carry out, it may result in infant/toddler being fear of bathing.

Just sharing how I actually bathe Amabel when she is a newborn and also over different stages also when she turns toddler. Actually I am not the one who always bath for her after I went back to work, most of the time is my maid. But I do bath for her quite often when she is 2 to 3 month old and of course NOW when she knows how to stand and walk. During my confinement, I couldn't bath her so I always stand beside to supervisor the ex-maid (not my current maid, cause at that point of time she is still new so I don’t dare to let her handle my girl). When I start to teach my current maid how to bath my girl before i return to work; I will usually correct her after the whole bathing cause I don’t want to pressure her whilst she is bathing my girl.

Bathing should be a special time between parent and baby. You will want to use this time to bond.

Toddler bathing
Since Amabel knows how to walk and no longer using bathtub for bathing. I often bathe together with her. Both of us enjoy a lot. Whenever my maid is showering her hair, she always cries. Maid doesn’t know how to coax her. She never cry when I bath her cause I never let her get frighten with water running into her eyes. I play with her while bathing with her favourite bathing toys. When she scare of water running from her head. I play with her the raining game, telling her is raining, the raining water is dropping down from your head to toe and she doesn’t cry but enjoy it and find it fun.

Here are some tricks to get her splashing happily. This is what I do now.

Entice with a toy.
We fill the tub with water and her favorite floating toys. Let her play with the toys while outside of the tub (under supervision). I do reserve a few special toys solely for bathtime.

Use a different "bathtub."
Baby may getting bored with her current bath. Try a smaller tub (confining her to a smaller area may make her feel safer). I use this now to bath her...



Enjoy a bath for two (I do ask my maid play with her during bath, to make it an enjoyable one).
I bathe with her together of course won't allow my maid to do that. I play with her toys and show her my enjoyment of the toys and I splash around the water too. She will want to join in the fun, go into washing until she really think of bathtime as fun time.

Massage rather than bathe.
I gently massage the shower gel on her. Massaging is relaxing and also great for baby bonding. Wash her with long, gentle strokes so that she feels she's getting a wet massage rather than a bath.

Swimming
I bring her for a swim, getting her to enjoy a pool will help in getting her to like bathing. Once she learns how much fun it is to play around in the water again, you'll find that her bathing fears will soon be washed away.

If none of these tricks conquers their phobia, stick to sponge-bathing her twice a week (taking extra care for the diaper area) and washing her hair once a week. With time, this fear phase will pass and she will be ready to return to the tub.

Here I shall share also what I have learnt in an infant care course and adhere to in bathing my girl when she is an infant.

Tub bathing Infant Basics
I bath my girl once a day in the morning during the first few months cause more frequent bathing may be drying to the skin. But I do cloth clean her 3 to 4 times a day.

You'll need the following items before bathing your baby:
- A soft, clean washcloth to clean baby head and body (I bought those specially make for bathing infant in my delivery hospital, TMC)
- Afew Soft, clean washcloth / Gauze to clean infant eyes and ear, tongue and gum.
- Cotton balls to apply medication to clean the umbilical cord if it haven't fall.
- Mild, unscented baby soap and shampoo. (I used 'Lactacyd' / 'babies n cream Aromababy' gentle cleansing liquid' - no rinse off is needed- for the first three months cause the skin is still sensitive. Just need to put 9 drops of the liquid to the warm boiled water in the bathtub. I use Diamond filtered Water to bath her)
- A pail of cool boiled water for cleaning the eyes, tongue and gum
- I used those baby towels with hoods (this is great for keeping a freshly washed baby warm.)
- Blankets to cover the infant from chilled
- An infant tub with 2 to 3 inches of warm — not hot! — water. The safest temperature for bathing is about 37ºC if I remember correctly. For me, I test the water temperature by feeling the water with the inside of your elbow or wrist. If not you can buy those water thermometers for bathing infant.
- A clean diaper / cloth diaper
- Clean clothes
- Baby lotion and Organic California cream on her skin if she develop skin irritation. And nappy cream for standby

** No powder, there is no need to use powder; cause the baby natural body scent is nice enough. Even really out of choice like parent or in law insist you (I’m one of them), to put some on the baby, choose those with no talc. I use organic one. No matter what, insist not to put it around infant’s private area.
** As long as you always use cool boiled water to clean the baby bottom after soil or urine and change the diaper often. Baby won’t develop nappy rashes so there is don’t need to use nappy cream at all.
** Last time, I used Ruyi oil on baby's stomach, cause my in law said my girl's stomach is bloated, ask me to apply to release baby's uncomfort. Huihui told me during her prenatal course, Mrs Wong (my lactation and babycare consultation; someone who I idiol and respect) taught them not to use it cause it may be too hot for baby sensitive skin. I never take note of it cause no irritation on Amabel's skin nor she cry because of that. I shall stop using that for my coming one, if not neccessary to.

If baby develop stomach discomfort due to bloated stomach, can use stomach massage to cease the discomfort. I do it everyday for Amabel when she got very serious bloated stomach. The massage is taught by Mr Wong when I look her up for lactation consultation. It really help alot; Amabel's bloated stomach cured after i use that techniques after a week. Thereafter, I made it a habit to massage her after every feeds and also when her stomach feel bloated. I taught my maid that also so she can do it for her when I am working.

Mr Wong is also the one who make my breastfeed an enjoyable one. Really thanks her!

Tub baths. This is what I did…
· Pick a warm room and a flat surface, such as a changing table, floor, or counter. I place it on the floor beside of my platform bed.
· Get ready the towel, placing nicely on the changing table. For me I placed on my bed. Have everything you need near you so that you don't ever leave your baby unattended. Standby the baby lotion (organic), powder (organic with no talc) , medication for umbilical cord etc.
· Undress my baby. Use a clean blanket to cover the body first just in case she caught a cold
· Wipe infant's eyes with a clean washcloth/gauze (never use before one) dampened with cool boiled water only, starting with one eye and wiping from the inner corner to the outer corner once and discard. Use another new piece of the washcloth/gauze to wash the other eye once and discard . Same way for cleaning the ears, tongue and gum- once used, discard it, never reuse it.
· Clean my baby's nose and ears with the washcloth dampened with cool boiled water only.
· Clean baby's face with a washcloth dampened with clean soapy water from the bathtub.
· Next cuddle the baby in a football method (just like the football method we use to breastfeed baby, for those who use this method to breastfeed baby before should know) and gently wash baby's head with a soft washcloth and rinse. Make sure the water doesn’t get into the eyes. Must be very gentle especially the area over the fontanelles (soft spots) on the top of the head. This is often the place I very worry when my maid washing my girl head cause I won’t know the strength she use. I also remind her to be specially gentle on that area.
· Next for the body part. Before putting baby down to the water. I ensure the water is still warm. · Now is the tedious part… when putting the baby down to the water, speaking gently with the baby, slowly and gently lower baby down in the water with the tip of the baby’s toes touch the surface of the water first to let the baby to feel the water and be prepare to get into the water, so the baby won’t be too scare with the sudden change.
· Then slowly lower your baby up to the chest into the tub. Use one of your hands to support the head and the other hand to guide the baby in feet-first.
· Using the washcloth to clean baby’s body gently, paying special attention to creases under the arms, behind the ears, around the neck, the genital area and folded areas. Usually that is the part where trap dirt and missed out. Throughout the bath, regularly pour water gently over your baby's body so he or she doesn't get cold.
· Once you have washed those areas, gently carry the baby out of the water. Wrap my baby in a towel immediately, making sure to cover my baby’s head.
· Wrap the baby and make sure I pat the baby dry
· Gently dry the the umbilical cord and apply the medication given by the hospital
· Apply the baby lotion, and a bit of powder on the body only not the private area
· Then diaper and dress my baby.

CHILDREN’S SAFETY IS OUR CONCERN
· Never leave baby unattended during bath time, for any reason (telephone, doorbell ring, etc…) REMEMBER, the baby/young child is more important!
· Test the water temperature before putting baby in it.
· Due to temperature change, never run the water with baby in the tub.
· Make sure all the bathing items are close by in the bathroom, before putting your baby in the water.
· Be sure that baby is held firmly in the bath to avoid any fear of falling and
· always keep a constant eye on them
· Soapy babies are very slippery; you might want to avoid using the soap the first couple of times you bath your newborn baby, until you get use to holding him/her firmly.

** Other Important things to take note…
- I only give my baby a bath before feeding, but not if the baby is starving. Some babies have been known to spit up if bathed on a full tummy.
- Always be careful of the umbilical cord if it not yet falls off (Usually fall off during 1–4 weeks) when bathing the baby. Apply the medication given by the hospital on the dry umbilical cord.
- I always gently talk to the baby in soft tone throughout the whole bathing, to distract her from fear.

Tips while doing infant bath (this is will reduce the infant being fear of bathing also):
- I never bathe baby just before a meal to avoid crankiness or after a meal to avoid spitting up.
- The area in which you are bathing your baby should be warm. Never let the baby get chilled.
- I always gently talk to the baby in soft tone throughout the whole bathing, to distract her from fear.
- An infant tub with 2 to 3 inches of warm — not hot! — water. The safest temperature for bathing is about 37ºC if I remember correctly. Always test the water temperature by feeling the water with the inside of your elbow or wrist. If not you can buy those water thermometers for bathing infant
- Don’t use highly concentrated shampoos and soaps while doing infant bath.
- Use soft, soothe and chemical free products only.
- Don’t leave your baby alone in the bath tub.

*SPONGE BATHING (Usually 3 to 4 times a day, till now I still sponge bath my girl in addition to bathing her 2 times a day)
1. Lay baby on clean changing mat or soft towels. Have your a blanket to cover her body abit so she won't get chilled.
2. Have everything you need near you so that you don't ever leave your baby unattended.
3. For newborns, you will only need a basin of cool boiled water for hair and another for body (i bought those basin that come with two compartment (one for hair and one for face and body) , two soft washcloths and afew small soft washcloth/gauze for cleaning eyes, ears, tongue and gum.

4. Wipe infant's eyes with a clean washcloth/gauze (never use before one) dampened with clean cool boiled water only, starting with one eye and wiping from the inner corner to the outer corner once and discard. Use another new piece of the washcloth/gauze to wash the other eye once and discard . Same way for cleaning the ears, tongue and gum.
5. Use a washcloth to wash the head and hair.
6. Then another washcloth to wash your baby's face. Rinse the washcloth and way down to body; exposing one area at a time, washing it and clean another area. Do it until all body area are cleaned.
7. Apply baby lotion etc and dressed the baby

Hope I am doing the correct way and never miss out anything. If I am not, please correct me with your opinons.

Labels: babycare