The role of water treatments in harmonious development baby is not limited to washing. Correct organization bathing allows you to improve the physical development of the baby, temper him, and simply give pleasure to all participants in the process.

The water temperature for a comfortable bathing of a newborn can be quite wide - from 26 to 34 ° C. The main criterion for choosing the optimal temperature is the comfort and good mood of the child.

Preparing for the first bath

Full bathing of the baby is possible only after tightening the umbilical wound. Any liquid should stop secreting from the navel, there should be no swelling and redness on the skin around. Until everything heals, you can only wash off the dirt from the baby, wash it in boiled water, and wipe it off. After each contact with water, the navel is treated with an antiseptic.

You can bathe a newborn in both a bathtub and an adult bath. A baby bath, especially equipped with a baby bed, is more comfortable for parents. A shared bath provides more opportunities for the physical development and hardening of the newborn.

What you need to prepare for your first swim:

1. If the bathroom tiles are slippery when wet, put a rubberized mat on the floor.
2. Put a low chair next to the bathroom, which will be comfortable for an adult to sit on.
3. Bring a watch to the bathroom so you can time your swim and a thermometer to keep track of the water temperature.
4. If the bathroom door closes on its own, lock it open. Chlorinated water vapor is harmful to the newborn.
5. It is good to clean the bath with soda, then pour over with boiling water. It is advisable not to use chemical agents, as they can provoke an allergy in a newborn.
6. Prepare a soft, large towel to wrap your baby after bathing.

For the first time, it is better if the child is in the arms of an adult. Then you can purchase or make with your own hands a special hat that holds the baby's head on the surface.

Water quality

You only need to boil water to wash your baby in the first 2 weeks. In the future, it will be quite suitable plain water from the tap. It is still impossible to avoid adaptation to tap water, so it is better if it happens early, when the child's body is still protected by maternal antibodies. Even if a newborn accidentally sips such water, nothing bad will happen. The water in our taps is not of the highest quality, but it is completely safe to drink.

If a newborn's skin turns red in water or after bathing, this could indicate an allergic reaction. As a rule, the problem is solved by filters installed at the water inlet to the apartment.

Soap, decoctions and antiseptics

Adding a solution of manganese and other antiseptics to water is undesirable. They dry out baby's delicate skin and do more harm than good. In addition, potassium permanganate can get into the eyes and cause a chemical burn.

If the child has sensitive skin, in the bath can be added, which has disinfecting and anti-inflammatory properties. Do not be surprised that in the bath with infusion the newborn will be less active: the series has a calming effect. It is simple to prepare the infusion: in the morning, pour a glass of dry grass into a liter jar, add boiling water to the top, close with a lid. In the evening we filter it through cheesecloth and pour it into the bath. Cm. .

Foams, mousses, salt and other chemicals are undesirable. It is necessary to completely wash a newborn with soap and shampoo once a week, a crawling child - no more than every other day.

Water temperature

Bathing will be beneficial if the child actively moves during it. Being in the water provides tremendous opportunities for development:

• movement trains muscles and heart;
• the lungs are cleared better, their volume increases;
• water makes it possible to test new movements that have not yet been mastered on "land";
• the child spends energy, therefore eats better and sleeps longer.

All this is possible only if the water is fairly cool. A hot bath relaxes the baby, and he passively lies in it, not even making an attempt to move his limbs.

Do not immediately make the water cold. The water temperature for the 1st bathing of the baby in the bath is slightly lower than the body temperature, then every 3 days it is lowered by 1 ° C. The optimum temperature is selected in such a way that the child actively moves in the bathroom, but at the same time does not overcool.

The temperature should be something like this:

For chubby babies, a temperature of 26 ° C may be comfortable. It is not worth reducing it more in order to prevent hypothermia of the child. Colder water can only be used for hardening douches, not for prolonged bathing.

Temperature measurement

The most convenient way to measure the temperature is with an alcohol or electronic thermometer. Now there are models in plastic or rubber cases that can swim next to a baby in a bathtub without posing any danger to him.

It is undesirable to measure the water temperature "in the old fashioned way" with your elbow, since the sensitivity of children's and adult skin is very different. The temperature for bathing the baby, which seems comfortable to us, may be too hot for the newborn and cause overheating.

What to do in the water

What the bathing process looks like:

1. We undress the baby and carry him naked to the bathroom.
2. We put it in the water. Only the face should remain on the surface. Don't worry about water flooding your ears. It is completely safe for a healthy newborn.
3. First, we hold the baby in the water with both hands. The child's head lies on the open palm, the little finger fixes the neck from below. The other hand supports the ass. Then the other hand can be removed, the child's body will remain on the surface of the water.
4. In this position, the child is able to actively move independently. You can walk him around the bath in eights, back and forth.
5. When your baby is used to swimming, you can put on a hat with foam inserts. The parent can now sit side by side on the highchair, controlling the position of the newborn with one hand.
6. The position on the stomach is a little more difficult, it is mastered later. We fix the child with one hand on the chin (the hand wraps around it from below), with the other we support it under the tummy.

To get the baby interested, you can hang rattles above the water, throw toys in the bath. The duration of water procedures - while the child is actively moving and not scandalous, but no more than 40 minutes.

It is advisable to bathe the newborn daily. If there is a break due to illness, we raise the temperature again to 34 ° C, and then within a week we lower it to the one where we stopped earlier. Optimal time for bathing - in the evening, immediately after massage and before feeding before bedtime.

What is the optimal temperature of the water and air in the bathroom for bathing a newborn baby? Do I need to boil water to bathe my baby? Every mother asks these questions after being discharged from the hospital.

Bathing a newborn: water and air temperature

After the umbilical wound in the newborn heals, there comes a time when you can proceed to bathing. Many mothers worry about the temperature in the bathroom and the temperature of the water itself. Fears are related to the fear that the child will catch a cold. It is worth discarding all doubts, familiarizing yourself with the recommendations of pediatricians, buying a thermometer and starting the procedure. It is important that as a result, the baby perceives bathing as a pleasant pastime, and this is possible only if the mother is calm, since the child acutely feels the mood of his closest person. So that all doubts finally disappear from you, and you understand that you are doing everything right, let's figure out the temperature recommendations for bathing.

Newborn baby bathing water temperature

How many degrees should the water be prepared for bathing a newborn baby? To find the answer to this question, you need to understand that the regulation of body temperature of an infant and an adult is significantly different. When choosing the temperature of the water, you need to be guided solely by the baby's reactions, and not by your feelings. Even if it seems to you that the water is cold, this does not mean that the newborn will have a similar reaction.

The optimal water temperature is one that is not harmful to health. Without risk, the child can be immersed in water, the temperature readings of which range from 26 to 37 degrees. Many parents choose a higher value, although this is wrong. In the water, the baby should not relax. The colder the water (within reason), the healthier it is. The cold effect on the skin of the newborn stimulates blood flow in the muscles, as a result of which their tone increases. If a sufficiently low water temperature is chosen for bathing a newborn child (in the range of 26 - 37), then during the procedure the baby's heart will work more actively. The blood is saturated with useful substances, as a result of which metabolic processes are stimulated and resistance to infectious diseases increases.

Water temperatures above 35 degrees have no health benefits. In such water, the child relaxes, he has no incentive to move. You can start bathing at this temperature, but in the future it is worth gradually lowering the temperature regime.

For all young mothers, the question remains, at what water temperature can a newborn baby be bathed for the first time. Even if you decide to follow the recommendations of pediatricians and carry out the procedure at low water temperatures, it is still worth starting from 33 - 34 degrees. Once in a warm bath, the baby will feel comfortable, although this temperature is of little use. At the first bathing, it is important that the child loves the procedure, if you immediately start bathing at 30 degrees, this can cause negative emotions in the baby, and he will later associate the procedure with something unpleasant. Decrease the water temperature gradually and lengthen the bathing time. How to do it correctly, the pediatrician will tell you.

The temperature should not be higher than 38 degrees, as the newborn is easily overheated. Overheating is possible even if you think the water is cool.

To measure the water temperature, it is worth using an alcohol thermometer in a protective case. These thermometers are considered the most reliable. If you leave the appliance in the water for the entire bath, you can constantly monitor the temperature.

Air temperature in the bathroom when bathing a newborn baby

When bathing a newborn, not only the temperature indicators of the water play a key role, but also the air temperature in the bathroom itself. The best option is considered if the temperature is kept at 24 to 26 degrees. If you temper a newborn, the temperature in the bathroom during bathing may be lower: 21 - 23 °. It is not recommended to lower the temperature below 21 in the room.

Many parents believe that the optimum temperature in the bathroom for bathing should be higher than that in a newborn's room. However, it is not. The kid gets used to the temperature regime, so being in a hot room can cause him to freeze under normal conditions in his room. If you are afraid that the child will freeze after water procedures, then it is better not to increase the temperature in the bathroom, and after the procedure, wrap the baby in a warm towel.

At what room temperature can a newborn be bathed during the period when he is sick, and whether it can be done at all, you need to check with the doctor. Do not carry out the procedure in this case until you have consulted a specialist.

At what temperature in the room to carry out water procedures and what temperature regime of water to choose to bathe a newborn, the parents, after the recommendations received in the maternity hospital, decide for themselves. However, remember that it is important not to overdo it with care: overheating affects a baby much worse than coolness.

What water to bathe a newborn child in

Having decided on the temperature regimes of the bathroom and water, you need to find out in which water it is recommended to bathe a newborn child. Some parents buy distilled water as it is completely sterile. This option is impractical from the point of view of economy. If distilled water can still be used when bathing in baby baths, then for a large bathroom, where pediatricians recommend bathing babies, you will not have enough purified water. For bathing, tap water is fine, but you should pay attention to its hardness in order to take measures, if necessary, aimed at softening the water, which contributes to the comfort of the baby during the procedure. Many people install special filters on their taps, which helps to purify water from harmful impurities. However, this is rarely associated with bathing a child: usually filters can be seen in those homes where people care about their health.

You can bathe a baby in tap water from the moment his navel has healed. There is an opinion that it is tap water that helps the baby to quickly adapt to the conditions of the new environment, because various bacteria live in it, with which a person comes into contact throughout his life. During the first baths, to ensure disinfection of the umbilical wound, a solution from sea \u200b\u200bsalt... It is possible to use medicinal herbs when bathing only after consulting a doctor, since they have a strong effect on the child's body, so it is important to know what can be used in each specific case, and in what proportions.

Do I need to boil water for bathing a newborn

There is an opinion that water for bathing a newborn baby should always be boiled: is it really necessary to do it, is it necessary to bathe a newborn baby only in boiled water? This is one of the most common myths faced by a young mother. When asked whether it is necessary to boil tap water for bathing a newborn, pediatricians answer that it is advisable to do this only in the first few water procedures. How long to bathe a newborn in boiled water depends on the rate of healing of the umbilical wound. Usually it heals on 18-22 days of the baby's life. Water is boiled only so that the infection does not get into the wound; after healing, such actions become inappropriate.

How long to boil tap water for a newborn's first bath? If you decide to boil water for bathing a newborn child, then you need to keep it on the stove as long as it takes to boil directly, after which you can pour the water into the bathroom and wait until it cools down to a suitable temperature.

The use of boiled water for baby's procedures is accompanied by a lot of inconveniences. Whether you will bathe a newborn in boiled water, and how long it will last, decide for yourself. Many pediatricians agree that it is possible to bathe a newborn in unboiled water from the very first days of life. This helps to strengthen his immunity and saves mom from unnecessary trouble. In order to avoid the formation of inflammatory reactions on an unhealed wound, you can use special infusions of medicinal herbs that provide disinfection. If you decide to boil water, then do it only in the first twenty days, after the navel has healed, such an undertaking will be useless.

When a baby is born, he still does not know how and does not know, therefore, he cannot do without his mother's help. After giving birth, a woman's life begins to move in a crazy rhythm, and it's not just the changed time period of wakefulness and sleep. A newborn baby needs parental care and attention, delicious mother's milk, healthy sleep, daily walks in the fresh air and regular water procedures.

How to give your baby everything he needs without harming him? Every mother thinks about this, she has many questions, which, fortunately, quickly find an answer, forming a mother's experience.

A huge part of the questions arise in connection with When to start bathing a child? How often should this be done? What should be the temperature for These and many other questions bother the newly-made mom, which, in general, is not surprising.

Hygiene procedures (including bathing) play an important role in human life. For - a necessary daily procedure that protects the baby from infections and bacteria that constantly attack the baby's delicate skin. The fact is that baby's skin is very vulnerable and quickly becomes dirty, which makes it an ideal target for bacteria, so bathing, which babies usually love very much, is a necessary stage in child care.

Newborn babies can be bathed immediately upon returning from the maternity hospital. Moreover, it is best to do this in the morning, an hour before feeding. Necessary things are a bath, warm water, a towel or a wiping cloth.

Up to six months from the birth of the baby, you need to bathe the baby daily.

A separate issue is the temperature of the bathing water for newborns. The baby's skin is very thin and delicate, bathing should not cause discomfort to the baby, since hot water can burn the baby, and in cold water it will simply freeze. Unpleasant sensations, which arose in him during the first (and subsequent) bathing, the baby remembers, this can lead to refusal to cry and scream.

Therefore, it is important that the baby is bathed in warm, but not hot, water. The optimum water temperature for bathing newborns is degrees. Warm water reminds a baby of being in a mother’s tummy, where he felt comfortable and completely safe. Therefore, it is recommended to bathe babies in warm water.

In addition, warm water is a kind of barrier that prevents infections from infecting the baby's body. Plus, warm water promotes rapid healing of the umbilical wound.

It is quite difficult to determine the water temperature without a thermometer, so purchasing this accessory will greatly facilitate the life of a young mother. However, there is also an alternative method used by our mothers and grandmothers. To make sure that the temperature of the bathing water for newborns is optimal, you need to lower your elbow into the bath. If you don't feel that the water is pinching your elbow and does not cool it, then the temperature is right.

As for the question of which water to use, doctors do not insist on using boiled water; for disinfection, you can add a few drops of potassium permanganate solution.

The question of what should be the temperature of the water for bathing newborns has been resolved, but it is equally important to monitor the temperature of the room itself in which the child bathes. Agree, even if you bathe a child in 36-degree water and then drag him through a draft to another room, you can harm the baby. Therefore, the temperature of the room in which the baby bathes, as well as the bathing temperature of newborns, is a really important point. Usually, a bath with a baby is placed in a warm room, where it is convenient to buy a baby, get it out of the water, wipe it and let it lie naked. The temperature in such a room should be at least 26 degrees.

The bathing procedure itself should last about seven minutes on average. Then the baby needs to be washed (the temperature of the water for rinsing can be one to two degrees lower), wrapped in a towel (it is convenient to use a towel with a hood) and blot the baby's body. It is important not to rub, but to blot the skin, paying special attention to the folds on the baby's body. Then you can massage the little one.

Here are the basic questions for bathing your baby.

Bathing for a newborn child and his parents is a whole event (especially if it is the first after the hospital). Like any very responsible business, this process raises many questions: how and when to bathe, boil water or not, whether it is possible to add decoctions of herbs and how often to do it, is it dangerous for water to enter the ears, and so on. The well-known pediatrician Yevgeny Komarovsky in his books and articles has repeatedly talked about the basic rules and principles of organizing water procedures for an infant.

It is worth considering the most important points that you need to know so that bathing brings pleasure and benefit to both the child and his parents.

Features:

Water procedures are useful for absolutely all babies from the very first days of life.In the womb, the crumbs are in the aquatic environment, and therefore it is familiar and dear to them. The toddler feels at home in the water. Bathing is not only a hygienic procedure aimed at keeping the skin and hair of the child clean. Taking a bath promotes physical development, carries an element of the game, and therefore has a positive effect on the mental and emotional development of the baby.

A few decades ago, pediatricians categorically forbade bathing a child with an unhealed umbilical wound, opposed raw, unboiled water, and set quite a few rather stringent requirements and restrictions for parents.

Modern doctors look at bathing in a more democratic way.

Parents with experience, as a rule, have much less difficulties when bathing a newborn at home for the first time than for newly-made mothers and fathers who received their first-born in their arms just a few hours ago. Komarovsky advises to keep the Spartan calm. It is this that is the guarantee of success in the difficult matter of bathing crumbs.

Training

Should I bathe with an unhealed umbilical wound?

This question comes up quite often.Some pediatricians allow bathing even with a clothespin on the navel, others recommend refraining from taking water procedures until the umbilical cord dries up. Yevgeny Komarovsky says that the choice is definitely up to the parents. However, if the child is kept in acceptable living conditions, does not sweat, does not overheat, does not get dirty, then nothing bad will happen to him if the baby does not bathe for a week or two. It doesn't bother him in any way. If anyone is worried, then only mom and dad, but in this case there are wet baby sanitary napkins, with which you can wipe problem areas and folds at any time.

However, if you nevertheless decide to bathe, then the doctor advises to do this only with boiled water until the umbilical wound heals.

For a long time, doctors advised bathing in water with a solution of potassium permanganate. However, you need to be extremely careful here, undissolved grains of potassium permanganate can cause serious burns on the delicate skin and mucous membranes of the baby. The solution should be pale pink and should be added to the water just before bathing. Komarovsky does not recommend potassium permanganate at all, since in small doses it is useless, and in large doses it is dangerous. It is better to replace it with the infusion of the series.

Massage

A massage before an evening swim is a very useful and important procedure, says Evgeny Komarovsky.During stroking and patting, the blood supply to the muscles and skin improves, and the benefits will be even more noticeable if the baby is bathed immediately after the manipulations. All parents, without exception, can master a simple massage. You do not need to sign up for special courses for this.

Komarovsky recommends a light and soothing massage before the bath. At first, with baby cream, mom can easily massage her hands (with stroking and circular movements, this should be done with thumbs). Then the legs are massaged in the same way. The tummy is stroked with the palm or fingertips clockwise. Then the crumbs are laid out on the tummy and the back is gently massaged - first with circular and arcuate movements, and then with light pats.

The movements of the mother should not hurt the baby, he should not go to the bath too overexcited and screaming heartily.

Water temperature

Doctors recommend keeping the temperature at 37 degrees. It should be followed for at least the first 10-14 days. Then you can experiment - slightly raising or lowering the temperature (maximum - by 1 degree).

Some parents try to warm up the bathroom in advance, bring heaters into it (especially in those cases when the first bathing at home occurs in winter). Komarovsky advises against doing this. The temperature in the bathroom should be about the same as in the rest of the apartment (optimal values \u200b\u200bare 18-20 degrees), and it is harmful to overheat the air in the bathing room.

Komarovsky advises to practice bathing in cool water for a sound sleep at night, the temperature of which is not higher than 32 degrees.

Such procedures will not cause any harm, but the general strengthening effect will be evident, moreover, it is more difficult for a child to fall asleep in a cool bath while bathing. However, do not immediately rush to implement this recommendation. This should be started gradually. The initial water temperature for a newborn is 34 degrees. In a month, the child can lower it by 2 degrees - up to 32 degrees, and increase the bathing time from 15 minutes to half an hour. In two months, the temperature of the cool water can be lowered to 28-30 degrees, the bathing time is half an hour.

Komarovsky advises to take these figures rather conditionally. If a baby at 1 month old calmly perceives bathing in water, the temperature of which is 24 degrees, there is nothing wrong with that. He sleeps soundly, rests well, worries less himself and allows his parents to sleep well.

Time

The first bath should not be done very long. It is better to start with 3 minutes, the next day extend the procedure to 5 minutes, then add some more time. Komarovsky considers the best bathing time to be 15-20 minutes. If a quarter of an hour has passed, and the baby is calm and determined to continue the procedure, nothing bad will happen if the bathing is prolonged.

The newborn does not have time to get dirty enough to need to be bathed every day.

Although Komarovsky strongly advises to wash the baby every day. When the baby starts to crawl, get dirty, actively explore the world, water procedures before bedtime should become regular and obligatory - you will have to bathe the baby daily.

Komarovsky thinks that evening swimming is not a dogma. Parents themselves have the right to choose the most convenient bathing time for the family. Some evening hygiene procedures are postponed to lunchtime. However, Komarovsky warns that evening bathing has its own benefits - for example, it promotes relaxation for a sound and healthy night's sleep.

Herbs and decoctions

No matter what traditional healers say, any use of phytotherapeutic agents when bathing is better to coordinate with the attending pediatrician. Grandmothers, of course, will advise the granddaughter to bathe more often in a row, or be sure to brew him nine-strength, but common sense parents should be above all else. If a child suffers from atopic dermatitis, diaper rash, a tendency (genetic) to allergies, be sure to consult a doctor.

For healthy children, bathing with the addition of decoctions of medicinal herbs is a rather useful procedure, says Evgeny Komarovsky. However, in everything, a measure is good, you should not prepare herbal baths daily, and you should be more careful with the dosage of decoctions and infusions.

Naturally, treating something with the help of herbal decoctions added to water will not work, since this is impossible, says Dr. Komarovsky. But even a lot of harm with moderate dosage will not happen.

What if the child does not like to wash and screams?

Such situations occur, says Komarovsky. But the point here is not at all in the child, and not even that he is afraid of something. Most likely, according to the famous pediatrician, the bathing conditions should be corrected. Maybe the water temperature does not suit the baby - it is too high or too low for him. After experimenting for several days, parents will be able to figure out which water is most comfortable for the child. Bathing should begin with it - and only then adjust the temperature in favor of cooling (adding a thin stream cold water) or heating (adding hot in the same way).

Another reason for the child's cry in the bathroom, according to Komarovsky, lies in the rejection of the bathing process by the baby, since it goes against his internal biological clock.

For example, a mother tries to bathe the baby only at night, and it is at this time that the child wants to sleep, and not swim. Therefore, Komarovsky gives several tips to help parents whose children are scandalous in the water:

Change the time of day.

Change the order of eating and bathing. If the baby screams when bathing half an hour after eating, then try bathing him half an hour before eating (or vice versa).

Practice bathing with your baby.

Large bath

This can be done already in 2-3 months, says Evgeny Komarovsky... At first, the child can master in a large water space with a circle around his neck. This is a special inflatable device with a chin cut and Velcro on the back of the neck. The baby is fixed in such a circle, his head is always above the water, and he can practice swimming on his back, stomach, turning over in the water on his own. Usually this picture leads the parents of the crumbs into indescribable delight.

You can swim without a circle. For this, Evgeny Komarovsky advises three poses:

The baby is immersed in water entirely, only the face remains on the surface. At the same time, it is supported by the index fingers under the neck. There is nothing dangerous in getting water into the ears and eyes, the doctor says. The main thing is that water does not get into the nose and mouth. Even if the baby sips it a little, nothing terrible will happen either.

With the birth of a child, pleasant and exciting chores arise. The baby is born absolutely helpless, all care for him falls on the parents.

Bathing is an important part hygiene proceduresIn order for the newborn to feel comfortable, the temperature of the water in the bathroom should be pleasant to his body.

Basic rules for bathing a newborn

Water treatments are beneficial for the health and well-being of the newborn.

They contribute to:

• removal of increased muscle tone;
• maintaining the normal condition of the skin;
• strengthening immunity;
• relaxation of the nervous system.

For bathing children, they usually buy a baby bath, but you can use a shared bathroom, thoroughly washing it before each filling. Processing should be using baking soda... In the first month, the umbilical wound is vulnerable to infection, so bathing in boiled water is recommended.

Decoctions of herbs - chamomile, string, plantain help relieve inflammation, promote skin healing. An alternative to plants is potassium permanganate, its weak solution perfectly disinfects water. Do not overuse supplements, they are acceptable once a week. The delicate skin of a newborn is sensitive to any irritants; with frequent use of decoctions, it becomes overdried.

When bathing a baby, certain rules must be followed:

• the air temperature in the room should not be lower than + 24º;
• it is advisable to perform water procedures in the evening, before bedtime;
• bathing time - 5-10 minutes;
• during the procedure, the baby's head and shoulders should be supported;
• it is necessary to thoroughly wash all the folds in which dirt particles collect - under the neck, in the groin, under the armpits, between the fingers.

What is the optimal temperature for bathing a newborn?

The body of a newborn is at the stage of formation, it is not capable of normal thermoregulation. Hot or cold water is bound to cause discomfort in a newborn. The stress of freezing or overheating will negatively affect your baby's attitude towards bathing.

What is the optimal bathing water temperature for newborns? Being in the mother's womb, the baby gets used to the temperature within the range of 36.6-37º C. Immersion in a similar environment will be familiar and pleasant for the baby.

Why is a child overheating dangerous?

Due to being in hot water, the skin of children turns red, the temperature may rise, and breathing becomes difficult. When such signs appear, it is necessary to get the child out of the bathroom. In addition, the pores of the heated skin open up, allowing infections to attack the child's body. In order not to make mistakes, every mother should purchase a water thermometer and carefully monitor its readings. The thermometer should not rise above 37ºC.

Cool water is used by parents as a way to harden the child. But this procedure requires a gradual decrease in degrees. Immersion in a cold bath will cause discomfort and the baby will cry. Hypothermia threatens a fragile body with a cold and problems with the urinary system in children.

The first bath is an important event for young parents

The first immersion of the baby in the bath becomes a small but unforgettable event for young parents. In order for it to leave only pleasant memories, you need to do everything right.

Pediatricians do not give a definite answer when it is recommended to bathe a newborn for the first time. Previously, doctors advised to wipe the baby with wet wipes for the first two weeks, until the umbilical wound healed. Now it is recommended to bathe the baby after arriving from the hospital.

Buying a separate bathtub should make the life of a young mother easier. It is much easier to wash your baby by setting the container to a comfortable height. The baby will feel safer in a small space and the mother will not have to bend low.

When bathing for the first time, use boiled watercooled to a temperature of 36.5-37ºC. If potassium permanganate is added to it, then it is better to wrap the baby in a diaper. The fabric will exclude contact of delicate skin with caustic, undissolved crystals. Special attention should be paid to the choice of a thermometer for water, because it is needed for daily use.

The temperature of the bathing water for a newborn is measured with a special alcohol thermometer. Unlike mercury, it does not have hazardous toxic components. The device is enclosed in a durable plastic case that does not heat up and does not break. Usually it is made in the form of a bright toy that pleases the child while bathing. So that mothers do not forget what the bathing temperature of the newborn is, there is a special mark on the scale of about 37º.

Some parents check the water temperature with their elbows. Despite the fact that the skin there is more delicate, the sensations of an adult are not objective. To be 100% sure of the child's safety, it is better to use an alcohol thermometer.

When filling the bath, first pour cold water, and then dilute with hot water. The temperature should be measured after mixing. When the thermometer reads 36.6-37º, you can bring your baby.

The first bathing should take no more than 5 minutes; its duration increases every day. By the age of 6 months, the child is left in the bathroom for 15 minutes, and by the age of 40. The baby should be lowered into the water carefully, soothing him with gentle words.

The optimal way to wash your baby is a soft mitten that can be easily washed. You will not need shampoo for the first bath, if the baby has a light fluff, then you can wash your hair with baby soap. A towel for children is prepared in advance, it is immediately wrapped up, but not rubbed, but the skin is easily wetted.

Parents should choose the time for bathing, focusing on the characteristics of the baby. If the water procedure has a relaxing effect on him, then it should be carried out before bedtime. In the case when bathing stimulates activity, it is better to do it during the day.

Tempering a newborn - when can you start the procedure?

Hardening is beneficial for children, this procedure helps to strengthen the immune system. The child is less sick with colds, his nervous system is strengthened. A strong body will more easily cope with viruses and bacteria that attack the baby in the cold season. For hardening to be beneficial, not harmful, the procedure must take place gradually.

The temperature for bathing a newborn should drop by 1º in 4-5 days. Do not forget that after 15 minutes of bathing, the water will cool down anyway. The gentle hardening mode will not become stressful for the baby. It will be active in cool water if it gets used to it gradually.