You don't need to bathe your baby every day. You may prefer to wash their face, neck, hands and bottom instead. This is often called "topping and tailing". Choose a time when your baby is awake and content.
Start with the baby's face. Use a moistened, clean washcloth or cotton ball to wipe each eye, starting at the bridge of the nose then wiping out to the corner of the eye. Wash the rest of the baby's face with a soft, moist washcloth without soap. Clean the outside folds of the ears with a soft washcloth.
At most, your baby will need to be properly bathed around three times a week, but you will need to keep the face, neck and private areas clean every day. This is because your baby's face is most exposed and also gets dirty during feeding time so you will need to make it a habit to clean the baby's face after feeding.
If you're looking after a newborn, it can be a good idea to skip the soap and face wash altogether. Keep things simple instead. A cloth and lukewarm water will take care of a newborn's face perfectly. Just be sure you're washing gently around their eyes, the corners of their mouth, and their nose.
Until your baby is about 1 year old, use products designed for babies or very mild soap only on the parts of his body that really need it. (Once he's eating solid food, you may have a few more areas to clean.)
Baby skin care is just as important. Newborn skin is delicate -- and so is the baby's immune system. While there are several normal newborn rashes, chemicals, fragrances, and dyes in clothing, detergents, and baby products can cause newborn skin irritation, dryness, chafing, and rashes.
To clear your baby's nose of mucus and prevent infections, clean it regularly: twice a day in the summer and 4 times a day in the winter (you may need to do it more often if your little one has a cold). To clean your baby's nose, use a saline solution (which you can buy at a pharmacy or make at home).
Usually, these breakouts will clear on their own with time, but breast milk can help ease them and help with your baby's sensitive skin. Soak a cotton ball in breast milk and softly pat it on your baby's face. The natural ingredients in the milk may help clear the skin.
Use plain water on their face, especially around their eyes and mouth, then use baby wash or soap on their skin and hair. Lift your baby gently out of the bath on onto a clean, dry towel. Gently pat their skin dry and make sure you dry inside their creases.
Moisturising your baby
Apply a thick, non-fragranced moisturiser all over daily at the first sign of dryness. Thicker creams are more effective than lotions. Apply moisturiser more often if the skin always seems dry. Avoid moisturisers containing botanicals, food and fragrance as these may disrupt the skin barrier.
Why is it important to clean my baby's mouth? Even before your baby's teeth come out you need to clean their mouth twice a day. Ideally you would do this once in the morning and once before bed. This is because mouths are superb breeding grounds for bacteria (warm and wet).
If your newborn has hair and you think it needs washing, go ahead. With your free hand, gently massage a drop of mild baby shampoo into your baby's scalp. Rinse the shampoo with a cup of water or a damp washcloth, cupping one hand across your baby's forehead to keep suds out of his or her eyes.
Research now indicates that 'less is most definitely more' and it is better to avoid the use of skin cleansing and moisturising products for the first few weeks until your baby's skin has had time to mature naturally.
In order to prevent serious health issues, anyone and everyone, including parents, should avoid kissing babies. Due to the rise in cases of RSV and other illnesses, it's extremely important for all individuals to be aware of the dangers of kissing babies.
All of your baby's clothes should be washed before you use them. Babies, especially newborns, usually have sensitive skin, and washing removes residues and other irritants. Make sure to read the garment's care label when washing something for the first time.
Never put acne medicine or acne wash on your baby's skin, unless your child's dermatologist or pediatrician recommends it. Be very gentle with your baby's skin, and avoid scrubbing the acne. Wash your baby's skin with lukewarm (not hot) water. Stop using any oily or greasy skin care products.
Milk rash or Atopic Dermatitis is shown in the form of red spots on your baby's cheeks. Because it is called as milk rash, many people think it is a skin disorder caused by breastfeeding .
Wipe gently around each nostril to get rid of mucus. It's best not to put anything inside your baby's nostrils. This can hurt the lining of the nose and cause bleeding. Wipe behind your baby's ears and around the outside of each ear.
Newborns may sound like they have a stuffy nose because of leftover fluid in their nose from the womb. Usually, newborn stuffy nose goes away on its own within a few days. In babies, nasal congestion or stuffy nose happens when the tissues inside the nose swell.
In most cases, you will quickly be able to determine if your baby's nose is blocked. Often, mucus will be visible to the parent, either within the nostril or surrounding the nose. Otherwise, nasal congestion can be detected based on noisy breathing, snorting, or general irritability.
Moisturise your baby, from top to toe, at least once every day. This is especially important if your family has a history of allergies such as eczema, asthma or hay fever. You can also moisturise daily after the bath and twice daily if your baby's skin looks dry or flaky.
using a baby-friendly moisturizer if needed, though this is usually not necessary and most babies do best with as few lotions put on their skin as possible. keeping the baby away from cold indoor and outdoor conditions. avoiding harsh, heavily scented creams and perfumes around the baby.
Once your baby is 4 weeks old, you can use an emollient (moisturiser ingredient) cream on any dry patches. Read labels on lotions carefully. Make sure any products you use are free of colours, perfumes and alcohol.