Once your baby is more than a month or two months old, you won't need to be so careful about protecting her from germs. However, it is probably still a good idea for visitors to wash their hands, just in case.
Clearly, washing your hands after you change your baby's diaper is super important, but until your baby is secure, be sure to use some heavy-duty hand sanitizer before picking up your baby, and then wash your hands for at least 20 seconds in hot water with antibacterial soap.
2. Always wash your hands and use sanitizer before touching or holding the baby. This should be a no-brainer, but it bears repeating.
Rub top and inside of hands, under nails and between fingers. Rinse hands under running water for at least 10 seconds. Dry hands with disposable paper towel. Turn off the water using paper towel.
While you could use baby wipes to clean up a spill, you shouldn't use wet wipes on your baby. The intention behind wet wipes isn't to be gentle and safe for your baby's skin. This alone should deter parents from using wet wipes to clean their children.
Before you jump into actually changing your baby's diaper, it's wise to wash your hands. This is an often overlooked, yet important, step for keeping your baby healthy.
Babies on the Neonatal Unit are very young and their immune systems very immature. This makes them extremely susceptible to infection. By washing your hands thoroughly you can remove bacteria which may be harmful to your baby.
Wash nappies that are dirty with poo separately from your other washing. To avoid infection, wash your hands after changing a nappy before you do anything else. If your baby's old enough, they can wash their hands with you as it's a good habit to get into.
Whether or not you've actually seen your baby touch anything nasty during the diaper change, it's still a good idea to wash their hands once you're done.
It's not secreted by the baby. It's just clothes fluff / lint getting caught between their fingers (their fingers being quite sticky with normal skin secretions), and they're not using their hands or washing them like we do which would normally wipe the clothing fluff off with it.
Helps to stabilize infant blood sugar levels.
If you bathe a baby too soon after birth, they run the risk of emitting too many stress hormones which will cause their blood sugar to drop making them tired and less likely to breastfeed. In some cases, this fatigue can result in neurological injury.
From the first cuddle to the lasting bond, babies and parents can benefit enormously from learning their "first language" — touch — creating a strong start toward a lifetime of nurturing affection and good health.
You should definitely wash baby's clothes, blankets and other washable items that will come in contact with their skin. It's not necessary to do it before they're born, but it's a good idea to do it before they wear them.
About a month before the time of your baby's arrival, you should clean and organize your house as well. A deep cleaning before baby's arrival means they will come home to a clean and healthy environment.
Should I wipe my baby after every diaper change? Not every diaper change may require a wipe. If your baby has only urinated, then you can probably skip wiping to avoid unnecessary irritation. However, always wipe after every poopy diaper, and always wipe front to back to help prevent the spread of bacteria.
Should you wipe your baby after every nappy change? We found out that It is not necessary to use wipes to wipe your baby down during every nappy change. Urine rarely irritates the skin and disposable nappies are very absorbent limiting the amount of urine that comes into contact with your baby's skin.
If your baby is sleeping you do not need to change their diaper. A dirty diaper isn't bothering them and so it shouldn't bother you either! If your baby wakes overnight whether it be to eat or just a typical overnight waking try to limit stimulation and skip a diaper change when possible.
When can my baby go in the shower? Once your baby is past the newborn stage, you can bring them in the shower with you to get clean. It's best not to shower with a newborn baby, since they need their head supported at all times and it's harder for them to regulate their body temperature.
Skin care for your newborn
Many parents like to use lotions. But unless the baby's skin is dry, lotions really are not needed. Powders should be avoided, unless they are recommended by your baby's healthcare provider.
How Long Should a Baby Wear Mittens? Dr Stephanie Hemm, a paediatrician from Maryland, United States, thinks that it is better to let babies wear mittens for no longer than two weeks. After that, it is important for the baby to be able to use his bare hands to explore his environment.
Babies use their hands for self-soothing
Whether they grip something like your shirt or finger while nursing, or discover their thumb as a tool for sucking and falling asleep, hands can be important self-soothing tools for babies. Let them access their hands outside of sleepers or mittens that cover them.