Arriving home with the newborn generates many doubts for parents. In the hospital there wasn't much to do because the baby slept almost all the time, and at most they did a quick wash because the cord hadn't fallen off yet, so seeing you alone with the baby the first questions.
The most common are those related to care: when to cut their nails, if their hair needs to be cut, when to put moisturizing cream on them, how often to bathe them, how to do it, etc. With the intention of grouping all the advice on this in a single entry, today we offer you the best tips for newborn care .
1. The umbilical cord cure
The umbilical cord , when it stops receiving blood supply, mummifies and ends up falling after a few days. How to cure it depends a bit on the hospital where the baby is born, because there are those who recommend using alcohol at 70ºC, there are those who say only soap and water and there are those who say that nothing needs to be done.
All solutions are correct, because in a review of studies carried out by the WHO in 2004, in which 22 studies with 8,959 babies were included, they found that it did not matter how the navel healed when comparing the use of antiseptic with the care of the cord in dry . So basically it does not matter how to cure it (as long as povidone-iodine is not used). If it smells bad or suppurates , it is necessary to take it to the pediatrician.
2. The clothes in the first days
shelter it? not shelter it? During the first days it is interesting to have the baby relatively warm, since it comes from the womb where it was at a high temperature compared to the outside. Do not go overboard, but do not put it exactly as we are going, or if it goes the same, be clear that we are in an environment where it cannot be cold. Once the first days are over, it is often said that we have to dress them with one more sleeve than us .
It is a way of explaining that they would have to go the same as adults, but with one more thin layer, because they do not regulate temperature like us and, furthermore, they do not have the amount of fat that we do have and that in a certain way protects us. (and I'm not talking about being overweight or anything like that, but that they have very thin skin and we, even thin, not so much).
The ideal in this sense is to touch their neck and back area . This way we will know if they are comfortable or if they are cold or hot.
3. The bathroom
For a long time, babies bathed every day both for hygiene and for the reason that they stay relaxed before going to sleep. The reality is that not everyone relaxes (many have a great time and get out of the bathtub more awake than they came in) and bathing them every day can be too much . And it is that the bath dries out the skin , eliminates the natural bacteria that we have and many babies later suffer the consequences, in the form of eczema and skin infections. Come on, it is advisable to bathe the baby every two or three days , and on the days that you do not bathe him, do a diaper change with soap and water .
How to bathe the baby? With the water at the right temperature (about 36 degrees), in a place where it is not cold and with everything ready for later. Now summer is coming and there is not much problem, but in cold weather it is interesting to dry the baby well, especially in the folds, and then dry and dress him quickly.
4. The cream after the bath
In the same way that the bath is usually done every day, or was done every day, putting cream after the bath also seems like something that should be done yes or yes. The reality is that the first few days are interesting, because in many cases babies "peel", but after the first few days a baby does not usually need creams or oils or prevention of bottoms . According to the AAP (American Association of Pediatrics) “a baby does not need regular creams, oils or powders” .
This does not mean that it is bad, but only a practical and economic issue. If the baby's skin is fine, you do not need to put anything. If it is a little dry in some areas, then put baby cream (better cream than oil, which moisturizes less) in those areas, or if you want all over the body until there are no dry areas.
As a piece of advice, if you take advantage of the moment of applying the cream to give the baby a little massage , I would do it every day, but not because of the cream, but because of the massage. It is a moment of affection towards him and those moments are very important for both of them.
5. Nail care
In the nails you do not have to do anything special beyond cutting them when necessary. Many parents believe that they cannot be cut until babies are one month old, or a specific age. The truth is that there is no minimum age to cut a baby's nails . It is rather a matter of logic. If the baby has long nails, they are cut, no matter how old she is.
It can be done with a file or it can be done with round-nose scissors and is best done at a time when it is relatively quiet. In any case, we have to hold his hand well, lest a movement lead us to cut what we shouldn't.
6. The eyes, ears and nose
With the eyes, ears and nose you do not have to do anything, but in case it is necessary, it is worth knowing how to do it. If there is rheum, which at first may be common because the tear ducts do not always work well and do not clean the eye as they should, they are cleaned with a little serum and with a gauze that cleans from the inside out and then throwing it away (just one pass). by gauze).
If we see wax, only clean the part of wax that we see, the one on the outside, and it is better not to use swabs. As we told you a few months ago, the best way to clean your ears is with your elbow . That is, do not put anything inside.
In the case of the nose, if we notice that it has runny nose and does not breathe well, since they do not remove the runny nose voluntarily, it is recommended to use physiological serum . The least aggressive way to do it is to pour it little by little, drop by drop, through the nostrils, so that the mucus is diluted and comes out more easily through the nose or is swallowed.
7. How to clean the diaper area
As I have already mentioned before, the ideal is to make at least one change a day with soap and water. If they can be more, then more, which always cleans better than wipes. The direction we use to clean is important, because depending on how we do it, we will take the remains to the place where we remove the hand. It is important, then, to do it from the genitals to the anus . From top to bottom, so that the feces do not go towards the genitals, but quite the opposite.
8. When the ass stings
If after cleaning it is not irritated, you do not need to put anything. If it gets irritated, we put paste in the water at diaper changes until the perianal area is pink and healthy again. One way to make homemade baby cream is to use a mixture of cornstarch and olive oil, which also works.
9. Washing baby clothes
Babies' skin is quite delicate and usually responds easily to any "aggression". Surely you will have noticed that if you catch them naked our fingers are marked for a while. To avoid possible reactions, it is advisable to wash the baby's clothes separately, make sure that they are rinsed well and, if possible , do not use fabric softener , as it causes many allergic reactions on the skin (pimples, redness, etc.). It is convenient to do the same with their sheets and blankets and with ours if the child ends up in our bed or takes a nap in it.
10. What to do with cradle cap?
Cradle cap is the crust that occurs in infants. That is why it is called that (nothing to do with drinking breast milk). It is an aesthetic problem, a seborrhea dermatitis that does not produce any symptoms and, as such, can only be removed if desired (unless there are signs of infection ). If you want to remove it, what is usually recommended is to use olive, almond or baby oil , applying it to the head for a while. That oil massage softens the scabs and so, half an hour later, they pop off when you bathe him and sponge his head. It is done slowly, with care, and without expecting everything to fall in one day (a few fall each time it is done).
11. To cut or not to cut hair
The baby's haircut is also done for aesthetic reasons . In the first months, a large part of the baby's hair usually falls out and many remain practically bald. Then, around six months, the final hair begins to grow. Cutting it will not make the hair come out stronger , so it is only done if the parents feel that the baby would be better off with short hair. For this, scissors with a round tip should be used (the blade is totally inadvisable and the hair clipper can hurt it) and keep the baby calm so as not to hurt him.