How to clean the baby's body from the head to the sex organs

Shortly after being born, your little one will run a series of newborn examinations. His body was still covered with white fat and that was natural. After that phase is over, some new parents may be confused about how to clean the baby's body, starting from the face, ears, mouth, to the baby's intimate organs. The following is a complete guide on how to clean the baby's body that can be done at home.

How to clean the baby's body

How do you bathe a newborn? Which parts of the body need cleaning? Sometimes this makes parents awkward and nervous. Plus the baby's bones are still so soft that they are afraid to mistakenly hold their body parts.

How to clean the baby's body: the face

Various supplies for newborns are prepared to clean your little one's face. Especially if your little one has baby acne, the doctor may advise you to clean the baby's face more often.

The following is a guide to cleaning the baby's face while bathing, namely:

1. Prepare toiletries

Before starting to clean your baby's face, first prepare bath tools for newborn care. Just provide soft, lint-free cotton, a washcloth, and a soft, waterproof pad.

Also prepare warm water with a temperature of about 37 degrees Celsius. If you don't have a thermometer, dip your elbows or the insides of your wrists to adjust the water temperature so it's neither too hot nor too cold for your baby.

2. Starting from the eye area

Lay the baby on a soft pad, supporting the back of the head and neck with one hand. After that, dip a cotton ball in warm water and wipe it around the baby's eyes.

This is a safe way, clean the baby's eyes from the inner corner near the nose to the outer corner. After that, throw out the cotton that you just used, then wipe the entire face using a washcloth that has been dipped in warm water.

Gently rub the forehead, nose, cheeks and chin of your little one. Gently lift your little one's chin and clean the neck area.

This area is often a gathering place for bits of breast milk or baby's saliva that can trigger bacterial growth.

3. Clean the ear area

After cleaning the baby's face, don't forget to clean the ear area too. With the same washcloth, wipe the outside and back of the baby's ears.

Remember, don't insert your finger occasionally, cotton wool, cotton bud or other object into the baby's ear. Instead of cleaning the wax, this method can actually push the wax deeper and lead to ear infections in babies.

How to clean the baby's body: the teeth and mouth

Cleaning the baby's mouth is important to keep your little one's mouth clean and avoid health problems. The mouth is one of the entry points for disease-causing bacteria to other parts of the body.

If the mouth is not cleaned regularly, the risk of infection and disease caused by bacteria increases.

Here are some ways to clean baby's teeth and mouth, which are included in one part of the body that need attention:

Clean with wet gauze

Before cleaning the baby's mouth, make sure that the hands are clean. Cleaning the baby's mouth can use gauze or a clean rag that can be easily wrapped around the fingers.

You can also use a baby tongue cleaner, which is a various rubber brush that is inserted into the finger, specially designed to clean the baby's mouth.

Clean or wipe the baby's mouth, gums and tongue with warm water. Wipe it slowly and gently. Do this regularly and after breastfeeding.

In some babies, it may be difficult to remove food residue from the tongue. If this happens, wipe the tongue with a cloth with toothpaste the size of a corn-grain to remove it.

Leftover food that is not completely clean will increase the risk of bacterial growth in the baby's mouth.

Pay attention to how to brush your teeth

Brushing your baby's teeth should be done as soon as the baby's first teeth come out. By treating baby teeth early, your little one will get used to cleaning their own teeth because they feel used to it.

Brushing your baby's teeth should be done twice a day, once in the morning and once again after your little one feeds at night before going to bed.

The way to brush baby's teeth is in a circular motion, so that all parts of the baby's teeth can be reached by a toothbrush. If the position is not right, this can cause the baby to cry so make sure that your little one stays comfortable.

Choose toothpaste

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommends using toothpaste containing fluoride to prevent tooth cavity formation.

The choice of toothpaste containing fluoride can be started when the baby's teeth grow. This is updated from the previous recommendation, which is to wait until the age of 2 years.

Using the right toothpaste, which is only about the size of a grain of rice, it doesn't need to be as long as a toothbrush. No need to worry if your little one swallows toothpaste because the products are generally designed to be safe if accidentally swallowed.

But slowly, teach your little one to spit after brushing your teeth.

Choosing a toothbrush

You can brush your baby's teeth using gauze or a finger brush to clean your baby's first teeth.

Use a very soft bristle toothbrush with three rows of bristles. Also, choose a soft brush material and a small brush head size.

Don't forget to replace the brush regularly at least every two to three months. This is because bacteria from the mouth have accumulated.

When cleaning teeth, make sure not to disturb the baby's sleep so that he feels comfortable when cleaning his teeth.

How to clean a baby's navel

When you clean your baby's navel, whether you are bathing or not, you should make preparations in advance to prevent the risk of infection. Here are some steps and ways

Prepare equipment

Before cleaning the navel of a newborn, prepare some of the equipment needed, as reported by American Pregnancy:

• Foam (sponge) smooth or cotton
• Soap
• Towel
• Clean water

The way to clean the baby's body part of the umbilical cord or umbilical cord is to avoid using alcohol because it can irritate the baby's skin.

In addition, avoid leaving your little one in an open shirt when you take the equipment because it can make him cold.

Wash your hands

Before starting to clean the baby's navel as part of your little one's body, wash your hands first with soap and under running water. This is very important because dirty hands can become a den of germs and cause the baby to become infected.

After washing your hands, dry your hands, then start cleaning your baby.

How to clean a baby's navel if the umbilical cord is still attached

The baby's navel, which still has an umbilical cord, can be cleaned when you bathe your little one. If you don't dare to clean your baby's navel, which is a part of the baby's body, you can do it in the following ways:

• Take a clean cotton ball and wet it with warm, soapy water
• Squeeze the cotton until there are no more water droplets left
• Gently, clean the navel, wipe from the inside out on the skin around the navel
• Also clean the umbilical cord gently from the base

If there is discharge on the umbilical cord, especially in a newborn whose umbilical cord is still hanging, make sure the dirt in this area of ​​the cord is clean.

After wiping a cotton swab from warm soapy water, clean it with clean warm water using a cotton swab. Next, dry the baby's navel with a towel.

Immediately dry the navel and the surrounding area. Avoid applying creams, lotions, powders or applying gauze bandages. Keep the baby's umbilical cord open.

How to clean a baby's navel when the umbilical cord is loose

If there is no umbilical cord, you can clean it while bathing your little one. Clean the baby's navel after washing, baby's face, eyes, hair and upper body.

Take a small, soft towel and clean your belly button gently with a washcloth. Then rinse the navel that has been cleaned.

Then dry the navel with a towel as usual. Make sure the baby's navel basin is completely dry. While waiting to dry, you can gently massage the baby at home.

How to clean the buttocks and sex organs of the baby

Baby diapers need to be changed every 2-3 hours a day because their skin is very sensitive and soft. This makes it easy for him to become irritated by the condition of damp skin wrapped in a diaper, contact with urine and baby feces, or friction from the lining of the diaper.

As a guide, here's how to clean a baby's bottom that must be considered:

Prepare the necessary equipment

Before cleaning the baby's bottom, you need to prepare the necessary equipment, such as:

• Dry towels
• Wet wipes or cotton swabs
• Pad for changing diapers (can be soft or plastic)
• New diapers to change
• Cream or moisturizer to prevent diaper rash

Position the utensil close to you, making it easier for you to clean the bottom and change the baby's diaper.

Cleaning the sex organs of a baby boy

To clean the body, especially the area of ​​the baby boy's sex organs, no special methods and preparations are needed. The head of the male baby's penis has the ability to clean itself to a certain extent.

So, there is no need to pull the foreskin when cleaned. It can tear the foreskin and injure the baby. When you are a baby, the foreskin naturally attaches to the head of the penis so this is considered normal.

This uncircumcised baby's foreskin will only separate from the head of the penis when the baby is two to three years old. So, you don't have to bother pulling the foreskin so as not to cause harm to the baby.

If your baby is circumcised, it means that the foreskin where the feces collect has been removed or cleaned. You will also find it easier and save time when cleaning the baby's vital organs.

It is enough to wash water slowly, especially in the first few days after circumcision. You don't have to rush to put on a new diaper.

In fact, it would be better if you let your little one's penis get as much air as possible to speed up the healing process.

When the circumcision wound has healed and you want to put the diaper on, point his penis downward to protect his vital organs from friction and diaper rash.

How to clean a baby girl's sex organs

As a way to clean the baby's body, keep in mind that cleaning baby girl's genitals is always from front to back.

Quoting from Pregnancy Birth Baby, this aims to prevent bacteria from the anus from entering the vagina so that your baby will avoid the risk of developing urinary tract infections.

Baby girl's vagina actually has a way of cleaning itself.

However, if after using diapers you see dirt that has entered the labia (vaginal lips) of the baby, do the following:

• Wash your hands immediately, making sure your fingers are clean.
• Lift the baby's labia slowly, take a clean soft cloth.
• Gently clean the baby's labia with a cloth, wiping it from top to bottom or front to back and along the folds of the baby's vital organs.
• Clean each side of the labia so that no dirt remains.

Make sure your little one's intimate organs are really clean because this is one way to maintain baby's skin.

In the first few weeks after birth, the baby's vaginal area may be swollen and red. No need to worry, this is normal due to the influence of the mother's hormones while in the womb.

However, if this continues during the first six weeks, get your baby checked by a doctor.

x