You and Your New Baby. Anna McGrail
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hate getting their heads wet, so the hair-washing part of the bath should be done as quickly as possible. If she starts to scream as soon as she feels the first drop on her scalp, don’t persevere; just quickly wipe over her head with the dampened sponge and try again another day.
YOUR NEWBORN will seem so fragile, you might well feel nervous handling her at first. Her head might be an odd shape if it has been moulded as she passed down the birth canal (for more information on this and other physical features of your newborn, see Chapter One) and you may be worried about touching the fontanelles. Nevertheless, you can’t let this stop you washing her – you’ll have to get round to this eventually and in many ways, once you’re over the immediate aftermath of the birth, the sooner you do it the better it is for you and your baby. It will make her feel more comfortable if you can gently wash away any blood or dried fluids remaining after labour; and a successfully washed infant, all fluffy and warm, will boost your confidence as a parent no end.
Your hand isn’t always an accurate gauge of temperature. Your elbow is much more reliable.
Undress your baby in a warm room. Talking to her while you undress her can reassure you both.
Wrap your baby in her towel and gently wipe her eyes from corner outwards, and clean the rest of her face – all with damp cotton wool.
Then wash your baby’s hair while she is still wrapped in the towel.
Hold your baby securely If you are confident, she will be, too.
You don’t have to jump in with both feet straight away and embark on a fully-fledged bathtime, unless this is what you want. You can just ‘top and tail’ her – i.e. clean only the bits that really need it. Ask your midwife or one of the nursing staff to show you how, and this will keep the baby happy and comfortable.
Washing your baby’s hair
1 Undress your baby and wrap her in a towel, folded over at the back so you can easily cover her head with it afterwards.
2 Hold your baby firmly but gently. Hold her under one arm with her body against yours and her head over the water. Support her head with the hand of that arm. Tip your baby downwards slightly so that the water won’t run into her eyes.
3 Use your other hand to wet her hair with a sponge.Let her enjoy the warm water and freedom to splash.Don’t leave her in the water for too long. End the hath while you are both still enjoying it and you’ll both look forward to the next one.
4 Rub in the shampoo gently then wash it off again.
5 Rinse with clear water left ready nearby.
6 Pat her head dry and wrap her warmly in the towel.
7 If you want to brush her hair, use a very soft-bristled brush.
Cradlecap
WHEN SHE IS between about a month and six months old, you may notice, underneath your baby’s hair, a yellowish crust on her scalp. This is cradlecap, a condition so common almost every baby has it. It does your baby absolutely no harm whatsoever and, left to its own devices, will disappear completely as your baby grows. That said, if it is very thick or very noticeable, you will probably find yourself wishing you could do something about it. If so, don’t be tempted into picking or trying to brush it off – you could pull the baby’s hair out or cause an infection.
Some suggested remedies are:
Massaging a tablespoon of almond oil or olive oil into your baby’s scalp, leaving it for an hour then shampooing and rinsing thoroughly. You’ll have to endure your baby smelling like a salad though
(If you adopt this approach, you will have to keep the oil away from your baby’s eyes while you’re applying it, and make sure her fingers don’t touch the oil, as she may then get it in her eyes.)
Trying a bicarbonate of soda rinse: dissolve a teaspoonful in 500ml of warm water and dab it on with a cotton wool pad. Shampoo and rinse thoroughly. You will need to do this once or twice a week
Combing her hair gently little and often – this will help to loosen the flakes.
No matter which recipe you try, cradlecap won’t disappear overnight, but it will disappear.
Other things to check for:
IF YOU NOTICE patches of redness or soreness on your baby’s neck or behind her ears, then it may be eczema; ask your health visitor for advice.
WHAT’S IT TO be? Terries or ‘disposables’? Perhaps more importantly, who’s going to do it? Especially when it’s the middle of the night, your baby has completed an extraordinary performance, and it’s a repeat show of the one she did two hours ago.
Nappy changing is one of the skills you will become surprisingly adept at over the next couple of years.
Disposables
Advantages
Undoubtedly easier in general. This is why they are so popular.
They are very absorbent and can see a baby through the night without you having to face a cotful of wet bedding every morning.
Remove old nappy on a waterproof surface. Accidents will happen.
Clean your baby thoroughly with warm water. Allow him to dry in the air if possible.
Barrier cream can help prevent nappy rash.
Lift your baby’s bottom up, put the nappy underneath and then pull the nappy through to the front.
Vests with poppers that fasten underneath can do wonders for keeping lop-sided nappies in place.
Disadvantages
You may have trouble finding some that suit your baby. Every baby has a unique shape and yours may not fit into one of the standard ‘nappy sizes’, so that you’re always running the risk of leaks or pulling the adhesive tapes so tight your baby can scarcely breathe
If you get cream on the tape, the tape loses its stickiness. This tends to happen at awkward moments
Cost. Although the pence-per-nappy price might not be exorbitant, the amount that you will pay out in total over the years your baby is using nappies is stunning
They are not earth-friendly; the raw materials they require, the processes used in their production, and the fact that they are not truly easy to ‘dispose’ of except in landfill sites, which are rapidly filling up, are not easy issues for new parents to ignore, if they are keen to preserve the planet