Every mother knows that bathing a baby can be a hassle. Recently, the weather has turned cold, and many parents have begun to struggle:
Baby is not sweating much today, can he not take a bath?
How many times a week is the best time to wash your baby?
We invited Yu Jia, a dermatologist, to talk about the little thing about taking a baby shower and how to fix it.
Image source: Tu Wo Creative
Baby is not sweating
Can I skip the bath?
Baby doesn’t sweat, looks clean and can be lazy, but don’t reduce the frequency of bathing because of less sweat in autumn and winter.
The purpose of a bath is not just to clean your body because you sweat. Every day, dust adheres to the skin surface of the human body, and the dander and oil secreted by the body’s metabolism will also accumulate on the body surface.
For babies, their skin has a lot of wrinkled areas (flesh). Long-term non-bathing is more likely to lead to the proliferation of fungi and bacteria colonized on the skin surface, resulting in more skin problems .
Especially if the child has dry skin and needs to apply moisturizing cream multiple times, reducing the frequency of bathing will aggravate the skin problem.
For babies of different skin conditions and ages, how many times a week should you take a bath in autumn and winter? How to wash better?
Image source: Tu Wo Creative
Newborn (< 28 days)
How should I shower?
Newborn babies have particularly delicate skin and are prone to skin problems such as eczema and psoriasis, which require more careful care from parents.
Bathing frequency: daily or every other day
Newborns need to clean their skin relatively frequently to avoid excessive accumulation of oil on the skin surface, which can lead to skin diseases such as seborrheic dermatitis and diaper rash.
The first bath is 24 hours after birth and can be maintained daily or every other day thereafter.
If you are in a relatively humid southern area, you can take a bath every day, and if you are in a relatively dry environment in the north, you can take a bath every other day.
Image source: Zhanku Hailuo
Bath temperature: around 38°C
Newborn bathing, the room temperature is 26 ~ 28 ℃ more suitable. The water temperature is kept at around 38 ℃, which can be adjusted according to the baby’s reaction. It is best to use a thermometer to measure the water temperature. It is very likely that the water temperature is too high if you test the water temperature directly.
Bath time: 3-5 minutes
Don’t bathe your baby right after feeding, as it may cause spitting up. It is recommended to take a bath 30 minutes before feeding.
When bathing a newborn baby, it is recommended to hold the child on the right upper limb of the adult, and then slowly put it into the water basin, soak most of the body, use a soft gauze towel or small Clean the child’s scalp, face, neck, torso, armpits, hands, legs and vulva in turn with a towel for about 3 to 5 minutes.
Be careful to avoid the baby’s umbilical cord until it falls off.
Bath Cleaner: 1-2 times a week
If the newborn baby does not have obvious milk ringworm or fetal fat residue, use baby shower milk 1-2 times a week.
If the baby has particularly strong oil secretion on the head and face, or has obvious severe persistent scalp psoriasis, etc., you can wash your hair with baby bath products every day, or use it twice a week under the guidance of a doctor Shampoo with Ketoconazole Lotion.
It is not recommended to over-remove the cradle cap on the head. If there is a particularly thick crust that affects hair growth, it cannot be removed by washing your hair normally. You can apply baby oil on the scalp before bathing for 3~ 5 minutes, then wash off with a soft brush in the shower.
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After-Bath Treatment
The skin barrier function of newborns is relatively weak, so don’t forget to apply moisturizer after bathing your baby. Don’t just use massage oil, as the moisturizing effect of oil is not long-lasting.
Infants (> 28 days)
How should I shower?
Babies’ skin is still very thin during infancy. It takes about a year of growth for the skin to gradually improve its barrier function and approach the thickness of adult skin.
Bathing frequency: once every other day or twice a week
A small peak of infantile seborrheic dermatitis occurs 3 weeks to 3 months after birth.
Babies before the age of 3 months need to decide whether to bathe every day according to the oily skin condition, and older babies after the age of 3 months can appropriately reduce the frequency of bathing in winter.
In winter, bathe every other day, or twice a week, dry immediately after bathing, and apply moisturizing cream to your baby.
Bath temperature
Baby baby, the bath water temperature is 37-38 ℃, and the room temperature is 24-28 ℃.
Image source: Zhanku Hailuo
Bath time: 5-8 minutes
Parents can take a bath in a semi-recumbent or sitting position according to the baby’s weight and physical development. If the baby can’t sit alone, it is best to take a semi-recumbent bath. Bath time is recommended to be controlled within 5-8 minutes.
Bath Cleaner
It is recommended to use bath products 1-2 times a week.
Private cleaning
When taking a bath, baby boys usually need to lift the penis and clean under the scrotum when cleaning the vulva area. Baby girls should pay attention to cleaning the excessive secretions on the inside of the labia majora.
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Baby with special skin
How do I take a shower?
Baby with eczema
If the baby’s eczema is mainly characterized by dry erythema, no water scabs, 2-3 times a week is enough (refer to the frequency corresponding to the age above).
If the baby’s eczema area flows yellow water and scabs, it is recommended to take a bath with clean water at least once a day, This can wash away bacteria and fungi in time and help the eczema Recovery, if necessary, use topical drugs to prevent infection under the guidance of a doctor.
Compared with the frequency of bathing, when a baby with eczema takes a bath, these four points are more important:
Do not use harsh bath products such as soap, the pH value is at least weakly acidic, close to the normal value of the skin;
The temperature of the bath water should not exceed 37 °C, and it is more suitable to have a water temperature equivalent to body temperature;
The best bath time is 10-15 minutes;
Wipe dry after bathing, apply moisturizing cream as soon as possible while baby’s skin is moist, massage fully until absorbed, and choose thicker products in dry seasons in autumn and winter (such as lotion in summer, Cream or ointment can be used in autumn and winter).
Image source: Zhanku Hailuo
Red Butt Baby
The baby with red butt should pay attention to keep the butt clean. After urinating, it should be washed with clean water in time. In addition to applying moisturizing cream immediately, use 1 per day. ~2 doses of zinc oxide ointment, or nipple cream with zinc oxide to enhance topical care.
If the baby girl’s genital secretions increase, it should be cleaned in time when bathing to avoid excessive reproduction of bacteria or fungi on the local skin and aggravate red buttocks.
Bathing your baby may seem like a small thing, but there are many details. In addition to paying attention to frequency, temperature, bath time, etc., there is another point that needs to be paid special attention, that is – at any time, do not leave your baby in the bathroom alone to avoid accidents.
This article expert
Yu Jia
Partnership Specialist
Dermatology Attending Physician of Zhuozheng Medical
Aesthetic Attending Physician
Zhou Ying
Review Specialist
Master of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University
Zhongzheng Medical Pediatrician
Planning
Producer: Astro
Typesetting: Mooncake
The source of the title map: Zhanku Hailuo