8 Top Tips to Keep your Newborn Baby Clean and Healthy

A newborn baby brings lots of happiness and stress too with its arrival. As they say that the parents are going thru’ a new set of responsibilities, sleepless nights, coping up with extra members in the family, guests and new crew of support services.

Newborns have to be cared for and most importantly closely monitored for any slight changes. A lot of healthy hygiene practices have to be followed at home and should be implemented by all family members including supporting team. There are plenty of do’s and don’ts that have to be strictly adhered to ensure newborn baby is clean and healthy.

The basic needs for a Newborn baby are:

Bathing a baby

Babies can be given a bath daily unless the baby is sick or had an immunization schedule. In winters when the external weather is extremely cold you can opt for a wipe with a towel dipped in luke warm water. You can wash the baby’s hair daily though it is not mandatory. Weekly twice you can apply a mild shampoo for the hair and use a mild soap. However, you need to monitor that the water does not enter the newborn baby’s nose, mouth, eyes and ears.

After bathing the baby dry the baby completely with a dry towel. Make sure you clean dry the hidden area under creases- especially armpit and groin. This will keep away infection or peeling of skin

Read: New Moms Newborn Basic Baby Care Tips

Care for the cord

After your baby is born, the umbilical cord is cut close to the body in a painless procedure, leaving a 2 to 3 cm short umbilical stump. Your baby’s umbilical cord stump will dry up and eventually fall off within 10 to 21 days. There will be a fresh wound and it will take a few days to heal.

Read: Umbilical cord care: Basics for a New mom

You need to take good care of the umbilical cord area. This area is delicate and will need a little extra attention until the cord stump naturally falls off. Apply medication as prescribed by your baby’s pediatrician.

Taking care of eyes, nose, ears

There is no specific need to clean the eyes, ears and nose, however you need to wipe them with a wet towel externally. Avoid putting Kaajal in the eyes. You can apply kaajal on eyebrows. If you observe some dirt like substance in the ear or nose, gently clean with a ear bud without going much deeper.

Keeping private areas clean

During baby massage the common practice is to squeeze the breasts of the newborn baby to remove a milky substance otherwise the boys will have huge breast when they grow up. At times the foreskin on the penis of the baby is pushed back as a part of cleaning. These actions can result in serious infections and should be avoided unless handled by experienced hands.

Read: Taking Care of a premature baby

Trimming nail

Preferably trim baby’s nails when the baby is asleep. Nails grow quickly and if uncut can cause scratches for the baby. The nails of a baby may be trimmed with a clipper or baby scissors. Do not bite off the nails as it is not a hygienic practice.

Read: How to trim baby’s nails

Cutting hair

Baby’s hair grow fast and few babies have thick hair and it will start falling into the eyes and cause irritation. In certain communities, it is a practice to shave the head, soon after birth or after the baby is one year old. If cutting the hair is delayed you can use baby clips and secure hair.

Shaving the hair is also practiced in Indian communities, religious and scientific reason for removing the birth hair. Apply sandal wood paste mixed in homemade turmeric paste for cooling the scalp, this is followed commonly.

Read: Shaving a baby’s head makes the hair grow thicker and stronger

The same holds true for ear piercing. It is safe to wait till the baby has received its triple injections to tonsure the head or pierce the baby’s ears. This helps prevent tetanus.

Read: Vaccines for your baby – Immunization schedule

Keeping clothes clean

The newborn baby’s clothes need to be segregated and washed daily in water containing an antibacterial solution like dettol and some mild detergent, either by hand or in the washing machine. They should be sufficiently dried in a machine or in the sun to kill all germs. Once dry, the clothes should be folded and kept inside the cupboard, free from contamination. Change the clothes when damp after a feed or after baby passes stool or urinates.

Read: The importance of Setting a Baby’s routine

Handling the baby

There will be lots of friends and relatives visiting hospital and home after the baby is born. Make sure that anybody who handles the baby washes his/her hands with a good antibacterial soap or hand wash. Make sure civil footwear is left outside the baby’s room to minimize contamination.

Read: How to Handle the New Born Baby?

Clean and sterilize feeding bottles and other accessories

Feeding bottles should be sterilized in boiling water early in the morning and should be left in the vessel with water and a lid. You should have a good set of bottles to avoid any shortcuts and bypasses during cleaning. After baby’s feed empty the bottle, wash and keep aside. All the bottles and nipples needs to be sterilized again prior to use.

Read: How to Clean and Sterilize Bottle Feeding Equipment &

Dispensing and Preparing Formula for baby

Baby toys are major causes of infection. You need to wipe them with soap and water and ensure they are away from floor. Keep away toys that have sharp edges or are damaged, they could be dangerous.

Read: Choking prevention and First Aid for Babies

A common advice

It is a known fact that newborn babies are delicate and prone to infections quickly even with slight weather changes therefore you need to monitor the flow of relatives and friends visiting the hospital and home. Ensure baby’s room is airy and well lit.

Read: Use an Air Conditioner(AC) or Air cooler for a newborn baby?

The mother should also take care of overall health and the food intake to ensure being healthy and also making sure of the baby’s well being. Take medicines on time and recover fast. Follow hygiene practices to keep breast clean by washing with soap and water frequently prior to breast feeding.

Best wishes!! Happy motherhood !!

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Vaccines for your Baby – Immunization Schedule

A lot of emphasis is mentioned by elders in administering vaccines for your growing baby. A new born baby has to follow the immunization schedule to remain healthy and free from infections. When the mother and child is being discharged from the hospital after birth, the baby’s doctor will give a briefing of the forthcoming immunization schedule and when to visit the hospital.

You may be worried to even visualize your baby going thru’ the pain of so many injection. The doctor responsible will hand over a tracking card which contains the proposed immunization schedule for reference and future action. Remember these are mandatory vaccines to keep sickness at bay. Understand which are the mandatory vaccines and how important the vaccines are for your baby.

Natural immunity for a baby

God has gifted every human with miracle fighters called antibodies which recognize anything that is ‘foreign’ to our body and destroy it. The greatest advantage is that the immunity system identifies these enemies that come back to attack and destroys them .In this way immunity is developed to the particular disease. The baby’s immunity is further improved by the mother’s breast milk in the first 4 to 6 months.

Then why to give vaccines for the baby?

There are different diseases which can be deadly in children like polio, TB, Diphtheria, Tetanus, Measles, Hepatitis B.  Vaccines are given to babies to protect them and create acquired immunity to the disease. As is said Prevention is better than cure. Administer the vaccines in advance and prevent the babies from deadly diseases.

What is the immunization schedule and for what diseases?

Immunizations against common childhood diseases has been an integral component of mother and child health services in India since the adoption of the primary health care approach being reinforced by the Declaration of health Policy. Vaccines recommended by the Government and available in Government hospitals at reduced costs include:

BCG vaccine (mandatory) – Given as an intradermal injection soon after birth; prevents TB (Tuberculosis). Can cause slight swelling at the site of the injection, do not apply any medicine to the site. BCG : Bacillus Calmette Guerin

OPV vaccine (mandatory) – Given orally as several doses till the age of five, this prevents polio. Poliomyelitis is a disease which affects the nerves causing muscle weakness and paralysis. It is given free of cost to all children below five years of age under the Pulse Polio program. OPV: Oral Polio Vaccine

DPT vaccine (mandatory) – Given as an intradermal injection, it prevents three diseases Diphtheria, Pertrusis and Tetanus.
a. Diphtheria is an infection which starts with a ‘sore throat’ but can rapidly lead to formation of toxins (poisons) causing life-threatening complications.
b. Pertrusis (whooping cough) affects the lungs in children below 15 months of age. Starting with cold and cough, it progresses to episodes of coughs with a ‘whoop’. Complications include pneumonia, brain damage and death.
c. Tetanus starts when a wound is infected with bacteria found in soil, it affects the body’s muscles and nerves. The toxin produced by the bacteria causes muscle spasms, interferes with nerves and can be fatal.

Measles vaccine (mandatory) – The vaccine is given subcutaneously (just below the skin) as the baby completes nine months. A very contagious viral infection, measles starts as cold and cough with rashes progressing from the hairline downwards. It can progress to diarrhoea, pneumonia, infection of the brain leading to death, if untreated.

The immunization schedule as per the Universal Immunization Programme in India:

MMR vaccine (mandatory) – The vaccine is given as the baby completes 15 months. It prevents Measles, Mumps and Rubella. There may be slight fever, joint pain or stiffness after the vaccination.

Note: MMR vaccine (mandatory) – The vaccine is given as the baby completes 4 years.

DPT Booster (mandatory) – The vaccine is given as the baby completes 18 months, it prevents three diseases Diphtheria ( upper respiratory illness), Pertrusis and Tetanus. There may be mild fever, pain & swelling at the injection site.

Typhoid (mandatory) – The vaccine is given as the baby completes 2 years, it prevents Typhoid, a fever caused by Typhoid bacillus.

DPT Booster (mandatory) – The vaccine is given as the baby completes 5 years, it prevents three diseases Diphtheria ( upper respiratory illness), Pertrusis and Tetanus. There may be mild fever, pain & swelling at the injection site.

Remember to complete vaccines on time and keep the nation free of diseases and the future generations in safe hands.