Bathing

During the first week, before the cord has fallen off and the navel heals, wash the baby with a cloth wrung out in warm water. The face and diaper area require frequent washing, since food, urine, and bowel movements can irritate the skin. The rest of the body may need washing only several times a week.

After the first week or two, you may find it more convenient to give the bath in a tub or dishpan. You will need the following:

• A warm room
• A table or counter top of convenient height
• A tub or dishpan containing an inch or two of warm water. Check to be sure it is not too hot
• You may want to put a small towel or diaper in the bottom of the tub to keep the baby from skidding on the slippery surface
• A bar of mild soap
• A wash cloth or other soft cloth
• A full-size towel or "receiving blanket" to dry the baby

Wash the head and face first while the water and wash cloth are cleanest. You don't need soap for the face. Use your hand to lather the rest of the body with soap. Wash your girl's labia and your boy's penis just as you wash any other part of their body. You may find it easier to wash your baby on the table on a towel, and use the tub only for rinsing. Rinse your baby thoroughly with the wash cloth—at least two rinsings—then wrap your baby in a towel and pat dry. Wash the hair with a non-irritating baby shampoo about once a week, or more frequently if your baby has the scaly, waxy rash of cradle cap. Don't worry about the soft spot on the head—it's tough!

Don't worry if you can't bathe your infant every day; 2 or 3 baths a week are enough for most babies. Some babies quickly learn to enjoy their bath, and it becomes a daily pleasure. Others strongly object to the bath the first 8 or 10 times it is tried. They will gradually learn to tolerate the bath and perhaps even to enjoy it.

Use a nail clipper to keep finger and toe nails short. Cut them straight across, and try to clip them when the baby is relaxed or asleep. At other times sudden playful motions may make clipping difficult, and you might accidentally clip the skin.

NEVER, NEVER LEAVE THE BABY ALONE IN THE WATER FOR ANY REASON WHATSOEVER!!!

If the telephone or doorbell rings, or your 2-year-old hollers, wrap the baby (soap and all) in a towel and put the baby under your arm. The bath is never safe, no matter how little water you may use, until well into the second or third year of life. If there is a real crisis or emergency, put the baby on the floor. He can't fall or drown there.

Always check the water temperature. Hot water causes scalds and burns! Don't leave the baby in the tub with the water running.

Don't try to clean the ears, nose, navel, vulva or anus with cotton-tipped sticks. Anything you can't clean with a corner of a wash cloth doesn't need cleaning.

Don't use special disinfectant soap for every bath and cleansing. Plain soap is best. Too much soap can be almost as irritating to the skin as is dirt, food, or soiled diapers.

Sleeping

Everybody will get more rest if the baby does not sleep in the parents' room. Especially in the first weeks, frequent snorts, gurgles, sneezes, coughs and irregular breathing are bound to keep you awake wondering what the baby will do next. If you are really needed, your baby will cry loud enough to be heard from nearly everywhere in the house! Even in the smallest apartment, a crib or makeshift crib can be moved to the living room, kitchen or bathroom when the parents retire for the night.

Don't put your baby in bed with you either. You may roll over in your sleep and smother or hurt your infant. And, it is almost certain the baby will want to become your constant bedfellow. Neither you nor your husband will want to put up with a wiggling, wet baby for very long.

The baby shouldn't sleep in a strong draft or breeze. He or she doesn't always need open windows for sleep. Air that is fresh enough to breathe during the day is fresh enough to sleep in.

Most babies sleep from 12 to 20 hours during the 24-hour day. Your baby will decide how much to sleep. You won't be able to make your baby sleep any more or less. However, you can arrange to keep your infant awake during the times of the day that are most convenient for you, so he or she will sleep during the night and during morning or afternoon naps.

Bowel Movements

Babies' first bowel movements are sticky and greenish-black. After a week or two, they become lighter and less sticky, the way they will be for the next year. A baby may have anywhere from one movement every 3 or 4 days to 5 or 6 movements a day. Movements may be as firm as those of a normal adult or as soft as watery scrambled eggs. A baby may turn red in the face and cry with each bowel movement, or may seem totally unaware of them. The color of the bowel movements may be yellow, green or brown. All of these are normal.

Constipation—exists when the bowel movements are hard, dry, and difficult to pass, no matter how frequent or infrequent they may be. Prune juice (1 tablespoon) added to one of the baby's bottles or a small feeding of vegetables each day may soften the bowel movements. If not, your doctor or clinic may suggest a remedy. Do not use mineral oil, castor oil, adult laxatives or enemas without medical advice.

Diarrhea—exists when the bowel movements contain too much water. Small bowel movements which are milky or watery or odd-colored are rarely of concern, and no treatment or diet change is usually necessary. Large watery bowel movements can cause a baby to lose more water than he or she is drinking. This "dehydration" can be a true medical emergency. Even a single, huge, explosive, watery bowel movement can be an emergency in an infant 1 to 3 months old, especially if there is poor appetite or vomiting.

Do not delay in seeking medical attention when there are one or more large watery bowel movements.

Blood in Bowel Movements—Slight blood streaking on the outside of a bowel movement is usually caused by a small sore or fissure in the anus, and is not a cause for alarm. The fissure and the bleeding can often be cured by keeping the stools soft with one of the remedies discussed for constipation. If bleeding or hard bowel movements persist, your doctor will be able to help. Do not delay medical attention if there is bloody diarrhea or if fresh blood or blood clots are passed with the bowel movements.

Crying

Babies cry to tell parents that they are in some way not satisfied or comfortable. Your job is to find out why and, if possible, to do something about it. Hunger is the most common cause. Loneliness is probably the next most common cause, especially after the first few months. Some babies cry only because they are tired. Actual pain from an open diaper pin or from colic is much less common. The baby's own temperament makes a big difference. Some will let out a roaring cry at the first sign of hunger or discomfort while others will become quietly restless and not actually cry for some time. Some will cry whenever the diaper is wet or soiled; others will ignore the diaper until it causes enough irritation to cause actual pain. Some will object to baths, to being placed in bed, to having the lights put out or to other sudden changes. Excessive clothing or clothing that is not warm enough may cause discomfort and crying.

But there is always a cause, and usually you should be able to figure out what the cause is and to do something about it. This does not mean that you can't let a hungry or wet child wait for several minutes while you finish what you are doing. But it does mean that no child should be left to cry for any prolonged period of time without serious attempts to find out what is wrong and to correct it.

Many babies do have a time each day when they are just fussy or crying without any reason that you can discover. After you have checked for a cause of crying, you can safely ignore these fussy periods.

Most children want attention and handling. If a baby becomes quiet and content when picked up, it was probably just loneliness that caused the crying. A few minutes offondling and play, and then perhaps leaving the baby in the room with you where you can be seen is all that is needed. If there is actually hunger or pain, the crying will soon start again even if you are holding or playing with your infant. Don't worry about "spoiling" your baby. Giving the needed attention during the first year will help build the trust which will help him or her learn more "grownup" behavior later on.

Many infants rest better if they are firmly wrapped, or swaddled, in a blanket or wrapper.

Colic

Some babies have attacks of crying nearly every evening, usually between 6:00 and 10:00 p.m. During such attacks, babies frown, their faces redden, and they draw their legs up. They scream loudly—a cry quite different from the cries of hunger or loneliness. Crying may continue from 2 to 20 minutes even when the baby is picked up and comforted. The attack may end suddenly, or soft crying may last a few minutes after the hard crying stops. Just as the baby is about to fall asleep, another attack may occur. Gas may rumble in the stomach and be passed through the rectum.

No one knows what causes such attacks. They often come at the same time every day. At other times of the day the infant is happy, alert, eats well and gains weight. During an attack, holding the infant across your knees on his or her stomach often will give some comfort. There is little you can do except comfort the baby until the attack stops. Be sure the baby isn't just hungry, wet or lonely, and that no part of the clothing is uncomfortable. Most importantly, remember that colic does not interfere with your baby's general health and growth, and that your baby will grow out of it by the time he or she is 12 to 16 weeks old. Colicky babies do annoy their mothers and fathers and anybody living in the household. Remind everyone that it is not the baby's fault, it is not your fault, and the baby will get over it. If the colic becomes a real problem, it is worth a special trip or call to the doctor, who may be able to prescribe a medicine to make the baby rest more comfortably.

Jeff Beaumont

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