Ling’s Guide to Bathing Babies… er, Hannah!

Prior to giving birth to Hannah, Yang and I attended an antenatal class conducted by Thomson Medical Centre (TMC) to prepare ourselves with the delivery and baby care. One thing we were taught was how to bathe a baby. We were shown a video recording and a simple demo by our trainer.

Our confinement lady (CL) helped to bathe Hannah in her first month so that I could rest more. In the meantime, I watched and learned. Her approach and rationale for bathing a baby were very similar to what we learnt at the antenatal class except for one part which I will mention shortly. Bathing your own baby is an opportunity to bond with her. It is also educational for the baby. I’d usually say “mommy is going to brush your teeth (actually gums) now”, “one, two, three, four and five fingers on Hannah’s right hand!” and “show mommy your armpit…let mommy clean your armpit”

So here’s a brief outline of the steps taken to bathe our dear girl. :)

1) Set up the room for a bath. Bath water should be slightly warmer than body temperature (mine’s around 38 degree celsius). I use a bath thermometer to gauge. CL just used her hand to ‘agar agar’ (that’s ‘estimate’ in Malay). I’m supposed to close the windows to avoid drafts as baby can catch a chill. However, I seldom do that as the mornings here are usually warm and breeze-less. Other things to get ready: wash cloths for face and body, body wash, slip-proof mat, mats, body towel, diaper, diaper rash cream, moisturizer and a clean set of clothes.

2) Clean her gums and tongue. This is the part which TMC didn’t teach. CL taught me and I thought it is a good practice not just for hygiene purposes but also for Hannah to get used to the habit of brushing her teeth later on. Since Hannah drinks formula, the milk residue on her tongue thickens quickly. I was advised to thin out the residue daily by using a gauze or wash cloth so that she could continue to taste the milk and not reject it. BTW, sometimes I triggered her gag reflex when I tried to clean her inner tongue. Gotta be careful.

3) Clean her face. Starting with her eyes and then to the rest of the face. TMC advised using sterile cotton wool wet with cooled boiled water to wipe the eyelids gently. We did that but after 5-6 weeks, I started using the wash cloth for her face to clean the eyelids. It was okay lah. Oh ya, do not miss out the eyebrows. Otherwise cradle cap might develop there.

4) Take off her clothes to get ready for hair wash.

5) Pour out some body wash (quantity according to the instructions on the bottle) and mix it into the tub of warm bath water. I use Lactacyd’s. I was using Johnson’s Head to Toe previously but found it to be a tad drying for Hannah’s skin. Bought Lactacyd from Cold Storage.

6) Hair wash. Hold the baby’s head over the bath tub. Wet another wash cloth in the mild soapy bath water and gently massage the scalp all over. Wet the cloth again and repeat. Do it a few times.

7) For cradle cap cases. Use a hair brush to gently massage on the affected areas. Rinse with bath water.

8) Dry hair with body towel. Remove diaper. (If baby pooed, clean up the genital area)

9) With one hand supporting the baby’s neck and arm while the other hand on her lower back, gently and slowly lower the baby, legs first, into the bath water.

10) Use the same wash cloth for the hair to gently clean the creases (e.g. neck, armpits) and general areas. Use your hand to gently rub clean the fingers and toes. Always clean the genitals last. (Hannah has poo-pooed in her bath water thrice so far! Gotta to clean up the mess and redo the whole thing. Welcome to motherhood.)

11) Lift up the baby and let the bath water drip off for a few seconds before transferring her to a laid out body towel.

12) Quickly wrap her body with the towel (to prevent her catching a chill) and gently dab off (not rub!) the water. Pay attention to the creases again. I also use a clean, damp handkerchief to wipe her hands as they are slightly soapy – she loves to suck her fingers at this age.

13) Quickly apply the diaper rash cream and put on the diaper. She can surprise you with a pee or poo sometimes. As you can see in the photograph, I lay her clean romper over her body to keep her warm while doing the diaper thingy. BTW, if the baby is a boy, place a small towel or tissue paper over his manhood while putting on the diaper. He might send a missile attack to the most ‘strategic’ location on your face or body! :P

14) Apply moisturizer on dry skin (optional). You can use this opportunity to do a simple body massage to relax the baby further.

15) Put on clean clothes. I prefer rompers as they prevent the diaper from sliding downwards whenever the baby is active.

16) Good job, mommy! :D