Baby’s Daily Routine

Cleaning your baby

Babies have an extremely sensitive skin and may not necessarily require to be bathed, especially during the first few days. Just wiping them with cotton balls and warm water would be enough. Some doctors even suggest avoiding bathing the babies until their umbilical cord stumps have fallen off.

Taking care of the umbilical stump

The stump is basically an extension of the umbilical cord, which is clamped and cut close to the navel after the baby is born. This normally dries and falls off on its own within two to three weeks. It heals much faster when exposed to air. Just ensure not to keep it wet and that it’s completely dry at all times. One way to clean it is by using a little alcohol on a cotton ball. You may notice a few drops of blood once the stump falls off, but there’s no need to worry as it heals on its own.

Taking care of your baby’s nails

A baby’s nails are often quite long at birth and it’s essential to cut them early enough to prevent him from scratching himself. Though you may feel a little jittery to handle it that soon, some tips can help you manage the task well.

• It’s preferable to trim the nails right after bath, as the nails are soft and tender then. Blunt-edged scissors or baby nail clippers can be used. Just follow the natural line of fingers while depressing the finger pad from the nail.
• If you wish, you can cover his hands with a pair of soft mittens until you are confident enough to cut the nails.
• You can also gently nibble the nails as your mouth is more sensitive than a pair of scissors.
• When your baby grows a little older, you can sit him in your lap. While holding his fingers steady with one hand, trim his nails with the other using a blunt-edged nail clipper or scissor.
  

Taking care of your baby’s laundry

Washing and cleaning a baby’s clothes is a tedious task and requires careful handling. You need to be sure to thoroughly disinfect the clothes before re-using, as improper cleaning can lead to skin infections or diaper rashes. Avoid using excess detergent as that too could irritate your baby’s skin. Use an appropriate amount of cleanser and rinse the clothes thoroughly.

Steps to clean:

• Keep separate bucketfuls of water with sterilized solution for soiled and urine-soaked diapers.
• Rinse the urine-soaked diapers under running tap water.
• Cleanse the soiled diapers of the excrement in the toilet bowl.
• Immerse the diapers in different buckets of sterilizing solutions and soak them for a couple of hours.
• Take out the diapers and wash them separately with hot water. Ensure to rinse them thoroughly before putting them to dry.
• If you use plastic pants for your baby, wash them in a separate tub of warm water and a mild detergent. Rinse well and put them to dry.
  

Sterilizing bottles

Whenever you decide to start bottle-feeding your baby, you have to be extra careful to maintain a high standard of cleanliness as long as you continue this. Bacteria breeds very fast in milk and if you are careless or neglect this aspect, your baby could end up with stomach pains, infections and other problems.

All feeding equipments, like the bottles, nipples, rings, discs and caps must be washed with warm water and soap, and thoroughly rinsed. You will also need to keep a periodic check on the shape of the nipple, particularly the size of its hole as frequent sterilizing can affect it. As babies tend to use up a number of bottles initially, you will probably have to manage the cleansing process at least twice a day. The number of bottles will decrease as your baby grows older.

Steps to sterilize bottles:

• Immerse the bottles, nipples, rings, discs and caps in a wide utensil or pot of warm soapy water. Using a bottle brush, clean the inside, the rim and the screw thread at the mouth of the bottles thoroughly.
• When cleaning the nipples, wash the surface, turn them inside out and scrub with a nipple brush. You can sprinkle and rub some common salt to remove the hardened milk particles.
• Wash and rinse all the equipments in clean and hot water. Let water run through the nipples to ensure the holes have not enlarged.
• For sterilizing, you can either use boiling water or a sterilizer rack. If using the first method, put all the equipments in a pot of water and boil for about 10-15 minutes. Let the pot cool with the lid on. Remove the equipments on to a soft cloth or paper towels with a clean tong and leave to dry. If using the latter method, put the bottles upside down in the rack and other equipments in one of the bottle slots in the rack. Fill the steam chamber of the sterilizer with water and place the rack inside. Cover with the lid and switch on. The sterilizer will automatically switch off once the water boils.
  

Tips to remember:

• Never overheat the plastic bottles, especially with formula or breast milk inside. Do not store breast milk in the bottles. Fill in the milk just before feeding and always throw away the left over.
• Never heat milk in the microwave as it tends to heat the particles unevenly that could burn your baby’s mouth.
• Babies normally prefer slightly warm milk (not hot) as it tastes closest to the breast milk, although they can also accept milk kept at room temperature but not if it’s cold.
• If you need to warm the milk, put the milk bottle in a bowl of warm water just before feeding for a couple of minutes, then take it out.
• As your baby grows older, his appetite and ability to suck the nipple will increase. Hence, you will either have to replace the nipple with a bigger hole or enlarge it yourself, so that the milk flows faster. It will be possible to enlarge the hole if the nipple is of latex material rather than a silicone one.
  

Tips for Dressing and Undressing your baby

It’s important to keep in mind that babies usually do not like the feel of cold air on their skin. So whenever you have to dress up or take clothes off your baby, make sure the room is warm enough or keep him wrapped in a towel or blanket. Also, try not to take too much of time while changing.

To keep the baby amused, tickle or nuzzle his tummy in between. Remember, skin contact is an important aspect for bonding with your little one. While choosing clothes for your baby, it will be best to use natural fabrics like cotton and light wool that is soft and allows your baby’s skin to breathe.

During warm season, an undershirt and diaper will be good enough to dress up your baby. Undershirts are convenient as they come in various shapes and styles to suit your choice. While choosing them, pick a size slightly bigger, the neck of which can easily slip over your baby’s head without causing him any distress.

Teething - The Basics

Teething is a process that differs from baby to baby. Most of the infants tend to sprout their first tooth after about 4 to 5 months. There could be some who could start as late as after the completion of their first year. And there are a few who already have a tooth cap visible at the time of their birth. In fact, the teeth develop as tooth buds in the gums when the baby is still in the mother’s womb. It’s only a matter of time when they start breaking out gradually over a couple of months. However, if the teething takes a long time or the tooth looks loose, wobbly and unsettled, then it probably would require to be taken care of by your doctor.

A baby completes his first set of teeth, 20 in number, by the time he attains 3 years of age. These are known as milk or primary teeth and are very sharp, so if you continue to breastfeed your baby, you will need to be careful and teach him not to bite. They are called milk teeth owing to their whiteness. As your baby grows and reaches 6 to 7 years of age, he will start losing teeth, which will gradually be replaced by a set of 32 permanent teeth.

The symptoms of teething become apparent a couple of weeks before you spot your baby’s first tooth. Some of these signs could be-

• Irritable and cranky
• Drool a lot, i.e. tend to put his fingers or the whole fist into his mouth to relieve the tingling pain. However, too much drooling can cause excess secretion of saliva which in turn can cause rashes to develop around his chin, so wipe off the saliva and apply petroleum jelly over the area.
• Develop biting behavior
• Refuse food because of painful swollen gums
  

There are many parents who associate symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting or fever with teething, i.e., if your baby is experiencing these problems during this phase. Child development experts disagree with this and associate these problems with an underlying medical condition or infection which requires a doctor’s attention.

Some measures that can help ease the baby’s distress during teething-

• There are special rubber toys or teething rings which contain gel, available in the markets that you can offer to your baby to chew on when he’s teething. These will help relieve soreness around his gums.
• If your baby has started on solids, you can also offer him cold foods like yoghurt, cold stewed and mashed apple or banana, as these will ease the pain and reduce the swollen gums.
• You can use a cold washcloth and press it gently on the baby’s gums, but do not rub.
• Never use any medication on your own without consulting the doctor.
  

Tooth and mouth care

Once your baby’s teeth start coming out, you will need to take care of them until your baby is old enough to do so by himself. Here are some of the ways to ensure your baby’s teeth and gums health and how to go about it

• Wipe the baby’s gums and teeth - Most doctors recommend cleaning your baby’s mouth even before his first tooth appears. You can wipe the gums with a small piece of cloth. When the teeth come out, put a drop of toothpaste on the cloth and clean the teeth and gums of the plaque and bacteria that get accumulated and cause tooth decay.
• Floss – It will be good if you also use a dental floss as it will help clear the plaque and food particles in between the teeth. You can train your baby and help him inculcate this as a healthy habit as he grows. Take a piece of dental floss and hold it tightly between the thumb and index finger on both hands. Ease the floss between two touching teeth, gently sliding it back and forth. Be careful not to do it harshly. Sometimes, the gums may bleed a little, but there’s nothing to worry. You can dab it with a cold washcloth.
• Brush – It will be time for you to start using a toothbrush with soft bristles for your baby when he has more than a few teeth visible. Make it a habit of brushing his teeth once every morning and night before bedtime. It will be convenient for you to put him on your lap with his back against you and gently brush his teeth and gums. Remember to replace the toothbrush every 6 to 8 weeks for better hygiene. Once the baby completes a year or so, you can slowly teach him how to brush while brushing your own teeth.
  

*Avoid the use of fluoride toothpaste for babies.
Fluoride is an important mineral that renders strength to the tooth enamel, maintains its whiteness, and protects it from acids and harmful bacteria. Thus, it is certainly beneficial for babies too. However, since babies are unable to spit out the paste and tend to swallow it, too much of fluoride in the system can cause a condition called fluorosis, which is formation of white spots on the child’s teeth. Normally, the water supplies that you get will be fortified with fluoride, so your baby should get enough of it whenever you give him formula feed or other fluids such as juices, or for that matter just plain water. In fact, even the doctors suggest that infants should start using fluoride toothpaste only after the age of two.

Other measures to safeguard your baby’s teeth:

• Avoid giving your baby anything, whether eatables or teething toys that is hard to chew on, but ones which are soft yet firm that won’t hurt his teeth.
• Avoid feeding him too much of sugary stuff as babies teeth are more susceptible to get infected with cavity. Also, do not put a milk bottle in his mouth when putting him to sleep at night.
• You can start your baby’s dental check-ups by the time he turns one. It’s always good to rule out any signs of decay or problem that you may tend to overlook. If your baby doesn’t get his first tooth by 18 months or so, you can refer this to your dentist.