Do I need to boil water for bathing a newborn: rules for bathing a newborn at home, water sterilization, adding decoctions, folk recipes and recommendations from pediatricians

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Bathing a small child is not only one of the ways to keep the body clean, but also one of the ways to stimulate breathing, blood circulation in the body. Many parents ask themselves questions: is it necessary to boil water for bathing a newborn, how to choose the right temperature and where to start the water procedure.

Different views on the meaning of bathing for a baby

Baby bathing has nothing to do with hygiene, even though water plays a major role in these two processes. Wash the child to make it cleaner. This requires warm running water or special wet wipes, baby soap and just a few minutes.

But bathing is a process that requires more time and creativity. Parents bathe their child in order to:

• to give him pleasure and return psychological comfort (because not so long ago the baby was swimming in the wombmother);
• provide him with minimal physical activity;
• contribute to the development of tactile, communication and emotional skills in a newborn;
• establish digestive processes and awaken appetite;
• contribute to hardening and disease prevention.

But whether it is necessary to boil water for bathing a newborn, this is up to each parent to decide on their own.

What you need to prepare before bathing

When faced with a baby bath for the first time, parents are wondering what to prepare and what items to use. In the first weeks of life, it is imperative to boil water for bathing a newborn baby. To get started, prepare:

• Baby bath. Currently, only plastic containers are used. It is easy to clean, durable and very light. It is used only for bathing a child and in no case is used on the farm. It is better to abandon the use of galvanized iron baths. You can bathe the baby in a large bath, only before that it is well washed with special products (soda, baby soap).
• Thermometer. It is not necessary to use an ultra-precise thermometer, it is enough to purchase an indicator that changes color when the water has cooled down.
• A container of clean water, useful for washing the baby's face.
• Washcloth. It should be made of natural materials that are not afraid of high temperatures and boiling. Specialists are notit is recommended to use a sponge, as it may contain germs, and it should not be boiled.

• Towels. You can use them in different sizes, the large one will be intended for the body, and the small one will be exclusively for wiping the face.
• Shampoo and soap. To wash the baby, only specialized detergents are used. Some of them are designed for both hair and body cleansing.
• Cotton swabs, sticks for cleaning the navel, ears, nose.
• Clothes for the baby after bathing. It must be fully consistent with the season and room temperature. Don't wrap your newborn too tightly.
• Children's cosmetics. Special body cream, oils and powder.
• Children's beauty tools: rounded scissors and a nail file.

All items listed should be near the bathing area or on the changing table.

Optimal water temperature for swimming

At the beginning of swimming, the water temperature should not exceed 33-34 degrees. However, the water environment should not allow the child to relax. The cool liquid has a good effect on the skin, improves blood circulation in the vessels, stimulates the heart, increases resistance to infectious diseases and strengthens the immune system. Gradually it is necessary to reduce the temperature to 30 degrees.

Water temperature above 35 degrees is too relaxingchild, he loses the desire to move and develop. Such an aquatic environment is very pleasant for the baby, but will not benefit him. Bathing in such water will help the newborn to love the procedure, but you should not linger for a long time at such a temperature.

Experts, answering the question of whether it is necessary to boil water for bathing a newborn, recommend paying attention to the general condition of a newly born baby. If it was initially weak, then it is better to refuse tap water and carry out additional disinfection.

Baby bath water

Pediatricians do not prohibit the use of tap water for bathing. However, it should not contain a large amount of chlorine and have a sharp, unpleasant odor. For better cleaning, you can use sea s alt.

If a mother is very worried about the question of whether it is necessary to boil water for bathing a newborn, then experts say that this is necessary if the tap water flows dirty, rusty and has a lot of impurities. You should carefully monitor the temperature regime, as the water cools quickly and requires constant dilution.

Do I need to boil water for bathing a newborn

Just a few years ago, there was a strong opinion that you can bathe a child only in boiled water and a special bath. But today, experts are sure that:

• before bathing will take too long, the water will have time to cool, and this may adversely affect the he alth of the child;
• big bath is capable ofgive the child more opportunities for movement and maneuvers, in turn, active movement in the water helps to strengthen the muscles and the cardiovascular system.

Boiling water is only necessary if the umbilical wound has not yet healed. Pediatricians note that it is not covered with epithelium, therefore, it needs constant processing. When the wound has healed, the baby can be bathed in ordinary running water and in a large bathtub.

Preparation of liquid for water procedures

Parents decided to bathe the baby, and then the question arises of how to boil water for bathing a newborn. There are several steps to follow:

1. The parent should watch the baby in the evening. If the baby is in a good mood, then you can safely put water on the stove. If the child is naughty, then it is better to postpone water procedures.
2. The container should be large so that mom or dad can fill the bath in the right amount.
3. It should be remembered that water cools very quickly. Therefore, as soon as the required temperature has been reached, the baby should already be next to the bath.
4. If desired, a decoction of herbs can be added to the liquid.

The questions of young parents do not end there. How much water to boil for bathing a newborn? There is no definite answer here, some experts say that you can turn it off immediately after the start of boiling, others recommend letting it boil for 5-10 minutes.

Exceptions fromrules

Do I need to boil water to bathe a newborn? There are cases where this is the only way to bathe a child:

• probability of infection;
• skin allergies require special hygiene precautions;
• bad condition of tap water, including rust;
• bad water smell;
• chlorine smell too strong;
• fear of harmful microbes and bacteria in the water;
• too hard water, causing stains not only on the body of a baby, but also an adult;
• purulent wounds.

Whether it is necessary to boil water for bathing a newborn, each parent chooses personally. However, you should first eliminate the above factors in order to avoid problems with the he alth of the baby.

Decoctions of herbs for bathing

Baby's skin in the first days after birth is especially sensitive, so you can add decoctions of some herbs to the bath: chamomile, string or sage. They not only have a beneficial effect on the skin, but also allow the child to relax and fall asleep after bathing in a sound sleep. To do this:

• 4-5 large spoons of dry grass are added to a container with one liter of boiled liquid;
• then the broth must be infused until the blades of grass settle to the bottom;
• the resulting infusion must be filtered through gauze or strainer;
• then add it to the bath.

Do not add infusion to the bathnecessary, but it can give extra strength to the baby's body. However, you should carefully monitor the child to prevent allergic reactions.

Answer the question of whether to boil water for bathing a newborn, each parent can only by watching their baby. After all, each child's umbilical wound heals differently, and allergic reactions can occur even in the first days after birth.