Bathing a small child is not only one of the ways to maintain a clean body, but also one of the ways to stimulate breathing and blood circulation in the body. Many parents ask questions: whether it is 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 value of bathing for a child
Bathing the baby has nothing to do with hygiene, even despite the fact that water plays the main role in these two processes. Wash the baby to make it cleaner. This requires warm running water or special wet wipes, baby soap and just a few minutes.
But swimming is a process that requires more time and creativity. Parents bathe their child in order to:
- to give him pleasure and restore psychological comfort (after all, not so long ago, the baby swam in the womb);
- provide him with minimal physical activity;
- contribute to the development of tactile, communicative and emotional skills in the newborn;
- establish digestive processes and arouse appetite;
- contribute to hardening and disease prevention.
But whether it is necessary to boil water for bathing a newborn, it is up to each parent to decide for themselves.
What you need to prepare before swimming
For the first time faced with bathing a child, parents wonder what needs to be prepared and what items to use. In the first weeks of life, you should definitely boil water for bathing a newborn baby. To start, 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 it 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 washed well 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 if the water has cooled.
- A container with clean water, which is useful for washing the face of a child.
- A washcloth. It should be made of natural materials that are not afraid of high temperatures and boiling. Experts do not recommend the use of a sponge, since it can contain microbes, and it can not be boiled.
- Towels. You can use them in different sizes, the big one will be intended for the body, and the small one will be used exclusively for wiping the face.
- Shampoo and soap. Only specialized detergents are used to wash the baby. Some of them are designed to cleanse hair and body.
- Cotton swabs, sticks for cleaning the navel, ears, nose.
- Clothes for the child after bathing. It should fully correspond to the season and room temperature. Do not wrap the newborn too much.
- Children's cosmetics. Special body cream, oil and powder.
- Children's cosmetic tools: scissors with rounded ends and a nail file.
All items listed should be near the bathing place or on the changing table.
Optimal bathing temperature
At the beginning of bathing, the water temperature should not exceed 33-34 degrees. However, the aquatic environment should not allow the child to relax. Cool liquid has a good effect on the skin, improves blood circulation in the vessels, stimulates the work of the heart, increases resistance to infectious diseases and strengthens the immune system. Gradually, it is necessary to reduce the temperature to 30 degrees.
A water temperature above 35 degrees relaxes the child too much, he has no desire to move and develop. Such an aquatic environment is very pleasant for the baby, but will not bring him any benefit. Bathing in such water will help the newborn to love the procedure, but one should not stay for a long time at this 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 the newly born child. If it was initially weak, then it is better to abandon tap water and conduct additional disinfection.
Baby bathing water
Pediatricians do not prohibit the use of tap water for swimming. However, it should not contain large amounts of chlorine and have a pungent, unpleasant odor. For better cleaning, you can use sea salt.
If the 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 water from the tap flows dirty, rusty and has many impurities. You should carefully monitor the temperature regime, since 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 only bathe a child in boiled water and a special bath. But today, experts are sure that:
- before bathing, too much time will pass, the water will have time to cool, and this can adversely affect the health of the child;
- a large bath is able to give the child more opportunities for movement and maneuvers, in turn, active movement in the water helps strengthen muscles and the cardiovascular system.
Boil water is necessary only if the umbilical wound has not yet healed. Pediatricians note that it is not covered with epithelium, therefore, it needs constant treatment. When the wound has healed, the baby can be bathed in ordinary running water and in a large bathtub.
Preparation of fluid for water procedures
Parents decided to bathe the baby, and this raises the question of how to boil water for bathing a newborn. There are several steps to follow:
- 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.
- The capacity should be large so that mom or dad can fill the bath in the right amount.
- It should be remembered that the water cools very quickly. Therefore, as soon as the required temperature has been reached, the baby should already be next to the bath.
- If desired, a decoction of herbs can be added to the liquid.
The questions of young parents do not end there. How much boil water for bathing a newborn? There is no definite answer, some experts say that you can turn it off immediately after the boil starts, others recommend letting it boil for 5-10 minutes.
Exceptions to the Rules
Do you need to boil water for bathing a newborn? There are times when this is the only way to bathe a child:
- likelihood of infection;
- skin allergies require special precautions when performing hygiene procedures;
- poor condition of tap water, including rust;
- unpleasant odor of water;
- the smell of bleach is too strong;
- fear that harmful microbes and bacteria are in the water;
- too hard water, causing spots not only on the baby's body, but also on the adult;
- purulent wounds.
Whether it is necessary to boil water for bathing a newborn, each parent chooses personally. However, first of all, the above factors should be excluded in order to avoid problems with the baby's health.
Decoctions of herbs for swimming
The skin of the baby in the first days after birth is especially sensitive, therefore, decoctions of some herbs can be added to the bath: chamomile, string or sage. They not only favorably affect the skin, but also allow the child to relax and fall asleep after bathing a sound sleep. For this:
- 4-5 large tablespoons of dry grass are added to a container with one liter of boiling liquid;
- then the broth needs to be infused until the blades of grass settle to the bottom;
- the resulting infusion must be filtered through gauze or strainer;
- then it is added to the bath.
It is not necessary to add infusion to the bath, but this can give additional strength to the baby's body. However, you should carefully monitor the child to prevent allergic reactions.
Each parent will be able to answer the question whether to boil water for bathing a newborn only by observing his baby. After all, each baby heals an umbilical wound differently, and allergic reactions can occur even in the first days after birth.