The first exciting event for parents after discharge from the hospital is bathing the baby. As a rule, the devices for this procedure and many related things are bought in advance, and the process itself raises many questions about how not to cause crumb trauma and do everything most safely.
Nowadays, to facilitate the task, use special slides and hammocks. What is a slide and a hammock for bathing newborns, how to choose it, is discussed in this article.
Does the baby need a hammock
The hammock is a fabric or mesh device that is stretched over the bath and hooks or elastic bands attached to its edges.
Another modification is similar to a slide - it is a metal frame of a special ergonomic shape, covered with fabric. It is placed inside the bath and serves as a support for the crumbs during the procedure.
Most parents have a positive opinion of the hammock for bathing newborns. Reviews indicate that the presence of support for the baby’s head and butt helps a lot when bathing, since it excludes the possibility of missing the crumbs, and his motor activity is not limited by anything. In addition, mom's hands are released for the procedure.
Some mothers are disappointed in the product when the baby, being in a hammock, is either too high above the surface of the water, or slides from the base. This happens in cases where the wrong size of the product is selected and does not match the weight of the baby and the dimensions of the bath.
Which is better: slide-frame or hammock
A bathing slide is an ergonomic fit that fits into the bathtub. Despite the fact that you can make both products yourself, each family decides for itself what it will use. Making a hanging hammock looks a little easier than on a frame.
The slide has recesses for legs and handles, raised side walls and a latch between the legs so that the baby could not slip into the water.
Such devices as a slide, a hammock for bathing newborns can be used from birth, but some nuances must be taken into account.
In the case of using a hammock, it is necessary to clearly calculate the size of it and the bath, since in the case of the birth of a large baby, when bathing, he may be deep in the water when it stretches. This product ideally keeps crumbs of small sizes for up to four months. At the same time, a small child will feel uncomfortable on the hill, as there is a possibility of his slipping.
So both products have their pros and cons, and you need to approach their choice carefully and carefully, to be sure of the safety of the baby during bathing.
DIY hammock: things to consider
A hammock for bathing newborns creates comfortable conditions for bathing crumbs, because the baby is in contact with the thickness of the water and feels the natural environment. The most important thing is the safety of the baby, so when you make such a product yourself, you need to take into account all the pros and cons regarding its use:
- compact size and folding;
- fairly affordable prices for materials for manufacturing;
- the possibility of manufacturing products of such sizes and characteristics that are suitable for a particular bath;
- easy care - rinse and dry after use;
- with your own production, you can choose the fabric of the desired color and texture, or choose a combination of several materials;
- the fabric should dry quickly - it is important to choose it not only strong, but at the same time thin;
- only one adult can participate in the bathing of the baby - the size of the hammock must be calculated so that there are no large spaces between it and the bathtub into which the active baby can fall;
- a hammock for bathing newborns is relatively short-lived, if it is made of fragile thin fabric, you need to be prepared to replace it;
- load restrictions - the hammock can stretch and sag under a child increasing in mass, so you need to choose a fabric that is moderately elastic so that it sags only slightly below the surface of the water.
If the hammock is too sagging, the child sinks deeply, which creates the possibility of flooding.
The choice of model and material for the hammock
First of all, this soft device should be made of durable and pleasant to the touch material. Since the baby’s skin is delicate and prone to irritation, the fabric must be selected without a pronounced embossed pattern, necessarily from natural fibers.
If there is a desire to sew a fixture from a grid, then it should also meet the conditions of softness and smoothness, should not be too elastic and tensile, with a cell size of about two to three millimeters.
To facilitate the task of mom, a correctly selected hammock for a bathtub for bathing newborns will serve perfectly. For tailoring models should be chosen based on the weight of the baby. Mesh products themselves are not very dense, so they are more suitable for small babies, and crumbs with a large mass need to choose fabric designs. In the case of a certain unknown, for starters, you can sew a mesh hammock, and as the crumbs grow, replace it with another, more suitable model.
You can consider combined options, in which a grid is built in the middle, and the edges are made of dense, non-stretch fabric.
The dimensions of the hammock should be selected in proportion to the bath so that the baby could not slip into the resulting gap from the side. With a correctly cut and sewn product, it only bends slightly under the child and does not touch the bottom of the bathtub.
Frame hammock
In the case of a slide, it is necessary to correctly make the bends of the frame so that the spine of the child does not experience stress and the baby does not slip into the water. The sizes and shapes of such products can be found in children's stores.
The metal for the frame must also be rigid so that the product does not lose shape under the weight of the baby. The requirements for fabric for tailoring are the same as for the manufacture of a hammock.
First, the frame of the required dimensions is formed in accordance with the dimensions of the bath. Then, measurements are taken on it for the pattern. It must be taken into account that the fabric will fold and sew double, as for a bag. A pattern with allowances is built, cut out and superimposed on the fabric. Then the cut is carried out, the elements are sewn together, the edges are processed. At the final stage, the cover is pulled onto the frame.
DIY hammock for bathing newborns
For those who do housework, it will be easy to make a hammock or slide on a metal frame with their own hands. The main rule - the fabric should be of high quality, the threads - strong.
- First, a hammock model is chosen, which will become an assistant for mom.
- Further, according to the internal dimension of the bath, the dimensions of the hammock are calculated so that, taking into account allowances for the seams after sewing and fixing the product, gaps of no more than five centimeters remain behind the edges of the bath.
- Then the pattern is drawn. When building it, you need to leave allowances for seams about one and a half centimeters at the edges and increase the length of the elements into which the brackets will be inserted. This is a good fit.
- If a combined model is planned, then at this stage the contours of various fabrics are applied to the pattern, the pattern is cut along them and those elements are again drawn for which allowances are added along the inner seam.
- All parts are stitched together, the seams are processed.
- A hammock is trying on a bath, the sizes of loops are specified.
- Insert metal fasteners (staples) into the loops and stitch them, cut off the excess fabric, close the seams.
Staples should be made of hard metal so that there is no possibility of their extension under the weight of the baby.
Usage Tips
Everyone knows that microorganisms multiply intensely in a humid environment. In this regard, hygienic care of the product is important so as not to harm the baby. After use, a hammock for bathing newborns must be rinsed and dried. Periodically, it must also be washed with baby soap. In this case, you can protect the crumbs from pathogenic bacteria and skin irritations.
During the bathing procedure, the baby should be poured with warm water and added to the bath so that there is no hypothermia. A stream of water will provide the baby with a light touch and a pleasant massage.
Conclusion
Due to the short period of use, many are wondering whether to buy a hammock for bathing newborns. Photos of this product are given in the article, and its usefulness is obvious.
Bathing babies is a daily routine, so four months are not so fast. The hammock will be an excellent assistant, especially if the mother will have to cope with bathing the crumbs alone. The product will fully justify the costs and allow the baby and mother to enjoy swimming.