When you leave the hospital with your baby and arrive home, it becomes your responsibility to care for your baby on your own. In the early days, your aftercare midwife can show you the most important steps and give you valuable tips.
Your baby needs to be changed, bathed and washed regularly. In the first few weeks, belly button care also plays a role and there are also a few things to consider when cutting baby's nails.
During the first attempts, the handles when changing nappies may still be a bit uncertain, but don't worry.
Routine will quickly set in at the changing table, because your baby's nappy should be changed every three to four hours and, of course, after every bowel movement. It’s best to use lukewarm water and a washcloth for cleaning. It’s very important that your baby's bottom is dried thoroughly afterwards so that it doesn’t become sore. In order to make changing your baby as comfortable as possible, you should make sure that they don’t freeze.
So-called heat lamps, which can be attached above the changing table, are particularly suitable for this. When you are out and about with your baby, wet wipes are very practical for changing nappies. In general, you shouldn’t necessarily use care products such as powders and lotions, as these can also lead to skin irritation.
Bathing your baby once or twice a week is enough. Additionally, bath additives are not necessary. The room in which you want to bathe your baby should be warm and little ones feel most comfortable with a water temperature of 37 degrees. A bath thermometer is suitable for checking the water temperature.
A conventional baby bathtub or alternatively a bath bucket is ideal for bathing. In the bath bucket, your baby sits in a crouch and therefore has more support.
The aftercare midwife usually helps parents with belly button care. Hygiene is the top priority here. Before cleaning the belly button, you should always wash your hands and carefully dab any liquid in the belly button region with a dry cloth.
A compress prevents germs from reaching the bellybutton. After about five to ten days, the remainder of the umbilical cord has dried up and eventually falls off. This leaves a small wound, which you should dab carefully with a cotton swab once a day. This small wound does not hurt your baby and usually heals quickly.
However, if redness occurs around the navel or if blood or pus leaks out, you should take your baby to a paediatrician, as it could be an infection.
You shouldn’t cut your baby's fingernails for the first time before four weeks after birth. For this you use baby nail scissors that have rounded tips.
By then, many babies' nails are so long that they scratch themselves. To avoid this, you can pull baby gloves or socks over their hands.
