Good hygiene practices can help keep your infant happy and healthy all the time
Stepping into motherhood not only brings enormous joy and happiness to your life but also a lot of curiosity regarding the well-being of your newborn. You become extra cautious about everything around him, or her, such as how to nurture your little bundle of joy; how to take care of his health; how to protect the baby against infections and enhance immunity. All these questions can be answered by following good hygiene practices that help keep your baby happy and healthy all the time.
We all know that every day, baby comes into contact with millions of outside germs which may affect his/her health and make them sick. Therefore, apart from basic cleanliness, there are certain areas that may require special attention as those can affect your offspring’s health.
Apart from keeping the home clean and following the daily rituals of bathing and grooming your baby, as a new mom, it’s important that you also follow these good baby hygiene essentials:
It’s very important to sanitise your hands before you pick up your baby. Because touching the baby with dirty hands can make the child susceptible to germs.
As you know, babies generally have the habit of putting everything around them into their mouths such as teethers and small toys. Therefore, it’s important to keep everything around them clean and sanitised. For this purpose, you must use a liquid disinfectant or a steam steriliser which is effective against harmful household germs and is perfect for sanitising everything that comes in contact with baby’s mouth such as feeding accessories, metal utilities and even fruits and vegetables.
Dirty nails are a sign of germs that can enter your baby’s body when s/he sucks hands. So, always try to keep your baby’s fingernails well-trimmed and clean. For this, use a nail scissor which has been specially designed for babies and has curved blades with rounded tips to ensure complete safety during use. Scissors with a cover are ideal as they hygienically protect the blades when not in use.
The same comb/hair brush or earbuds which we use as adults should not be used for babies as they have very sensitive skin. You must use a hair brush which has soft natural bristles or a comb with rounded teeth to take care of your baby’s delicate scalp. Ideally, the brush and comb should have wide handles that allow easy and safe grip. Also, when it comes to your baby’s ear hygiene use cotton buds with eardrum protection for safe cleaning.
Parents should change the baby’s nappy at regular intervals as the moisture inside the nappy can cause rashes and itching on the newborn’s skin. To prevent rashes, you can also use nappy cream.
Being a little aware and conscious while doing things for your neonate can help you avoid all kinds of diseases and infections that may arise due to improper hygiene.
Source: Chicco Osservatorio Centre – Baby Research Centre, dedicated to the knowledge of children and their physical, emotional and social needs.