how to keep your baby clean Archives

Everybody knows that babies get dirty, however, only parents know the true extent of just how dirty that can get. New parents are in for a wild ride of drool, tears and the occasional diaper explosion. It can get messy and stressful, but those tender moments when your baby looks up at you and smiles make it all worth it. Baby’s bath time is important, yet for the first few months, you aren’t going to need to bathe them every day (until they start getting dirty, it’s recommended that you bathe them only two or three times a week).

However, hygiene is still an important part of their daily routine that you are going to want to instill in them. So, how do you keep your newborn clean between baths?

Regular Diaper Changes

Newborns under a month old should have their diapers changed right around ten times a day – definitely not less than six. They will typically have around three or four bowel movements a day. As they get older this number will change, below is a table detailing estimates of how many times a day you should change your baby and how many diapers a month that equates to:

Age Diaper Changes Per Day # Diapers Per Month

0-1 Month 10-12 320

1-5 Months 8-10 240

5-9 Months 8 240

9-12 Months 8 240

Remember, the above numbers are just an estimate – some babies will require more, some will require less. Diapers also need to be changed as soon as it is noticed that they are soiled. Urine and bacteria can lead to painful rashes that take time to treat.

Trim Their Nails

One of the most dreaded parts of taking care of your newborn is when it comes time to trim their little nails. Just like the rest of them, their nails have been growing since before they were born – so they may need a trim during the first week (and every two or three days of the first three weeks, until the nails harden and stop growing so quickly).

While one of your older relatives might suggest nibbling on them, you may peel them too far back which is, obviously, immensely painful. When clipping, hold your baby’s finger tight and press the the fingertip pad down and away from the nail – and of course, always using special baby clippers or scissors. Snip while following the gentle curve of their fingernail.

Wipe Them Down

No matter whether you’re at home or at the grocery store, you should always be sure to keep some baby wipes handy. You never know when they’re going to spit-up or have some other kind of fluid disaster – so be prepared for everything! It’s also a good idea to keep clean swaddling cloths on you at all times, too. Just like the top sheet on your bed keeps your blankets from becoming dirty, these handy baby sheets can be quickly swapped out for a clean one upon soiling.

When it comes down to it, you want to keep your baby as clean as possible to give them the best possible hygiene for a healthy and happy life!

It’s a struggle to keep our children clean most of the time, and whether they’ve been to school, to the park, or just around the block for five minutes, there is a very big chance they will come back covered in a decent amount of dirt and germs! But it’s not just the fact that kids like to get messy, there are many common issues that kids can suffer from when it comes to their hygiene, so what are they, and how can you minimize these?

Hair

A very common thing for children to get is head lice (also known as nits), and you can prevent this by having a suitable hair length. If you have a daughter, a bun style is a very simple method. It’s common knowledge that nits prefer clean hair to dirty or greasy hair, so they say you should wash your hair every other day. However, this can build-up grease and oil which doesn’t feel so pleasant, but according to soundbodylife.com, there are some great brands that will get rid of oily hair. So if you want to minimize head lice but also want to feel like you have clean hair, this may be a good option to try.

Nails

You should actively discourage your child from biting their nails, especially if they are swallowing the nails. They say there are more germs under your fingernails than there are on the average toilet seat, so the germs could potentially make their way to your digestive tract and potentially cause diarrhea in your children. Solutions to this can include keeping the nails short, but also by encouraging proper hand washing routines. If these don’t work, there are ways to make your nails taste disgusting, that you can find on diyhealthremedy.com, and therefore will stop your children wanting to bite their nails as much.

Washing Hands

This is the most important thing to communicate to your children to make sure that infection doesn’t spread. The common habits would be to wash their hands prior to eating, after using the toilet ,or being in germy environments (such as playing with animals). The best thing you can do as a parent is to set a good example for them and make sure you abide by the rules yourself. If you have family members that don’t wash their hands regularly, this could contribute to the development of threadworms, which are not very pleasant at all!

Brushing Teeth

Last, but by no means least, by having excellent oral hygiene it will have an impact on your children’s entire lives. In addition to knowing the best brushing technique, it’s also important to communicate to your children how their diet can impact their teeth and why they should cut back on fizzy drinks and avoid high amounts of sugar.

Keeping a good hygiene routine is important for every single one of us, but it’s even more important for your children! So make sure you get them started off on the right foot by implementing these at a young age.

how to keep your baby clean

Your Primer On Keeping Your Newborn Clean

Tips For A Healthy Hygiene Routine In Your Children