Baby hints and tips no.5: Washing and changing

Number five in my baby hints and tips series today, and this one’s on washing, changing and the whole hygiene caboodle.  Like some other new mums, I’d never really been around babies before having N, so had no idea about bathing him or even changing a nappy.  All I can say, is thank god for disposables because trying to learn how to sort a terry nappy would have been a nightmare when I was trying to get the hang of everything else as well.

So mine (and my mum friends’) tips include:

• Try different nappies before buying in bulk.  Grab every free sample you can get your hands on – obviously I’m talking disposables.  I bought lots of Huggies when on offer for newborn size, then found N pee’d out the top of them while sleeping.  I had to work round trying lots of different own brands, before ending up on Pampers.  But every baby’s different.

• If you want to use cloth nappies, go to somewhere like The Baby Show to be shown how they work, or even better find your local nappy bank (through local councils or NCT) where you can try or borrow different brands to try out.  No point spending a big initial outlay before trying whether they work for you.

• Nappy rash can be really painful for some children (especially when they’re teething).  There’re different options to try:
  • Sudocrem (gets everywhere, barrier cream, also good for spots). If you’ve seen the photos going round of toddlers standing proudly in front of tv’s covered in Sudocrem, you’ll remember to keep it out of their reach!
  • Bepanthum – rash cream, does the job
  • Metanium – more medical, works, yellow gets everywhere and stains their bottoms!
  • The triple whammy – 1/3 each of sudocrem, metanium and Vaseline for violent nappy rash
  • Solves the worst!  Whisked egg whites overnight is fantastic.

• Keep wipes and muslin in every room you go into to save searching when you need them.

• Cradle cap isn’t necessarily brutal looking, it can just be like freckles on the head.  Olive oil works but looks greasy and nasty, otherwise try Dentinox cradle cap shampoo

• If your baby isn’t keen on baths, only put a small amount of water in – so they can lie in on their own.  Once sitting, can gradually build up more water.  Also, try getting in the bath with them (or with dad) to ease them in to it.

• Bath toys are usually rubbish and go mouldy really quickly.  A few sponges, cups and a boat usually do the job!

If you have any additional tips, how about dropping them down below in the comments.