How to properly bathe your baby
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Watch and learn how to properly bathe your baby with expert infant advice from Corky Harvey, MS, RN, IBCLC, as she walks you through all the steps
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Transcription:
So Sasha's ready for her tub bath. So let's take off your diaper, and you're all ready to go. Yep, nothing in there. Perfect.
So I'm going to pick Sasha up. I'm really going to hold her feet really well. I'm going to slide my hand all the way to her forearm, so I feel really secure as I lift her.
You're just flirting with me like crazy.
It's actually really a good idea to bathe your baby when they're pretty happy. If they're really hungry, they may not like this tub bath. I'm just going to start the water running over her. And I really like her to lay back in this tub, so that the water is almost up to her nipple line, the whole back of her head is in the water.
So the first thing I'm going to do is clean her eyes. So I have a brand, clean wash cloth. I'm going to use one corner for one eye. And she's not going to love this, but she'll close her eyes when I come at her. Not so much, though, huh? Alright, let's clean your ears. So now I can put a little bit of soap on my cloth, and just do her ears.
I love soap that I can do like that, with one hand, because I can't let go of my baby for a second. As a matter of fact, I can't leave her unattended on that table for even a moment. If the UPS man comes to the door, too bad.
So I'm talking to you a lot, but if I were home alone with my baby, I would be talking to her full on. My face would be right in front of hers, telling her how great she is and what a wonderful job she's doing. And then she's not going to be frightened.
Now I'm going to wash her face a little bit. Again, I'm going to use a little bit of soap. I could even do it with my hand a little bit. Let's just rub your cheeks a little bit. Down in her neck. Babies can get really rashy in their neck. And then up on her cheek. So we're trying not to get soap in her eyes. You are fabulous. You're just so amazing. Yeah.
And I'm going to use my little doctor scrub brush right now. I lost it. Oh, it's here in the tub with me. Look at that. Yeah. So if your baby has a little cradle cap, this can just loosen it up a little bit without being too scratchy or harmful. Isn't that fun? Yeah. Are you going to talk to me? Yes you are.
So this isn't taking any time at all. And you're loving it. Are you going to kick your legs a little bit?
So we're all done, with your whole head. And now I’m just going to wash your body. And I use my hand. Let's just give you a little massage here. And I wash your little hands, rinse them. Yeah, you like your bath, don't you?
When we take a baby girl out of the tub, we can separate the labia and just make sure that we've gotten her really clean.
Now I'm ready to do Sasha's back. So all I'm going to do is sit her up and change my hands. Here we come. And I'm just going to lean her forward a little bit on the heel of my hand. And I'm going to do a quick little wash, right down under her bum. And I can lay her right back, and she can rinse her own back.
You want to let go of my shirt a little bit? There you go. And we're done! Are you ready to come out? And I'm going to take her feet, like I said before, just like I said before, and take her out of the tub, and wrap her up in her towel. You are one wonderful baby!
Watch and learn how to properly bathe your baby with expert infant advice from Corky Harvey, MS, RN, IBCLC, as she walks you through all the steps
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Corky Harvey, MS, RN, IBCLCCertified Lactation Consultant
Corky Harvey is a co-founder of the Pump Station & Nurtury™ - the first new parent resource center of its kind. She is a registered nurse with a master's degree in maternal/newborn Nursing, and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. She teaches breastfeeding and baby care classes, facilitates the New Mother Breastfeeding Support Groups, and is a frequent guest lecturer. Corky has three grown children who were breastfed and she loves to claim that their intelligence is linked to this. Corky has two grandsons, Diego who nursed over two years, and 18-month-old Axel who is still breastfeeding.
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