Preparation for the bath. A tub bath may be given to the baby as early as the sixth or ninth day. The morning bath should be given three quarters of an hour before the nine o’clock feeding. The mother should wash her hands carefully before handling the baby. The temperature of the room in which the bath is given should not be below 72° F. If the room is too hot—so hot that the baby perspires—there is grave danger of his being chilled when the bath is over.

The tub should never be put on the floor, but always on a chair or low table. This makes it easier for the mother to give the bath and also helps protect the baby from dust and drafts. Screens should be used to secure complete protection from drafts. For the first four weeks the temperature of the water should be between 98° and 100° F. As the baby grows older the temperature should be gradually lowered. Suitable temperatures are

100° F. at birth
98° F. at one month
95° F. at three months
90° F. at six months
85° F. at twelve months

If the baby is bluish and does not react well, it means that the water was not the right temperature or that he was in the water too long. Always use a bath thermometer; never guess at the temperature.

After everything is prepared for the bath and the clean clothing warmed, undress the baby. He should be weighed once a week, at this time.

The bath. He should then be wrapped in a warm blanket and held in the lap while his eyes, ears, nose, face, and head are washed.

The nose and the ears. The inside of the baby’s nose should be carefully cleaned every day with a soft, wet twist of absorbent cotton. The external ears should be washed daily. No attempt should be made to clean the inside of the ears except with a piece of cotton wound around the end of the little finger.

The eyes. The eyes should be cleaned each morning, at first with a two per cent solution of boric acid, and after two months with warm sterile water. A separate piece of cotton should be used for each eye. The lids should be washed from the nose toward the outer corner of the eye. If the eyes show a mattery secretion and the lids are swollen, a physician should be consulted at once. Infection of the eyes has often resulted in blindness.

The mouth. The baby’s mouth should be cleaned once a day by the use of a swab, made by twisting a bit of absorbent cotton on a wooden toothpick, wet in a two per cent solution of boric acid. After each feeding a teaspoonful of warm, sterile water may be given to wash the milk down. The old method of cleansing the mouth with a piece of gauze twisted over the finger frequently injured the delicate tissues. Except in emergency the finger should not be put inside the baby’s mouth.

The scalp. For the first few weeks the baby’s scalp should be washed at the time of the bath. If yellow scales form, rub warm olive oil or vaseline into the scalp at night, and in the morning wash it with warm water and pure castile soap, rinsing thoroughly. If the scales do not come off, repeat the operation as many times as necessary. Do not use a comb to remove the scales, as this will irritate the scalp and render the condition worse.

The nails. The baby’s nails should be cleaned with a toothpick over which has been twisted a little absorbent cotton. The nails should be carefully cut with small scissors in order to prevent him from scratching himself.

The body. It is best to wash the baby’s entire body with warm water and soap before placing him in the tub. The bath in the tub is for rinsing off the soap and for exercise. He should be turned over so that his chest will rest on the mother’s forearm while his feet touch the bottom of the tub. Teach the baby to like the bath, and he will not be frightened. He should not stay in the water more than two or three minutes, and when lifted out should be wrapped in a soft, warm bath towel. He should be dried quickly by gently patting the skin with soft towels, not by wiping. Take special care to dry all the folds and creases; rub these with sweet oil or lanolin, or powder them carefully. Powder, if used, should be lightly dusted on the neck, behind the ears, under the arms and knees, in the groin, and on the buttocks. Rub off all superfluous powder; if it gets wet and hardens, it will irritate the skin.

Dressing. The baby should always be dressed while lying on his back or on a bed or pillow. Pin the flannel band at the side with small safety pins; then put on the shirt and be careful that the draw string at the neck is not tied too tightly. Next put on the diaper snugly. The gertrude is placed inside the slip and both are put on at the same time. These two garments should be drawn on over the baby’s feet. If the weather is cool, the baby should be wrapped in a flannel blanket.

Bran bath. If the baby’s skin is sensitive or if he has heat rash, a bran bath will prove beneficial. Prepare this by putting bran into a cheesecloth bag six inches square, and soaking this in the bath until the water is milky. Do not use soap with the bran bath, nor with an ordinary bath when the baby’s skin is sensitive.