Better babies and their care

by Anna Steese Richardson

The bath equipment should not be allowed to stand on the table between baths. It should be kept, away from dust, in a closet or chest.

A word of caution about the bathtub which has been used for other babies. When it is handed down from one baby to another, or perhaps has been rescued from attic or cellar, the tub may be a bit battered or rusty. If the paint is worn off, the rough spaces may offer a lodging-place for germs. It is a very simple matter for some member of the family to give the tub a fresh coat of enamel paint, which comes for the purpose. This precaution may save the baby from irritations of the skin, and the mother from wakeful hours.

Never use strong washing-powders to cleanse the tub, as they irritate the skin.

Always throw away the cotton and aseptic gauze or old pieces of linen used for washing the baby.

Never use new towels or new, rough wash-rags for bathing the tender skin of the baby. Old fabrics, well washed, and dried either in the sun or before the nursery fire, are much better.

Never use a sponge for the baby; it cannot be kept clean. A germ-laden sponge may cause many forms of skin diseases, chafing and general irritation.

Do not start the task of bathing until you have everything at hand. The aprons, rubber and flannel, for the mother should be hanging over the back of the chair; the equipment for the bath arranged on the table; and the baby’s clean clothing hung to air and warm on the rack near the fire.

The temperature of the room in which the bath is given should be at least 70° F. The temperature of the water should be tested by the bath thermometer. For the first eight weeks of the baby’s life the bath thermometer should show that the water is 100° F. From two months to six the temperature should be 98° F. From six to twenty-four it should register from 85° to 90° F. The baby under two years old should never be given what is known as a cold bath, even when it is suffering from the effects of heat in the summer. A bath thermometer is a splendid investment for any mother; but if it is not within the financial possibilities, then the mother must test the bath very carefully by thrusting her bare elbow into the water.

During the first week or ten days of the baby’s life it is sponged off without laying it in the tub. After the navel cord has come off the baby gets its first real bath in the tub.

Now for the important process of bathing. Have the bathtub two-thirds full of water, with the temperature carefully regulated. Lay the baby on your lap, flat on his stomach. If his garments open in the back, roll these up and draw them over the head, not over the feet, and lay them aside. Then wrap around him the flannel apron or square which you have laid over your rubber apron.