Better babies and their care

by Anna Steese Richardson

Wash the eyes with a bit of absorbent cotton which has been dipped into a lukewarm solution of boric acid—one even teaspoonful to one pint of water. Nostrils and ears are then cleansed with absorbent cotton and the boracic acid solution, a fresh piece of cotton being used for each operation. While the baby is very small the cotton may be wrapped around a wooden toothpick, from which the sharp point has been removed.

Next comes the very important washing of the genitals, which, if not properly cleansed, will soon become chafed. With a girl baby the organs should be washed daily with a solution of boracic acid stronger than that used for the eyes, ears, and nose—two teaspoonfuls of boracic acid to one pint of water. If any discharge is found, the boracic acid solution must be used not only at the time of the bath but again in the evening. Wash the genital organs of a boy baby daily; the foreskin should be pushed back at least twice a week, while the parts are bathed gently with absorbent cotton and boracic acid solution. If the foreskin cannot be drawn back or is tightly adherent, the mother should call the family physician’s attention to the difficulty, and he will decide whether circumcision is advisable. Under no circumstances should the mother or nurse attempt to stretch the skin forcibly.

All the special organs having been cleansed with boracic acid solution, the face and head are washed off with clean gauze and patted dry with a soft towel.

If there is a tendency to scurf or scales, rub the head every night with sweet-oil, vaseline, or cold cream, wash it gently off in the morning and, after drying, apply witch hazel or alcohol and water in equal parts. Never use a fine tooth comb to remove these scales. If the growth of scales or milk crust is persistent, it may be necessary to stop washing the head, and cleanse it only with oil or cold cream.

Now baby is ready to be soaped and laid in the tub. Make a good lather with castile soap and warm water, and rub the baby’s body thoroughly. Be careful not to get the soap in the eyes. Rinse this off in the tub.

There is an art in laying the baby in the water. Support the back and head with your left hand, grasp the ankles with your right, and very gently slip the little body under the water, being careful not to immerse the head: the sensation of water running into the ears, mouth, and eyes startles the baby and implants in him a fear of the daily bath. Support him with the left hand, and, with the right, rinse off the soap, using a piece of gauze or absorbent cotton. The very young baby should be kept in the water only long enough to rinse off the soap. As he grows older, and shows pleasure in the bath, he may remain in the water three, four, or five minutes. If, from the first bath, a child shows great fear and does not seem to outgrow this, do not plunge him directly into the water. Have a large square of muslin stretched over the tub, lay him on this and gently lower him into the bath, always keeping his head above the water.

Once the soap is rinsed off lift him out carefully, the left hand supporting the back and head, and the right hand holding the ankles. Have a warm bath-towel at hand, spread it over the flannel apron on your lap, and roll baby up comfortably in towel and apron. Pat him dry. Never rub. Rubbing may start up irritation in the tender young skin. Dust him with talcum powder; and be particularly careful about drying and powdering the creases.

Next sew on the belly-band. Draw on the shirt by slipping it over the feet, never over the head. Next comes the diaper and, finally, the Gertrude skirt and slip. Draw these up from the feet, never over the head.

Then the baby is ready for his feeding and good sleep.

Physicians quite generally agree that the best hour for bathing the baby during the first year is in the morning before the second feeding. This gives the busy mother a chance to get her breakfast work out of the way, her husband off to business, and the older children off to school. As one who has been her own housekeeper and cook, I know that it seems very hard to stop in the middle of a busy morning, when every room in the house calls for attention, and give half an hour or more to bathing the baby, but if this becomes a habit with mother and child it means a quiet, comfortable baby, and several peaceful hours in which the mother can catch up with her household duties. Irregular bathing is disturbing to a baby, and, while the average mother may think that she can spare the time better just before his bedtime, she should realize that this is the family supper hour, and if she postpones it, baby’s sleep is disturbed.