All of baby’s skin is delicate, but some of it is even more so and needs extra care. The folds under the arm should be tended to carefully and only patted dry after the bath, not rubbed. Under the neck is a delicate area and is often prone to rash due to baby’s dribbling making it moist. It needs to be cleaned thoroughly but gently and patted dry too.
Another delicate area is the umbilical cord, especially before the cord falls off. Care must be taken when putting nappies on that this is not pulled and tangled with the nappy. It should be left to dry and fall off naturally – this can take up to three weeks.
When doing up the nappy, care should be taken to fold the top down so that the umbilical stump is not covered. It needs plenty of air to circulate around it for this to happen. The nappy area is also a delicate area and should be cleaned thoroughly after each nappy change to prevent nappy rash developing.
You may need to apply a drying agent such as methylated spirits with a cotton ball if the umbilical stump starts to look damp or appears to have pus on it. Some health-care practitioners advise letting it dry naturally while others recommend a daily swab with rubbing alcohol. If pus appears around the base of the umbilical stump a doctor should be consulted.
Never try to remove the umbilical stump even if it appears to be hanging by a thread. When it does fall off there will be a little area of raw skin which should be allowed to heal naturally. Occasionally there will be what looks like a little lump of skin called an umbilical granuloma, left. It will sometimes disappear by itself, but it may need to be treated by the doctor. The treatment is painless for baby so you need not worry about the procedure.
It’s a good idea to let baby have some nappy free time during the day. This will allow the umbilical stump to dry out well and also help to prevent nappy rash or a yeast infection rash from developing in the nappy area.
Once nearly all baby boys were circumcised as matter of course, now the pendulum has swung to the other extreme. The foreskin of the penis should never be forced back for cleaning in a baby or toddler who has not been circumcised; nature does a good job by itself. So long as the baby is urinating without any problem – and the doctor will examine him before he leaves the hospital to make sure of this – then there is nothing to worry about.
When cleaning up a baby girl you may need to clean the genital area carefully to ensure no stool has lodged there. This can happen if the stool is runny as it often is with breastfeeding. Let’s face it; with babies, poop can get everywhere at times. But using a soft cotton ball rather than a cotton bud to reach those delicate crevices will ensure that no harm is done.