1. Infant Care Skills

2. Learning Targets
I can describe and demonstrate how to bathe, dress and diaper a baby.
I can explain how to encourage good sleep habits

3. Bathing a Baby Bath – keeps baby clean & healthy
Newborn- a bath two times or three times a week is enough to keep them clean
Any time except right after feeding
Baby needs to sleep & digest the meal
Baths require parent’s careful attention

4. Bathing...
Supplies needed: Washcloth or two, towel for drying, large towel to place baby on, mild soap and shampoo, clothes, diaper, basin or tub or sink. The room temperature should be at about 75 degrees.
Babies do not cry at bath time because they are afraid of water…they developed in the womb in a bag of water! They cry because they are cold and feel insecure without a diaper and clothing. Try placing a warm washcloth over the baby’s chest.

5. Checking bath water temperature...
Dip your elbow in the water to check the temperature of baby’s bath. The water should be nice and warm, but not hot. Over 4,000 children a year are scalded in hot bath water.
Liquid crystal temperature displays on bathtub toys monitor bath water temperatures.
Under no circumstances should baby ever be left unattended in or around water…not even for just a minute! Drowning and burns are two of the top five causes of death in children under the age of one year.

6. Sponge Bath Supplies: Temp of the room – 70 – 80 degrees
Two soft bath towels
A soft washcloth
A diaper
Mild soap
Baby shampoo
Temp of the room – 70 – 80 degrees
Good work surface – soft bath towel – baby’s safety and comfort

7. Sponge Baths Convenient to put water in a basin
Remove baby’s clothes – place on towel
Lay another towel on baby’s body
Begin washing the baby’s face w/clear, clean water, while supporting baby with the other hand
Pat baby’s face dry
Skin = tender – no rub

8. Sponge Baths
Wash the rest of the body with soap & water, one area at a time
Rinse thoroughly
Pay attention to skin creases
Separate, wash & rinsed, dried thoroughly
Not necessary to clean inside the baby’s mouth, ears, eyes or nose
Nature takes care of it
Never use a cotton swab

9. Sponge Baths
Wash baby’s scalp once to twice a week with a tear-free baby soap or baby shampoo
Other day wipe with clear water – pat dry
Cradle cap – a skin condition in which the scalp develops patches of yellowish, crusty scales
Treatment – apply baby oil at night, in the morning gently loosen the scales with a soft brush or a special scalp brush, wash
Lotion & powder afterwards

10. Call the doctor if the belly button becomes red, bleeds or smells bad.
Care of the umbilical stump...
Within about one to three weeks after birth, your newborn's umbilical stump (where the cord was attached at the navel) will turn black, dry out and fall off.
If the stump is very moist, you can use rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab to wipe around and under the area one or more times a day. The alcohol evaporates quickly, and causes drying. The baby may cry, but it is because the evaporation causes a cooling effect. It is cold, not burning.
Call the doctor if the belly button becomes red, bleeds or smells bad.

11. Tub Baths Navel has healed = baby can be bathed in a full water bath
“tub” – large dishpan or special baby tub
6 – 7 months regular tub
Gather all supplies & equipment first
Place rubber mat or towel in bottom of tub
Add 2 – 3” of lukewarm water
Splash water, play with floating toys

12. Showers
You should be able to take a shower with your babies as early as they can take a bath, Your child can take a shower without being held as soon as he's able to walk.
1. Make sure your water is comfortable and not to hot.
2. The noise can freak out very small babies. Just be careful, and have both parents present if possible (maybe one in the shower and one out, in case the baby just isn't having it.)
3. Showers can be very slippery, so add a non-slip mat to the bottom of the shower to prevent slipping.
4. Babies become very slippery when wet, so use great care, especially with soap.

13. Skin care... 2. NO ARTIFICIAL COLORS 3. NO ARTIFICIAL ODORS
The skin of a newborn baby is very sensitive, particularly on the face and scalp. Applying lotions or oils to the baby's skin is generally not recommended because they can clog pores and cause or aggravate rashes.
If baby’s skin is very dry, however, and a lotion is needed, (which is especially true in overdue babies) you should avoid some product ingredients. Make sure the lotion contains:
1. NO GREASE / OIL
2. NO ARTIFICIAL COLORS
3. NO ARTIFICIAL ODORS
Keri Lotion is a popular brand of lotion containing no oil or artificial colors and scents.

14. Dressing Tips Time for extra kissed and hugs
Good time for songs, simple rhymes or naming the parts of the body or articles of clothing
Older children can help, babies not so much
Usually distracting the baby with a toy or song will make dressing easier

15. Choosing Clothes Simple & comfortable Knit fabrics
Provide ease of movement for the baby & ease of care for parents
Flame retardant
Size = weight & age (weight more reliable)
Babies grow out of clothes fast

16. Cloth vs Disposable diapers
Which one would you choose or have chosen to diaper your baby with?
Why?

17. Diapering a Baby Diaper = most essential part of a baby’s wardrobe
Cloth - least expensive if laundry facilities are available, traditional
Disposable – throwaway convenience, expensive, environmental problems
Commercial diaper service – about same price as disposable, clean cloth diapers

18. Diapering a Baby Very young = 12-15 diapers a day
Older babies – fewer diaper changes & more likely to let you know when
Keep diapering supplies near changing area

19. How to diaper Never safe to leave baby alone on raised surface
Always keep one hand firmly on baby
Need to leave take baby with you

20. How to diaper Remove diaper and clean baby Put on fresh diaper
Baby wipes
NO POWDER as it can be inhaled and/or cause vaginal infections in girls
Put on fresh diaper
Hold baby’s ankles and lift body enough to slide diaper under
Make sure adhesive tabs are under the baby
Bring diaper up between the baby’s legs
Use tabs to fasten diaper
Dispose of used supplies
Cleanliness = IMPORTANT
Dispose of all supplies
Roll a diaper up and place it in a covered trashcan
Be sure to wash hands with soap & water

22. Diaper Rash
Diaper rash – patches of rough, irritated skin in the diaper area
May include painful raw sores
Sensitivity to diapers
Caused by bacteria in diapers
Treatment for mild case:
Change diapers for frequently & clean baby thoroughly after bowel movement
Use diaper creams
Expose diaper area to air as much as possible
If it gets worse, ask a pediatrician for help

23. Toilet Training
Most children will want to use the toilet as soon as they are physically and emotionally ready. FORCING the process doesn’t work. Signs of readiness?

24. Readiness Signs Physical:
Is coordinated enough to walk, and even run, steadily.
Urinates a fair amount at one time.
Has regular, well-formed bowel movements at relatively predictable times.
Has "dry" periods of at least two hours or during naps, which shows that his bladder muscles are developed enough to hold urine.
Behavioral signs
Can sit down quietly in one position for two to five minutes.
Can pull his pants up and down.
Dislikes the feeling of wearing a wet or dirty diaper.
Shows interest in others' bathroom habits (wants to watch you go to the bathroom or wear underwear).

25. Before or shortly after the birth of a baby boy, the parents make a decision about whether or not to have him circumcised. A circumcision is the surgical removal of the prepuce (foreskin) on the penis.
Circumcision...
Pros and cons to this procedure:
Pros - scientific evidence exists that links poor hygiene of the area under the foreskin to higher susceptibility to penile cancer and STD’s ; secretions on the head of the adult penis can dry under the foreskin, and if not cleaned properly can lead to infection; some evidence of fewer urinary tract infections during 1st year of life
Cons - removing the foreskin leaves the head of the penis exposed, possibly leading to desensitization and in turn to the lack of sexual sensation and response; some physicians attribute this as a possible cause of the increasing incidence of adult impotence. Still others say it is simply mutilation.

26. Penis care...
If your child has not been circumcised, his penis requires no special care. Do not try to pull back the foreskin of an infant to clean it.
If your child has been circumcised, his penis may be wrapped in gauze after the operation. Each time you change his diaper, apply fresh gauze dabbed in petroleum jelly or other ointment, until the penis is fully healed. This prevents the area from sticking to the diaper. The petroleum jelly also forms a moisture barrier, to keep urine out of the area. Once the incision has healed (in about 7-10 days), simply wash the penis with soap and water.

27. Sleep Needed in order to grow & develop
Amount of time decreases considerably during the 1st year
Newborn = hours/day
1 yr old – only 2-3 sleep periods a day including naps
Amount – depends on individual baby
Active baby more sleep than inactive baby, plus more food
Need more sleep on some days than others

28. Preparation for Sleep Baby = safe bed
Avoid pillows, fluffy blankets & bumper pads & stuffed toys
Risk of suffocation
Infant too young to roll over – place on back to help prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
Try to follow same routine
Comfort in ritual

29. Crying to Sleep Should you attend to a crying baby??
Some experts argue you should let them “cry it out” so that they can learn to settle themselves
Others say that it hurts the child emotionally
Offer any kind of comfort
Middle ground – let the baby cry for 2-3 minutes while you are outside the room to see if the baby settles down
If not, then go in and comfort the child

30. In an effort to reduce the number of children who died from SIDS (crib death), physicians encouraged parents to lay their babies on their backs to sleep.
Back is best...
Unfortunately, the fontenals and skill plates are not fully fused during infancy, and can shift. This “back to sleep” philosophy can cause the head to flatten in areas.
This head malformation, known as positional molding, develops in babies who spend most of their time on their backs in cribs, car seats or infant seats. This is called positional molding.
The solution may be as simple as placing the baby on its side or tummy when it's not sleeping to relieve the constant pressure on the back of the head. The direction the child is placed in the crib should also be varied. In cases of extreme deformity, special helmets can be customized for wear such as the one shown in the picture at the right.