What do I need for my new baby's bottom???

[Chunkamatic]

I'm just trying to get myself organised for baby due in 2 weeks and am full of stupid first-timer questions...

I have got nappies and some wipes, but what else do i need for changing LO's bum? Do you put cream on as a rule, or just if they have a rash? Where does vaseline come in to it? Also, am i right in thinking that talcum powder is not a good thing? (MIL has bought me extra large volumes of both of the latter).

Also, we live in a hard water area so is it better to use wipes or lotion rather than water to clean the baby?

And... (last one i'm sorry this is long...) do i need to have any medicinal items in the house for baby, i.e. calpol or such?

TIA!!

Water. Cotton wool. That's it to satrt with.

And no calpol for the first three months, except after 2 month immunisations.

So you can relax.

Well, ish...

hi there chunk - i would get in some sudocrem or other barrier cream - my ds is 14 mo but i still use it on him every day even now..little bots are very sensitive!
Umm don't think there is much medicinal you can give to a newborn without getting it from a dr, you certainly can't use calpol before 2 months. Oh yes, you could get some Infacol as this helps with wind problems etc..you can buy it in most supermarkets and chemists. Not sure if you would use it right at the start, can't remember now, sorry!
and get yourself some really good quality nipple cream like Lanisoh if you intend to breastfeed - honestly your nipples will thank you for it!
all the best to you

yes sorry, i didn't use wipes for the first couple of months, just warm water and cotton wool - think they told us to do this in antenatal classes and i was obedient!

Just use warm water and cotton wool for first few weeks, because wipes can irritate their skin.

Cream only if they have a rash.

Talcum powder is not good because they can inhale the particles, I think.

Chunkamatic - personally I used fragrance free wipes for sheer convenience.

Metanium (over the counter) cream is excellent for nappy rash so personally I would keep some in just in case

Other than that, you don't really need anything else.

A digital thermometer is useful for taking under arm temp reading.

I use talc on my DS but not sure I would use on a DD as it can get in their little bits and bung it up a bit.

Congrats and good luck!

no to talculm powder, it accumulates in the lungs increasing the chances of asthma developing. Barrier cream a good idea, I loved metanium and agree with the infacol x x

I"m in a hard water area too. No wipes apart from when you're out. When you're in (and at hospital) just cotton wool and water + lots of bare bum time (I use big maternity mats from boots). On (very very rare redness) a bit of aqueous cream (from the chemist). No medicines for a newborn. Good luck with all the nappies .

My dd had a very sensitive bot, she needed bepanthen at every nappy change as a barrier and metanium worked wonders when she got nappy rash (which happened often ) Sudocream was wicked to her and the two times she had it it caused a red raw bum. Ds has a less sensitive bot. Don't need any barrier cream at all (& I use washable nappies), ocasionally need a bit of metanium when he does a sneaky night time poo & doesn't let us know until the morning. They are all different

defo get fragrance free baby wipes & sudocrem, don't bother with cottonwool & water except for bathing babies face

i used drop of organic lavender oil in soup sized bowl of warm water. Lovely. Incidently breast milk will cure almost anything in my experience. Exema (mild)- nappy rash- eye irritations.
Don't wanna be alarmist but you might wanna look into Calpol, and petro chemical derived potions... like vaseline. They pretty nasty in my humble opinion. just go to neals yard or waitrose!!
Talcum powder is a no-no, linked to cervical cancer in girls (hope thats not libellous or something!!) Nealsyard do a fine-ground-rice based (superior) substitute.
However if you encounter bad nap-rash (as we did after i had to take heavy duty antibiotics) Metanium cream was best!!

I agree with maxbear. Metanium excellent for very sore bottoms - worked liked magic over night for Ds1. bepanthen froday to day. Provides barrier and is healing if any little pink bits appear. You usually get a sample of Bepanthen in the Bounty packs.
Sudocrem a waste of time for ds1 & 2.

Hi chunk. Am also first-timer due end Feb.

Don't worry about keeping medicine in the house if you are near a 24-hour pharmacy. If you are in an isolated area, ask the midwife what to do to be prepared in advance.

I live in London and will use cotton balls and water when LO is first born. Have bought baby wipes just so i have them when i need them. Baby wipes are VERY strong. i've used them to clean spills off furniture and they do a fantastic job - but imagine what they must do to baby skin!

Lots of luck.

Argh!!!!!! I beg to differ on wipes! They are awful...The Devils work... But clean my car up a total treat. try takin your make up off with em!? ( i have sensitive skin but made my skin red and sore) Ifound a small (like 200ml) mineral water bottle wi 1 drop organic lavender oil in was great on the move... warm cotton wool in palm of hand first a bit tho!!

Hiya Chunkamatic, I just wanted to recommend Fullers earth cream as a barrier cream, my DD is 11 weeks old tomorrow and has never had nappy rash. I use it at every other nappy change. You can get it online from express chemist www.expresschemist.co.uk/product_8810_fullers-earth-cream-60g.html
Hope that link works for you.

Good Luck.

LOL Lovemymum!! thanks for furniture cleaning tip... anyone tried em on limescale??

here here on the bepanthen front- much better on my dd1 than sudocrem...i find that timodene is good for bad rashes. I think all kids are different though, depends on their skin sensitivities really.

as well as a digital thermometer, I can recommend getting one of those nasal suction bulb things (?do they have a name?) as dd1 had a cold at 8 weeks and alot of congestion generally and we didn't even know they existed...i'm definately getting one for next one (due in 9weeks).

PS Aveno cream is great for general moisturising and you can get it free on prescription (hurrah).

Good Luck with bubba x

Yes I was a bit dubious about what wipes might contain so I've got the (supposedly) all natural eco-baby ones. I will make sure I invest in lots of cotton wool though...

Rubyredslippers, did you just use lavender essential oil in the water? I would be keen to try and use mostly natural products for my LO (I do for myself so guess it's only fair!!) so will investigate waitrose's offerings next time i'm there....

Oops i think I cross-posted with most of you there!!!

Thanks for all your v.helpful advice.

xxx

Yep, just one or two drops. I try not togo into a tirade but you SO dont need all the stuff that is aggressivly marketed at new mothers.

agree with rubyred - those flipping bounty packs are just reeling you in.. you will get stuff in the post from them for years to come!
Glad you are getting eco-friendly stuff, didn't want to recommend that at first as it is so much more expensive and didn't want to make you feel bad!All the best again

My midwife was evangelical about people only using water and wool on new babies bottoms. She said the chemicals in them were similar to anti-freeze.

I either used calendula or a lavendar baby balm on sore bottoms but tbh, we rarely saw any redness until teeth came through with any of ours. Some babies do get nappy rash very badly though.

Hi, i bought some Kamillosan as I had a hard time BF my DS1 but lo and behold DD1 is a pro! Anyway it is a lovely bum cream and I now use it instead of any of the other products mentioned here. I am still using cotton wool as it is just as handy and I want to swerve wipes as long as possible, it helps that she only poos once a week .

Agree with Ruby, wipes are the work of the devil and not environmentally friendly either (most contain plastic and don't biodegrade). You should ideally avoid all chemicals on your baby's skin until 6 months and even the unfragranced ones contain a pretty impressive list of chemicals - try reading the ingredients. You really don't need anything more than cotton wool and warm water and you can make your own washable wipes for when you're aout and about.

Don't buy any baby bath either, when they're that little they don't get dirty. I used to bathe my DD in water with a drop of calendula or almond oil in it.

Weleda do nice products, if you need a bum cream I can recommend the calendula cream. It's expensive but goes a long way - one tube lasted my DD until she was nearly 2.

Roger that Brangelina!! I found drop or two of Lavender in bath great. also sometimes an organic cammomile tea bag