Washing a new baby

[TG2010]

What do you use? Soap, liquid, just water? Any suggestions on what is best? Thanks!

Just water, don't need any soap. I did use some cream to remove 'orrible sticky meconium poos from newborn bottoms, but that was all.

Great thanks - I find each book advises something different...all very confusing.

Should you use cream on their botties or just keep dry?

I only ever used cream if the bottom in question looked a bit red and/or sore. Otherwise, I wiped it with cotton wool and warm water, dried it off with a muslin (or let it dry naturally for my summer-born DD3) then put on a clean nappy. It's good to have some Sudocream or similar in the house though, so you can put some on as soon as it's needed.

DH would say do not buy cotton wool balls, buy a pleat instead - this would be after I'd bought cotton wool balls for our PFB, and he got in quite a state trying to clean off a poo with inadequate amounts of cotton wool With a pleat, you can rip off a good big bit to tackle a messy job..............

Any vegetable oil is good to put on the bottom for newborns - it makes the meconium wipe straight off in a non-stick baby effect. I think we used olive oil.

We didn't bother with cream unless DS got nappy rash.

Don't forget to clean properly behind their ears every day. I forgot, it wasn't pretty.

Just water until he was crawling and actually getting dirty, then i used Burt's Bees bath wash stuff.

Vaseline for muconium.

Olive or veg oil for moisturising.

A little sudocream for nappy rash, but nappy rash hs been very rare - maybe 5 small outbreaks in nearly 2 years, all cleared up over night.

I second the pleat of cotton wool, rather than balls. Or those big make yo remover pads, but only the big ones.

And they have a secret neck pouch. Kind of a double fold at the front of the throat which captures goodness knows what and lets it mature. DOn't forget that either.

Yes, if you don't do behind the ears regularly, it reeks.