How to wash a newborn boy – 10 rules of intimate hygiene for boys

With newborn girls, young mothers usually do not have hygienic problems – everything is extremely simple there. But the hygiene of a newborn boy has its own characteristics. What mom needs to know, and how to wash her tiny man correctly?

• The first rule is to wash your baby regularly after each diaper change. The foreskin of a newborn boy is narrowed (physiological phimosis) – this feature will go away on its own after 3-5 years. Inside the foreskin are sebaceous glands that produce lubrication. And if you get by only with evening bathing, ignoring the washing of the child after changing the diaper, then favorable conditions are created under the foreskin for the multiplication of bacteria that cause inflammatory processes.

• Removing smegma. The sebaceous glands inside the foreskin secrete a special secret – it, in turn, accumulates in the foreskin sac, forming smegma (white flakes, unpleasant odor). With the accumulation of smegma, it can lead to balanoposthitis (inflammation of the glans penis, signs – swelling of the skin covering the glans, redness, crying crumbs). To avoid trouble, in addition to a surface toilet, you need to remember about the nightly (if necessary) removal of smegma. How to do it? Pull the foreskin slightly (without pressure, gently) with two fingers; remove all smegma with a swab dipped in boiled vegetable oil, so that there are no fibers or pieces of cotton wool; grease the head with a drop of the same oil; lower the foreskin. It is forbidden to soap the head of the penis, crawl under the foreskin with cotton swabs or try to clean the smegma with your fingers.

• If the skin of the foreskin is red. In this situation, use a weak solution of potassium permanganate or dioxidine (consultation with a doctor is required!): gently push back the foreskin, treat the inflamed skin with a tampon dipped in potassium permanganate.
• Give your little one plenty of water. The more often you urinate, the lower the risk of urethral inflammation.

• The nuances of washing. The crumbs are washed with running warm water, with soft and gentle movements: first, they wash the ass, then lay the baby on the elbow and direct the stream from the penis to the scrotum. To avoid overdrying the skin, do not use soap. If the remains of feces are not completely washed off, do not rub the child with a washcloth – the skin is still too delicate! Place the baby on the changing table and gently cleanse the skin with a cotton pad dipped in the same boiled vegetable oil (keep the oil in the refrigerator).
• Air baths. Immediately after washing, do not rush to pull on the diaper on the crumbs. 10-15 minutes of air baths in a warm room will do him good.

• To avoid diaper rash and rashes, do not forget to treat the groin folds with suitable products. (cream, dusting powder or vegetable oil). Do not use powder on areas already treated with oil or cream – the resulting lumps can damage the skin. Diaper rash remedies are usually applied to the buttocks and testicles, around the anus, on the scrotum, and around the penis.
• Remember to change your diapers every 3 hours and immediately after you have a bowel movement. The longer the baby lies in the filled diaper, the higher the risk of inflammation – be careful about the baby’s hygiene.

• Don’t overheat your baby’s bottom. Even in winter, you should not dress the baby in “cabbage”, putting on tights and a couple of pants “for comfort”. Overheating is fraught with consequences. Therefore, use thermal underwear, choose clothes by size (not tight!) And only from natural fabrics.
• Bathing a little man should take place daily before bed. (no soap). 1-2 times a week, you can bathe your baby with herbs (string, chamomile). It is not recommended to add bath foam. The soap is applied once a week (on the “bath” day) and should only be used on the baby.

Talk to your doctor before sliding your baby’s foreskin for hygiene procedures. Each crumb has its own physiological characteristics, and your main task is to maintain hygiene without harm to the baby. In the first bathing, try to bare the head only slightly, gently and quickly rinse with water and again “hide” it under the foreskin. It is necessary to move (as carefully as possible) the foreskin, whatever the “girlfriends” advise there. Firstly, it is a matter of hygiene, and secondly, this should be done in order to avoid the formation of adhesions. But rude interference is strictly prohibited – be extremely careful.

See a doctor if …

• The scrotum is swollen, painful, redness is present.
• Mumps (mumps) was transferred.
• There was a perineal injury.
• There is swelling, redness of the penis.
• There is a delay in urination.
• The head does not close.

Be attentive to your baby, and do not neglect the rules of hygiene.

All information in this article is for educational purposes only, it may not correspond to the specific circumstances of your child’s health, and is not a medical recommendation. The сolady.ru website reminds you that you should never delay or ignore your visit to a doctor!