The Baby's Bath...

The first aim of the bath may be cleanliness, but in fact it plays more than one role in the child's daily life.

It is the interval in which his little body is set free from the bonds of heavy clothing, so that he frolics and plays without constraint; he is the pampered sultan — a sweet voice caresses his ear, and a soft, tender hand tickles him, passing gently over his supple body and drawing him toward contented sleep!

The bath, besides all this, helps the parents to be sure of their child's health and the soundness of his body.

Do not hurry your child's bath; rather, finish all your housework and keep an ample corner of time for it. It is not necessary to do this in the morning: the late period before noon, or after it, is preferable to all other times and prepares the child for a pleasant, restful sleep.

Set a regular time for the bath and do not go beyond it, and let it be in a room whose temperature ranges between 75 and 80 degrees centigrade. Make certain to block any opening through which a draft might pass, and to bring all the bath necessities. There is another point to which I would call your attention: beware of leaving the child during the bath to do some chore or to answer a sudden call.

The equipment needed for the bath

Gather around you everything the business of your child's bath requires, all of it to be kept clean and well ordered. These are the necessities:

1 - Mild, pure soap.
2 - A roll of sterilized cotton.
3 - A box containing pins of various sizes.
4 - A vessel of boiled water for washing the child's eyes.
5 - Baby powder (avoid using powder containing zinc, which harms the child's organs of breathing).
6 - Three towels (one small and two for the bath).
7 - The child's clean clothes.
8 - A bathtub.
9 - A pitcher for hot water.

Choose a place of moderate height, suited to the way you stand while performing this task. There is no need to remind you to take off your rings and cover the buttons of your jacket lest they scratch your baby's tender body; trim your nails well, and do not forget to put something like a mask over your nose and mouth if you have a cold.

There — your necessities are ready, and you are off to wake your child. Here, take care not to put him in a dangerous place while you make up his cradle and open the windows to air his room. You are now fully prepared for the bath, with all your thought fixed upon your work; avoid every outside disturbance, calm your nerves, and feel settled and at ease.

The sponge bath

Here are elementary steps that will guide you, without great effort, in how to conduct the bath. Place the vessel of boiled water in the hot water, and let the temperature of the water in the tub be between (100–110), since the child will not be immersed in it; and let the pitcher of cold water be within reach of your hand, along with the towels and everything you need. Lay the child on a soft towel — during this interval he may be given orange juice or sterilized water — then remove his outer clothes and begin the bath, supporting his head with your left hand. With a piece of cotton moistened in the boiled water, wipe his eyes gently; and with cotton dabbed in pure oil, clean the nostrils without hurting the nasal passages; likewise clean the hollows of the ears from the outside, avoiding any entry into the inside of the ear. With a piece of soft cloth moistened with lukewarm water, without soap, wipe the child's face, then dry it; there is no need to clean the mouth. Now proceed to wash his head with soap, letting the water pour off backward so that it does not enter the eyes. This is a suitable time to give him fish oil or vitamin D.

Clean the lower regions of your child's body with cotton and wipe them with oil before you wrap

the clean "diaper" around him, examining his skin carefully to see whether there are any spots needing special care.

Feel the water again, for you may have to add hot water to keep the required temperature. Begin by washing the neck with water and soap, then the arms and the upper part of his body; dry these limbs well and sprinkle a little powder over them so that it does not gather in the creases. Now lay the child on his stomach and wash his back and the rest of his body; and if the "navel" has not yet healed, wipe around it with alcohol and pass gently over it a piece of cloth dabbed with Vaseline.

The tub

Doctors advise the tub bath after the falling of the child's "navel," provided his stay in the water does not exceed three minutes. Spread a towel over the floor of the tub and pour over it water to a depth of three inches; then remove his clothes, and begin with the eyes, as in the previous bath, then the nose, the ears, and the face. Wash the head with sponge and soap, then lift him gently and immerse his feet first, calmly; and after he settles in the water, rub him with your right hand while the left works to support him. Now lift him out and lay him flat on the bath towel, using another towel to dry him; and if his nails need trimming, spread his fingers on your palm and use a pair of scissors with a dull edge.

The oil bath

If your child was born in winter, thin of body and dry of skin, the doctor will prescribe the oil bath for him. All you need is wads of cotton and a tube of oil which you place in a vessel of hot water. Lay him flat on the bath table, begin as in the two previous baths, and dry the body well, leaving the private parts for last, wiping the site of the navel with a little alcohol; then dress him in the clean clothes.

The shower bath

Many modern mothers ask how the shower is to be used; there is no harm in it, provided you keep the water's temperature under your control and let it fall like the gentle dripping of dew.

As for the bath in the big tub, the child may take it when he becomes able to sit without discomfort — only be fully on guard against leaving the child alone, or against adding hot water while he is in the bath; and if you sense his fright, return him to his little bath until the fear leaves him, and you will see that he will begin to taste the pleasure of the bath, screaming and protesting with all sorts of motions whenever you try to lift him out of the water!..