Bathing is part of the child care process. Since hygiene is the basis of such care, bathing must be accompanied by the implementation of a number of rules. So, how is it right to bathe a small child in a large bath? How do you use a circle?

The first bath of a newborn baby in a large tub

Bathing a baby in a shared bathroom after a baby bath has its own distinctive features. First you need to gradually lower the child into the water, wetting the legs, arms and torso. You need to hold the child by the head in this way: your little finger should be under the neck, the rest of the fingers under the back of his head. Nothing bad will happen if water gets into the eyes, as long as it does not get into the mouth and nose. You will immediately notice that the baby's torso will not sink to the bottom of the bath. On the contrary, it floats up and stays on the surface in such a way that the chest with the tummy sticks out of the water. Therefore, with the other hand (or perhaps another adult will do this), it is necessary to regulate the immersion in the water of the body so that the chest and tummy are under water.

Once your baby is in the big bath, you will immediately understand the difference between this bathing option and bathing in a baby bath. You will make sure that the baby can move easily without the risk of hitting the walls of the tub.

In a large bath, you need to observe the behavior of the baby. If the child is not active, lies quietly and yawns, then he does not like the process of bathing. Then you can lead the baby in the water, moving to the edges of the bath back and forth. This is how you activate the child. Of course, it may not be worth doing this for the first time. After all, the first bath is adaptation, adaptation. And for sure, the process of such adaptation is more difficult for adults than for a child.

In general, for bathing a baby in a large bath, three positions will be enough:

• lying on the back with support behind the head;
• swimming on the tummy (the chin of the child is in the hand of an adult, between the thumb and forefinger of the hand);
• sitting posture.

Yes, a baby can sit in a large bath even in the neonatal period. All further actions of adults do not need any scheme of actions. You need to be guided by common sense and the behavior of the child. If he begins to cry, then you do not need to forcibly keep him in the bath. And in order to prevent this from happening, adults should set the child in a positive mood before bathing: talk to him, smile, stroke, make him smile.

You need to monitor the temperature of the water, because after 15 minutes it will drop by several degrees. It is recommended to start bathing a child in a large bath from 34 °, and after 2 days to reduce the starting water temperature by one degree. Over time, you need to ensure that the baby in the water is active. Talk to him. Water and turn a little to the sides.

Each child has its own properties of body temperature regulation. Therefore, it is impossible to predict the optimally comfortable water temperature for each child. One baby may smile at 23° and another won't even at 30°. However, parents should take into account the average optimal norms for bathing children in a large bath:

1. At a temperature of 34 ° at the beginning, the process lasts 15 minutes.
2. At the age of one month, this temperature can be 30-32°, and bathing lasts 20-25 minutes.
3. At two months, the bathing temperature can be 28-30 ° and this bathing lasts 30 minutes.

Bathing a baby in a large tub with a circle

Bathing a baby with a circle is a special physical education in the water. An ordinary inflatable ring is not suitable for this, because it is focused on bathing older children. And the bathing circle for newborns is designed so that the child cannot slip out of it, drink water or dive. Bathing a baby in a bath with a circle is a prevention and at the same time treatment of muscle hypertonicity. It develops coordination of movements, the child ceases to be afraid of water. So, you bought a circle. Now we are ready to bathe.

First, unpack it and smooth out the contours. Gradually inflate its small chamber so that all the curves of the contour straighten out. To inflate, squeeze the valve nipple - and so the air will freely enter the chamber. When finished pumping, release the nipple, close it. Next, you need to inflate the large chamber of the circle. Closed valves must be “drowned” inside the circle. On both sides there is a notch for a child's chin.

Before you try swimming with a circle for the first time, you must first introduce the child to this swimming attribute. Let him get used to the circle, touch, play or just look. The child will be interested in the rattles on the circle.

Starting to bathe, open the fasteners, slowly spread one part of the circle up and the other down so that the formed opening passes the baby's neck. Release the outlines to return them to their original position.

The chin should be clearly in a special recess for the child's chin. Use the fasteners to adjust the fit of the inner contour to the neck of the crumbs, fix them. It is recommended to put on a circle together, but do it not in the water. You also need to remove it outside the bath.

Parents should remember that in no case should a child be left alone in a bath with a circle. It is necessary to control the process constantly, even when the baby is fully adapted to this swimming attribute. Systematic swimming with a circle causes positive emotions in the baby, helps to strengthen his respiratory and cardiovascular systems. They have a beneficial effect on the musculoskeletal system and strengthen the nervous system, improve sleep and appetite.

You can start teaching your baby to swim at 2-3 weeks old, after the umbilical wound has completely healed. You can start swimming with a circle in a regular bath. When the child grows up, the bath becomes cramped for him, then this process can be moved to the pool.

The advantages of the circle are that the baby can swim both on the tummy and on the back. While swimming with a circle, your baby's body is completely submerged in water. So he won't freeze. The circle does not hinder the movement of the arms and legs of the baby. It perfectly protects the child's ears from water ingress.

You can put on a circle on the body of a baby only at the age of 3 months and on condition that he holds his head very confidently. Before you start swimming a child with a circle in the bath, it will not be superfluous to consult with your pediatrician.

How to bathe a baby in a large bath: rules

Bathing a child in a large bath, you need to follow a number of rules:

1. Temperature control. You can use a thermometer for this, or you can use the old folk way: dip your elbow into the water, and if the temperature is comfortable for you, not hot, then you can bathe the child.
2. If the child has diaper rash and redness on the body, it is useful to add a decoction of chamomile, succession, celandine, calendula to the bathing water.
3. Never bathe a baby immediately after feeding.
4. Bathe your baby with washing from top to bottom.
5. When bathing, it is better to use liquid soap. Make sure baby bath products are labeled “no tears.”
6. Do not forget about the treatment of the umbilical wound of the crumbs.
7. It is not necessary to bathe the baby often and keep him in the bath for a long time.
8. It is not recommended to bathe a child if he is naughty, crying, whimpering. Reassure the child, tune in a positive way.
9. In no case do not trust the bathing of a child to a drunken relative.

Where to bathe a baby?

Some young parents believe that you need to bathe the child immediately in a large bath and not bother with the purchase of special baby baths. Well, it's possible. A large bathtub is an easy and safe option for bathing a child. Swimming has a number of benefits:

1. Plenty of space for swimming. The child can move actively and freely without the risk of hitting the edge of the tub.
2. Such a bath simply cannot roll over or fall.
3. A large bath is usually already in the house, and you do not need to buy it, think about where to put it.
4. It is easy to draw water into such a bath and just as easy to drain water from it.

But a large shared bath also has a number of disadvantages for bathing crumbs:

1. All members of the family bathe in the shared bath. Before each bathing the baby, it should be thoroughly washed with soda or baby detergent, gel for cleaning baby supplies.
2. During such bathing, adults need to bend over or kneel to safely support the child. This is not very convenient.
3. The large volume of the bath usually frightens parents, and it takes them a long time to adapt to the optimal water level in the bath for bathing a child.

So, where to start bathing the baby is the choice of each parent. Their task at the same time is to ensure safety and instill in the baby a love of water.

Especially for - Diana Rudenko