Hi everyone,
I hope all are doing fine. have 2 ques.
1) When u buy baby clothes/towels, etc do we have to wash them before use...some clothes are in sealed bags which seem ok to use, but the ones which aren't ...i am just wondering if u need to wash them?
2) Seen this conflict when parents come over and what is taught in classes..bath or no bath to baby first few weeks.. Back home they massage, oil bath reg to newborns..here they say sponge bath because of infection to umbilical cord..
somehow keeping baby without bath for a week, i am ok with but more than that..i am not so sure..what is ur opinion..Bargavi what u ur parents suggest?
Seeing many differences in the traditional home upbringing and what is told by doctors here..seen these diff. popping up in other families where parents and daughters also have diff. views..small things of feedings, sleeping alone, lying posn., bathing, etc..and how to deal with such differences is another decision.heard many say this doesn't happen back home,etc..
Sometimes feel parents/experienced relatives know better since we turned out ok..but still a fear when the doc. tells something else.
Anyone seeing friends/exp. moms going thru this process? Any tips welcome...or advices from moms given to u guys..
Thanks
Radhika momTo2 replied. Hi Radhika,
The others are right. You do need to was all the infant clothes before use.
The Dr.s here do recommend just giving a sponge bath till the umblical cord falls off and in India people do give the babies an oil bath pretty soon. I stuck with giving a sponge bath for my first son till his umblical cord fell off.
My personal thoughts are that the baby doesn't need an oil bath the first week or so. Also the climate is a lot different here than in India.
I would rather be on the safe side than risk a chance of infection.
As for the many differences in the ways of upbringing .. you have to decide what you feel is best for your baby. You don't always have to go by what the Dr says, neither do you have to listen to what your parents, in-laws says without questioning it. Sometime I listen to my Dr but other times I feel my moms adivce will work better and I go with that.

Hope that helps. sumana replied. Hi,

It is necessary that u wash all the clothes, towels , blankets etc before you use it for the baby.As suggested by Manvi , u can use Dreft,but use of snuggle softner is not recommended (as advised in the childbirth classes)

And about giving bath to a new born, you can give sponge bath for the baby till the cord falls and after that regular ones.Here they suggest no baths for the baby because their skin is very soft and use of soaps or other bathing lotions would steal the natural moisture from their little bodies.This is just for your information.You can always ask your pediatrician if any such doubts arise and do accordingly.

Take Care,
Sumana Manvi replied. Abt clothes no dbt wash every single item&do it like a wk before you think you may deliver based on what your dr feels.
The baby detergents we need to use are DREFT&Snuggle softener.
Abt bath in india it is ok to give bath with the cord bcos ours is a temperate climate so the cord dries faster.
Here esp with winter coming close &inside the house with everything shut the cord will hav to be given extra care to keep it dry.Hence the need&importance of spongebath.Cord falls off by day 7.Don't worry abt conflicting advices,since you r not going to have any elders with u at that time decide on asking the nurses in the hospital you deliver to show you everything before u leave.discuss with the Pediatrician in adv your concerns&finally do what you feel best.
There really is no hard&fast rule abt how we nurutre our babies.
Hope your health is fine,take care!! Suni replied. Hi Radhika,

We have to wash everything related to the baby and keep it sanitized prior to use. The first six months is when the baby is getting used to the outside world and it becomes critical to do so. All clothes, onesies etc need to go through the process.
The Mom vs Doc dilemma is something which each of us will have to deal with. Almost everyone has an advice to give in terms of \";how to\";. I have discussed this with my husband and told him that I will go with what my doctor says....parents have our best interests at heart, but the environment we were brought up in versus what our children are going to be, is different...and I will personally be more comfortable listening and following all the doctors' advices. My parents are now looking forward to learning all the \";prescribed\"; methods of child rearing. I plan to give my child a sponge bath until the cord falls off, and then start massages with bath. I guess it finally comes down to what we are comfortable with. I read in one of the Parenting books, there is no \";right way\"; in bringing up a child, it is upto each parent to decide what is \";right\";.
My husband always says, we might make a few mistakes but we will learn and adapt to what we feel comfortable with for our babies.

Suni Bar replied. Radhika
I plan to wash clothes, washclothes and crib mattress etc everything even if they're in sealed bags.
Infant Care Class gave me a good idea of everything. They taught us sponge bath. U can massage the baby but give sponge bath only for 2 weeks till the cord falls off and heals. Mom is also telling same thing that u have to bathe only after the cord heals fully.
Yes my mom has conflicts from what I tell her(from what I read and learnt).
She doesnt want the babies to be left alone at night, she doesnt like even 1 feeding of formula a day, she is not too happy with diaper also... I know what she is telling is all good for health but donno how I am going to strike a balance.
Will see what other girls r saying.
Bar Anu replied. Hi Radhika,

1) I am sure about the clothes. We need to wash all the clothes (even the ones which are in cover). Also we need to wash them with different wash liquid called \";Dreft\";. We need to use this washing liquid till the baby is 6 months.

2) Books say that we need to give sponge bath till the cord comes away. Here doctors will give some acid to apply to the cord everyday, so that it comes of soon. Once the cord is gone, we can give tub bath for the baby. But I saw one of my friend's mom gave bath to the baby on 3rd day. She massaged the baby with oil and she also used some home made powder instead of soap or bathing liquid. I am planning to give sponze bath till the baby's cord is gone. Just to be on safe side. Probably it will go away in a week. And you know, you can give sponze bath twice a day. You also can use some baby soap liquid for sponge bath and then you can wipe the baby with regular water. I also read in books that you can wash baby's hair during sponge bath. I guess sponge bath should be OK till one week. Will let you know more after talking with my mom.

Anu.
avi(from nov board) replied. Hey Radhika, I worked in retail (logistics) a few years ago and spent a lot of time watcing people unload and pack merchandise and from what I've seen there, I suggest you wash everything you buy before you wear it..especially the baby clothes since babies are so fragile...(even the ones in sealed bags)...cause the bags are sealed by people who get stuff off trucks...
Trust me....