This article was professionally consulted by Dr. Nguyen Thai Ngoc Chau - Neonatal Pediatrician - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Phu Quoc International General Hospital
Most new mothers often focus on feeding their children, getting enough sleep, and being healthy. Still, they are subjective about cleaning the genital area of their baby girls because they think that only adult women get genital infections. However, the rate of genital infections in newborn girls is not small; one of the reasons is that mothers do not clean their baby's genital area properly.
1. Why is cleaning the genital area of newborn girls important?
Many people have previously thought that "cleaning the genital area" is often only important for adult women, those who are married and of reproductive age. However, according to obstetricians and gynecologists, cleaning the genital area for newborns is also very important, especially for baby girls.
Although children also have a basic reproductive system like adults, they are all in the process of being perfected. For girls, the genitals will help protect the reproductive organs and need to be cleaned and cared for carefully like adults to avoid unnecessary infections.
2. How to properly clean the genital area of a newborn girl
If cleaning the private area of a boy is quite gentle and quick, cleaning the private area of an infant girl needs to be done step by step to avoid contamination, vaginitis, etc.
Preparation:
- Warm water.
- Cut cotton balls.
- Soft towel (mustard).
- Cloth diapers.
Steps to properly clean the private area of a newborn girl:
- Step 1: Before cleaning the genital area of a baby girl, the mother should wash her hands thoroughly.
- Step 2: Open the dirty diaper with one hand and gently lift the baby's legs with the other hand to remove the dirty diaper. Note: Principles for cleaning the private area for girls: from top to bottom, from inside to outside, wipe in order: belly, buttocks, back, thighs, private area.
- Step 3: Dip a soft towel in warm water. After wiping the belly and then the buttocks, should observe the buttocks to see if the dirt is spreading outside.
- Step 4: Observe the skin and genital area of the baby. Use a dry tissue to wipe clean. Note that stains should be avoided when cleaning.
- Step 5: Put a new diaper on the baby.
3. Mistakes when cleaning the genital area of newborn girls
3.1. Cleaning the genital area of girls with shower gel.
When bathing their children, many mothers often take advantage of using shower gel and soap to clean their genital areas. However, this poses many risks because these bathing and body hygiene products may contain alkaline detergents that can easily kill beneficial bacteria in the genital area, irritating the baby's sensitive skin.
3.2. Using betel leaf water or tea leaves to clean the genital area of girls
When seeing that the genital area of a child is red, has a discharge, has a foul odor due to wearing diapers daily, or has not been cleaned well by the teacher at school, many mothers often apply folk methods such as washing with tea leaves or betel leaves. These leaves often have strong antiseptic properties; it is difficult to determine the standard concentration when diluted and can easily cause an imbalance in vaginal pH in girls. In addition, with the current polluted environment, finding a source of clean betel leaves and tea leaves is also a problem.
3.3. Using saline to clean the private area for girls
This is another common mistake of mothers because they think that saline is safe for cleaning the private area. However, saline is alkaline, and the pH of the baby's vagina is often neutral, so using saline to clean the private area for girls can easily cause the vaginal pH environment to become unbalanced.
3.4. Cleaning the genital area for newborn girls with filtered water
Due to the notion that young children are less likely to get genital infections, mothers often pay little attention to the issue of properly cleaning the private area for their children, or because of the opposite mentality of fearing that using cleaning solutions will not be safe, so they only clean their children with filtered water. However, this cannot completely clean the private area of the baby and can easily create conditions for yeast bacteria to invade and cause gynecological infections in children.
3.5. Using mother's cleaning solution to clean the baby's genital area
Like shower gel and soap, mother's cleaning solution is also not safe and not suitable for the vaginal pH environment of a newborn baby girl. Because they contain colorants and foaming agents and have high antibacterial properties, they make the baby's genital area more susceptible to infection. Therefore, mothers should not use this method to clean the baby girl's genital area.
4. Other tips on baby hygiene
For newborns, mothers can bathe their babies once or twice a day, each time cleaning and sanitizing the baby's genital area to prevent diaper rash and itching. In addition, each time the baby urinates or defecates, it should be washed with clean water and dried with a soft towel or cotton.
When cleaning the genital area of a newborn, in addition to washing the labia majora, it is necessary to wash the labia minora as well. Mothers can use coconut oil or olive oil to soften the dirt stuck here (if any) before cleaning as usual.
Sometimes the baby's vagina can also secrete clear and odorless fluid, which is normal.
Mothers can schedule diaper changes for their babies every 3 hours if they use diapers with good absorbency and a dry surface.
To properly care for and clean the body of a newborn baby, mothers can refer to more information here.
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